Originally Posted by
Daves_Not_Here
I think we agree in spirit; however, the practice you cite is not common, it's occasional, at least around here. Regarding avoiding law-breaking, I agree that "flagrant" is the operative modifier.
A dictionary definition of "common" includes "widespread, prevalent." Come sit on a street corner in Orange County during a summer weekend and you'll see our local Lycra crowd meeting that definition. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean everyone is sailing blithely through reds without a thought, but that's not what I said. Running a red means running a red, i.e. anything not including waiting for the light to change.
Originally Posted by
Daves_Not_Here
And discussing this is no cause for despair. Syrians have cause for despair. We're just a bunch of spoiled, effete, bike-riding foot-stomping adult children who don't appreciate how great our circumstances really are.
A dictionary definition of "despair" includes "To be overcome by a sense of futility or defeat" which perfectly describes my feeling about the state of today's recreational cycling. When we are reduced to arguing that obeying traffic laws in public is in fact a good idea, despair is a perfectly appropriate emotion.