Originally Posted by
skookum
Most cyclists don't obey traffic laws. A few weeks ago, driving in my car, I had to brake hard to avoid a cyclist who was running a red light.
I mentioned it to a friend, a long time serious cyclist, and she said she always runs red lights. I told her she is going to die if she keeps that up.
Cyclists complain that motorists don't respect their right to be on the road, but cyclist don't respect the rules of the road.
And, unless I way miss my guess, she is still alive and still running them. So am I. At 68, I've run more reds than I have reds left to run. NYC being what it is, I'm betting the infrastructure alone means I ran more of them than your friend ever will in 3 lifetimes by the time I left NYC in 2001. I think I can state with confidence that, running red lights is NOT what will cause my death, nor your friends.
The truth is, most cyclists DO obey traffic laws. And it hardly matters because all the cyclists in a given area are but a tiny, tiny, tiny fraction of the overall traffic picture. They, and what they do and how they do it hardly matters in the grand scheme. It matters more to you because you (presumably) drive far more than you bike. Your sensibilities are driver's sensibilities, not cyclist sensibilities. As a driver, you are held to a higher standard of roadcraft, AS IT SHOULD BE. But, when you are stopped at that 2 minute long, multi-feeder intersection, you notice the cyclist that blows it up because you can't! I'm guessing it was safe to do, because it didn't make 'Breaking News'. In fact, it is far more likely that when a cyclist is seriously hurt or, yeah, ... it is far more likely that they were in the right, and the driver was careless or aggressive. Good on you for not nailing that errant cyclist that ran the light in front of you. Take the pat on the back because if you push it further I might wonder if you aren't mistaken. Not that you are lying, but JUDGEMENT isn't something I give any driver credit for where bikes are concerned. You are certain that you would have hit that cyclist unless you braked 'hard'. Maybe. Maybe not. Take the maybe. I'm feeling generous today.
You'd have to find me actual cases though, of scofflaw cyclists getting road justice for their stupidity to make me change my POV. If you've ever sped up and slid through a stale yellow/fresh red. YOU ARE BREAKING THE LAW. You are no better than the cyclist running the same light. You are simply able to do it much faster because 100+ horsepower. And you do it many times a month without a thought. Cyclists that live to my age actually DO consider each and every single yellow/red we encounter. The GO/NO GO calculation takes less than a second for each instance. Do you really consider outcomes when you hit the gas to speed through a stale yellow? A cyclist can also choose to 'run' a standing red, assuming no cross traffic with scant consequences. It would be a far more provocative action by a driver, even if 'safe' because cyclists behavior is not nearly as tightly controlled as a motorists, AS IT SHOULD BE. "See to the log in thine own eye before you address the mote in thy neighbor's" -Matthew 7:3-5