misslexi

Perhaps this has been asked before but I'm curious as to how my fellow eBike riders treat stop signs encountered on the road.

One extreme is to ignore them, the other to always come to a complete stop, then proceed.

Thoughts anyone?

ps. I'm not a traffic cop

Allen

I treat it about the same as I do with my regular bikes.
I slow down to check traffic, if no cars are around my feet never touch the ground.
If there is a car there I come to a stop and put a foot on the ground.

GTALuigi

same, use caution.

also i check behind me, to see if there's any cop around.

i've seen fellow bikers being slapped with a ticket for not stopping.

so, do at your own risk

kbdog

In North America, the main idea of stop signs is to calm traffic. In the rest of the world, stop signs aren't used for side streets and subdivisions; roundabouts, 'Yield' or 'Give Way' signs are favoured. As a cyclist, I don't believe the spirit of the law requires me to come to a stop on my bike if a quiet intersection is completely clear of traffic. That being said, as the previous poster mentioned, flaunting this notion to a police officer is probably not good for the wallet.

Zephyr Boy

In Los Angeles, about half of the bicyclists blow through stop signs AND TRAFFIC LIGHTS. I am sure bikes have to follow the same road laws as a car. (that includes: stop signs, one-way streets, etc.)

Trikin'

I ride a tapole trike, and try hard to follow the rules of the road but there are certain times that this doesn't make any sense to do for whatever reason. But the one one thing that some cyclists do is make a quick right while still hugging the curb, but the thought of the driver is this bikes going to get slammed, probably pissing them off, and causing more stress thans nessary. As a result I try to avoid this by slowing or stopping (always trying for eye contact)at a stop sign controlled intersection. My trike is still a curiousity in my area....not too many recumbents..period, so I still get some road space for now.

blippo

I at least slow down to a crawl and look both ways. Sometimes I stop

crackerdog

If the intersection is clear, I do what most cars do, I slow to maybe 1mph and then off I go. I am ready to stop at all intersections whether they are signed or not.

ScarcelyAware

You mean, a rolling stop?

Yeah, a lot of car drivers get tickets here in LA for that. (cops are pretty strict)
...never seen it enforced with bikes though.

Zephyr Boy

I think the term is called "California Stops" Los Angeles is certainly known for it. Too many aggressive (road raged) drivers in the city.

I stop at most stop signs and at all traffic lights. What's the hurry when I got an electric assist bicycle.

misslexi

I left stop lights out the OP because I always stop completely at a red light, even for a free right on red.

What prompted my OP is recently, while riding on a road with a bike path, I followed what other riders seem to do on this stretch, which is to slow down briefly at stop signs and proceed through unless there is cross traffic. This road has all 3-way stops as it follows a lake shore. The riders I've observed would do this even when traffic is present, as long as it's moving in the same or opposite direction. I've been riding this road for months.

On this particular day, I did my usual, look behind, look left, look ahead, nothing coming, there is zero automobile traffic. I slow and move through a stop sign, riding in the bike path.

A rider, the only other person on the road at the time, coming in the opposite direction, goes off on me. Starts yelling all kinds of expletives, telling me I better stop at stop signs, what an ass I am etc. I told him to FO and mind his own business and went along my way,

It occurred to me later that just because I'm doing what everyone else is doing doesn't always make it right, hence my post.

unterhausen

Nice story. That cyclist needs to settle down, he's not going to be able to change the world. I roll stop signs and run stop lights after coming to a complete stop if I know it isn't going to change for me. That being said, if there is a motorist watching me, I obey the rules. Just don't need the bad public relations. Drives me nuts when I see a cyclist violating someone's right of way.

I would definitely support changing to Idaho rules, which treat traffic lights as stop signs and stop signs as yield signs.

miro13car

stop sign in Europe is used in really critical places only,eg. very bad visibility.
wHAT a waste of energy and gasoline and polution for N.America.
on my bike I roll stops, what`s the sense to stop if there is nobody at the inters.