Do you obey traffic signals?
#27
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Much of my riding is Midnight Madness Mileage and thus traffic flow controls are considered "suggestions." When normal folks are out and about, I have a TOTALLY DIFFERENT MINDSET being employed.

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Being old, and in no hurry what so ever, yes I stop at stop lights and wait for them to turn green. I figure I am a good rep of cyclist to the motoring public.
Also since I ride a T**** and can stay clipped in all during the stop and start, without having to put a foot down, it just makes obeying a stop light or stop sign that much easier.
Also since I ride a T**** and can stay clipped in all during the stop and start, without having to put a foot down, it just makes obeying a stop light or stop sign that much easier.
Last edited by rydabent; 02-04-23 at 09:10 AM.

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Never understood why anyone wouldn't stop for a red light or sign. Some people seem to have a death wish. Those who run red lights or engage in other reckless behavior are future Darwin Award contenders. They get zero sympathy from me. They are a danger to themselves and everyone on the road.


Meanwhile in Chicago.

#32
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Never understood why anyone wouldn't stop for a red light or sign. Some people seem to have a death wish. Those who run red lights or engage in other reckless behavior are future Darwin Award contenders. They get zero sympathy from me. They are a danger to themselves and everyone on the road.

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I follow lights at main intersections, but if it's a residential street with a stop sign, I'll just slow down to make sure no one is coming.

#34
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I live in a small rural town, so no traffic lights. I do most of my riding early in the morning when there's extremely little traffic, so most of the time I treat stop signs like yield signs. I know which streets are busiest, so I tend to slow way down for those intersections. But even then, I'm looking back & forth up & down the street to make sure no vehicles are coming from either way, even when I have the right of way. You never know when someone will be texting and not notice they have a stop sign. It's usually also a given that at 5 AM when I'm riding you can hear vehicles and see their headlights. If I don't hear or see anything chances are I'm OK to continue through the intersection. But, during the day when there are many cars about, I tend to stop at stop signs.
However, if I'm riding in another town I'm not too familiar with, I obey all traffic signs and signals. If I don't have the home field advantage then I feel like I'm playing with fire.
However, if I'm riding in another town I'm not too familiar with, I obey all traffic signs and signals. If I don't have the home field advantage then I feel like I'm playing with fire.

#35
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Red Lights: Full stop, and I almost always wait for green. State law allows cyclists to proceed after 45 seconds if traffic is clear. On occasion, I proceed this way through red, but only for controls that are not activated by bicycles and when no automobiles are present to flip the light.
Stop Signs: Daytime: full stop. When other vehicles are present, I put a foot down (our locals don't understand my trackstand and it causes confusion). After dark, I sometimes do the California roll, due in part to a lack of vehicles and a concern for personal safety. When it is my turn at a 4-way stop, I take it - while watching cautiously for drivers that might fail to use turn signals or count to 4.
Yield Signs: I slow down and yield.
Pedestrian Crossings: Pedestrians have the right of way, and I give it to them.
College Campus: Full obedience of all traffic signals. I want to be a good role model for the college students (whom often have very poor bicycle skills). It is particularly amusing to confuse drivers, who believe that I am a college student because I'm on a bike, even though I'm old enough to have children in college.
Stop Signs: Daytime: full stop. When other vehicles are present, I put a foot down (our locals don't understand my trackstand and it causes confusion). After dark, I sometimes do the California roll, due in part to a lack of vehicles and a concern for personal safety. When it is my turn at a 4-way stop, I take it - while watching cautiously for drivers that might fail to use turn signals or count to 4.
Yield Signs: I slow down and yield.
Pedestrian Crossings: Pedestrians have the right of way, and I give it to them.
College Campus: Full obedience of all traffic signals. I want to be a good role model for the college students (whom often have very poor bicycle skills). It is particularly amusing to confuse drivers, who believe that I am a college student because I'm on a bike, even though I'm old enough to have children in college.

#36
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Never understood why anyone wouldn't stop for a red light or sign. Some people seem to have a death wish. Those who run red lights or engage in other reckless behavior are future Darwin Award contenders. They get zero sympathy from me. They are a danger to themselves and everyone on the road.
First who are cyclists a danger to? Perhaps you can let us know about the bike running into car that killed the driver. Knowing that will be difficult to find, perhaps you will be able to share the data for bicyclists killed running stop signs/lights. It will represent a minority of the accidents.
Now take the time to learn how the most lethal accidents happen. I believe you will find they happen when cyclist are following road rules.
The biking community needs to focus on the right things. Since the majority of cyclists do not stop at signs/lights, let's realize it is not dangerous now. And it would make cycling safer if yielding would become part of the traffic code.

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I go when it's safe to go, not when a sign or light tell me it's safe. Granted most of my riding is through neighborhoods with stop signs

#39
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Seeing this reply on a bike forum is unbelievable.
First who are cyclists a danger to? Perhaps you can let us know about the bike running into car that killed the driver. Knowing that will be difficult to find, perhaps you will be able to share the data for bicyclists killed running stop signs/lights. It will represent a minority of the accidents.
Now take the time to learn how the most lethal accidents happen. I believe you will find they happen when cyclist are following road rules.
The biking community needs to focus on the right things. Since the majority of cyclists do not stop at signs/lights, let's realize it is not dangerous now. And it would make cycling safer if yielding would become part of the traffic code.
First who are cyclists a danger to? Perhaps you can let us know about the bike running into car that killed the driver. Knowing that will be difficult to find, perhaps you will be able to share the data for bicyclists killed running stop signs/lights. It will represent a minority of the accidents.
Now take the time to learn how the most lethal accidents happen. I believe you will find they happen when cyclist are following road rules.
The biking community needs to focus on the right things. Since the majority of cyclists do not stop at signs/lights, let's realize it is not dangerous now. And it would make cycling safer if yielding would become part of the traffic code.
1. Cyclists who regularly and knowingly violate the law are a danger to the public and other cyclists. There are 2 recent threads here when a cyclist has killed a pedestrian. They cause driver anger and road rage against other cyclists and they put motorists who strike them in danger. A secondary accident after striking the cyclist? An accident caused by avoiding striking the cyclist? The grief of knowing you killed someone even though it may have been the other person's fault? I can go on but why bother.
2. Most (more than 50% easily) of the cycling related accidents I read about are cyclist error / violation of law. Sure there are plenty caused by inattentive motorists but I mainly read about accidents caused by slaloming and running red lights.
3. The majority of cyclist I see do stop at red lights. Not sure when you live but it's not a place I'd want to visit. I say about 30% of the cyclist I see on a daily basis do not stop for red light and the other 70% do.

#40
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Lights? Signs? What are those?
I am too busy staying focused on the moving objects (and the ne'er-do-wells curbside) that/who will injure or kill me if I get distracted by pretty lights or signs. Unless, of course, I notice the traffic furniture is LEANING and might fall on me, then I worry about it.
And I do not BLOW through any intersections. I look both ways, even if it is a one-way street.
Covers it nicely.
I am too busy staying focused on the moving objects (and the ne'er-do-wells curbside) that/who will injure or kill me if I get distracted by pretty lights or signs. Unless, of course, I notice the traffic furniture is LEANING and might fall on me, then I worry about it.
And I do not BLOW through any intersections. I look both ways, even if it is a one-way street.
Covers it nicely.
Last edited by JoeyBike; 08-22-17 at 11:49 AM.

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#41
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Motorists here APPRECIATE the fact that it is very unlikely a cyclist will be "in their way" when the light goes green. This is all they care about. EVERYBODY wins when we run red lights. And, we are not into CONTROLLING each other for the most part.

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#42
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99.99% of cyclists where I live do not stop. And A LOT of people cycle in New Orleans. Guess what? No mayhem. The local cyclists get it, the local motorists get it, the cops get it. The whole rhythm of the thing works just fine when everybody is on the same page.
Motorists here APPRECIATE the fact that it is very unlikely a cyclist will be "in their way" when the light goes green. This is all they care about. EVERYBODY wins when we run red lights. And, we are not into CONTROLLING each other for the most part.
Motorists here APPRECIATE the fact that it is very unlikely a cyclist will be "in their way" when the light goes green. This is all they care about. EVERYBODY wins when we run red lights. And, we are not into CONTROLLING each other for the most part.

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Here in Wisconsin we have the law that if a bicyclist or a motorcyclist comes to a red light that they believe is vehicle activated to change that they only need to wait 45 seconds and then can cross or turn if it's safe to do so.

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Freedom does not mean you can knowingly and intentionally violate the law because you don't agree with it, don't like it, or want to shave 11 seconds off your commute. I realize you advocate breaking the law constantly so I take this into consideration when reading your posts.

#46
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Never understood why anyone wouldn't stop for a red light or sign. Some people seem to have a death wish. Those who run red lights or engage in other reckless behavior are future Darwin Award contenders. They get zero sympathy from me. They are a danger to themselves and everyone on the road.
EDIT: And if I ever am ticketed for doing so, I'll acknowledge that I broke the law and pay the fine.
Last edited by jefnvk; 08-22-17 at 12:47 PM.

#47
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Yes. If there is someone wanting to go ROR. I move over a little to the left. So they can get by, IF there is space to do so. But I will not go through a red light for anyone, other than Police/Fire/EMS.

#49
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99.99% of cyclists where I live do not stop. And A LOT of people cycle in New Orleans. Guess what? No mayhem. The local cyclists get it, the local motorists get it, the cops get it. The whole rhythm of the thing works just fine when everybody is on the same page.
Motorists here APPRECIATE the fact that it is very unlikely a cyclist will be "in their way" when the light goes green. This is all they care about. EVERYBODY wins when we run red lights. And, we are not into CONTROLLING each other for the most part.
Motorists here APPRECIATE the fact that it is very unlikely a cyclist will be "in their way" when the light goes green. This is all they care about. EVERYBODY wins when we run red lights. And, we are not into CONTROLLING each other for the most part.
It got me thinking, why? Legal adherence obviously, but beyond that why, and why was I the cop's target? I realized that the only reason *I* was the one getting growled at was that he had seen me stopped there, and then proceeding as if I were unsure of what to do, triggered his LEO instinct to reinforce the law. It wasn't that I crossed, but because I hadn't already and was therefore an anomaly in the pattern.
When you consider it analytically, that's really the key. When a law is universally ignored, or even mostly ignored, and it is not enforced, it's not a law. Literally. Sure it's on the books and you could be ticketed, but if you prove those two things it doesn't stick. So I continued to look into it analytically; perhaps there is good reason to slavishly obey every sign and light even though it's not, in practice, "the law" for bicycles, and what I found is that in general, it's better NOT to. Effectively, the cop helped me realize that cycling is not driving, that no one really cares if you aren't making a problem for them, and keeping yourself aware and choosing how to proceed is far safer than routinely following MV rules without thinking.

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