Advocacy & Safety - Hey car driver, you can't run a stop, only I can!

I'm riding in a residential neighborhood early this morning, almost no traffic. I'm on a narrow 2 way street that has stops evey block and the blocks are short. As I approach a stop I hear a car in back of me rev it and I prepare myself for the "pass, then cut in front of me and slam on the brakes 20 feet before the stop."

But as we get right to the stop sign, the car just passes me on the left, in the oncoming lane, giving me plenty of room and just goes right through the stop, in the oncoming lane, without even pretending to stop, at the same time I run the stop sign. Perfectly safe pass since there was no crossing or oncoming traffic.

My first reaction was "hey, you can't run a stop like that!", but then I said to myself, hey, it was clean, didn't endanger me or anyone else, so whats the harm?

The driver could very well have been so busy focusing on the safe pass that they didn't even notice the stop sign. :(

People get distracted by lots of things... the other day I was waiting in the straight through lane for the light to turn green, and a pickup pulled up into the right turn lane and just rolled right into a car stopped in front of him... The cyclist that was at the light with me was totally freaked out... personally, I think the driver was staring at us and thinking about how much gas he could save if HE was on a bike rather than his huge pickup.

Odd behavior. A similar pass at stop happened to me - but I was driving a light pickup truck! The fellow simply went around me and almost hit a car without a stop sign ahead of it on the intersecting street. Blind stop - that's why the sign is there. I have to wonder whether so few people stop at rural stop signs that people think someone stopping is actually STOPPING and won't go again!

Some people do treat cyclists differently than they would motor vehicles. I think most jerks are jerks to everyone.

Odd. I was riding to a friends house this morning, and the truck coming in the opposite direction blew the stop sign, right before I did. Is it better for a bike to do this? I'm 220 pounds with my bike. The truck is maybe 5000 pounds. I'm doing 15 mph, he's doing 30. Are there really double standards, or is it actually safer for cyclists to blow them?

Odd. I was riding to a friends house this morning, and the truck coming in the opposite direction blew the stop sign, right before I did. Is it better for a bike to do this? I'm 220 pounds with my bike. The truck is maybe 5000 pounds. I'm doing 15 mph, he's doing 30. Are there really double standards, or is it actually safer for cyclists to blow them?It's safer for cars to blow them. Especially SUVs. Especially at high speeds.

While texting.

But as we get right to the stop sign, the car just passes me on the left, in the oncoming lane, giving me plenty of room and just goes right through the stop, in the oncoming lane, without even pretending to stop, at the same time I run the stop sign. Perfectly safe pass since there was no crossing or oncoming traffic.

^
One of the more unusual, but rather common happenings around the Gables area. Had it happen to me twice.

-Kurt

Odd behavior. A similar pass at stop happened to me - but I was driving a light pickup truck!

I've had someone do that to me while I was riding my motorcycle. And they only lived a few houses farther down the street.

People are just impatient, selfish, and ignorant.

Az

i ran a stop sign(and got ticketed) on accident because the local municipality didnt cut the ****ing branches blocking it. i took pictures got the ticket waived next morning branches are gone. sometimes vans and Suvs block signs causing people to inadvertently run them

I'm riding in a residential neighborhood early this morning, almost no traffic. I'm on a narrow 2 way street that has stops evey block and the blocks are short. As I approach a stop I hear a car in back of me rev it and I prepare myself for the "pass, then cut in front of me and slam on the brakes 20 feet before the stop."

But as we get right to the stop sign, the car just passes me on the left, in the oncoming lane, giving me plenty of room and just goes right through the stop, in the oncoming lane, without even pretending to stop, at the same time I run the stop sign. Perfectly safe pass since there was no crossing or oncoming traffic.

My first reaction was "hey, you can't run a stop like that!", but then I said to myself, hey, it was clean, didn't endanger me or anyone else, so whats the harm?










This post SHOULD be titled "what's the harm., I don't care about anyone or anything!!!" I don't care if it's 3 in the am or 3 in the pm, if you and/or anyone else blatanly runs a red light, or a stop sign, then you should feel guilty, and thank whatever powers-that-be that you didn't get a ticket or get dead.



You think it's okay to run stop signs and street-lights...
You'll get what you deserve for that attitude, sooner, maybe not, but sometime.

You think it's okay to run stop signs and street-lights...
You'll get what you deserve for that attitude, sooner, maybe not, but sometime.

is the vc sub-forum the place for vague threats like this?

That's not a threat, it's a factual observation. People that run red lights and stop signs, regardless of their choice of vehicle, take their chances on getting creamed by cross-traffic, and will eventually see it happen.

2 wrongs don't make a right. you start running stop signs and then you hit people.

You think it's okay to run stop signs and street-lights...
You'll get what you deserve for that attitude, sooner, maybe not, but sometime.

Somebody ought to videotape you approaching a 4-way intersection with nothing perceptible coming within a quarter-mile in each direction. I'd put a bet to it that you won't make a complete stop.

-Kurt

You think it's okay to run stop signs and street-lights...
You'll get what you deserve for that attitude, sooner, maybe not, but sometime.

Think context.