Originally posted by uciflylow
As far as running red lights go. I still have never gotten a good answer as how to handle those redlights that are NOT GOING TO CHANGE for a bike to pass. Do you stop, then go on through or do you just sit there all morning?
This is one of our biggest problems, right up there with inattentive motorists and high-speed free merges and diverges (and wrong-way cyclists!). If I can safely proceed in my intended direction of travel, I treat the red light as a stop sign, and prepare to argue, if necessary, that the signal is legally inoperative. I report nonresponsive detector loops in my own city of 55K to traffic engineering, and obtain a remedy about half the time. If I need to cross a major, heavily traveled street, I detour to the pedestrian button, if one is available.
My personal philosophy is closely aligned with Pete Clark's post. My personal safety is by far my primary concern; following the letter of the law is secondary. Fortunately, these two objectives are USUALLY mutually consistent.