Originally Posted by Brian Ratliff
I encounter a similar dilemma at 'T' type intersections, where I have a red on the top of the 'T', with a clear bike lane ahead. I see absolutely no issue with running the red because there will be no cars crossing my path. However, I am unclear on the legality of this (actually, I kind of think it is illegal), but at the same time, it is one of those laws which does not make sense. So every time I am in this situation I am very tempted to run the red.
I forgot to bring that situation up in my original post. I was actually b!tched out by a driver for for doing just that, except it was a stop sign and not a red light. I was turning off a narrow back road onto a more major road with a bike lane in addition to a shoulder. His comment was "If you're going to slow down traffic, at least obey the stop sign." Meanwhile, he ran it right behind me
Honestly, my main reason for not stopping there is that I'm usually crawling behind cars waiting at the same stop sign (like I was in the situation I just described) and it's on a pretty steep hill. If I have to put a foot down, getting moving again is a slow process.