Rolling stops through red lights in the city
#26
Junior Member
Joined: Jun 2015
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From: NY
Bikes: 94 Trek 2200
I slow down and if the coast is clear i roll through. Most of the time there are cars so I have to stop a lot.
I thought my commute sucked at 5.0 miles and 39 lights. I hate the city so much but I stay because I hate commuting more lol.
I thought my commute sucked at 5.0 miles and 39 lights. I hate the city so much but I stay because I hate commuting more lol.
#27
Mad bike riding scientist




Joined: Nov 2004
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From: Denver, CO
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
It might be that not all trigger systems are the same.
I'm motorcycle licensed, and at the certification course the instructors told us that even a motorcycle can fail to trigger the light, despite positioning the wheels right over the outline.
Maybe the sensitivity of the system can be tuned? After all, you wouldn't want a raccoon dragging a hubcap to be able to trip the signal.
I'm motorcycle licensed, and at the certification course the instructors told us that even a motorcycle can fail to trigger the light, despite positioning the wheels right over the outline.
Maybe the sensitivity of the system can be tuned? After all, you wouldn't want a raccoon dragging a hubcap to be able to trip the signal.
This link does make it sound like the legality of going through the light is a new thing for Washington, though, maybe it's just poor research on the part of the journalist.
Governor Inslee signs the ?Dead Red? bill into law | Seattle Bike Blog
Governor Inslee signs the ?Dead Red? bill into law | Seattle Bike Blog
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Dreamin' of Bemidji Down the Mississippi (in part)
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
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Stuart Black
Dreamin' of Bemidji Down the Mississippi (in part)
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#28
The space coyote lied.



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They're trying to phase out in-street sensors here, preferring to install video sensors for all new or majorly refurbed signaled intersections.
When I heard about new WA state stop laws for bicycles I was really hoping it was gonna be Idaho stop. Maybe next time...
When I heard about new WA state stop laws for bicycles I was really hoping it was gonna be Idaho stop. Maybe next time...
#29
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 18
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From: Ankeny IA
Bikes: 2015 Fuji Absolute 1.9 disc
Ok, if we want to share the road with cars I think we should abide by the law just like they have too. We want respect, we sure won't get it rolling thru a light that they have to stop at. Just my 2cents.
Mark.
Mark.
#30
I stop at red lights and wait for the change to green unless the street I'm on is the top of the T on a T-Bone intersection. There unless there is a flood of traffic coming through or there are a load of pedestrians in front of me I roll through if all is clear.
#31
The space coyote lied.



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SF Cyclists To Protest Stopping At Stop Signs With ?Stop-In? « CBS San Francisco
I think most people just want traffic that flows smoothly and safely.
#33
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Joined: Jun 2015
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From: Seattle, WA
Bikes: Many bikes in three states and two countries, mainly riding Moots Vamoots, Lynskey R265 disc and a Spot Denver Zephyr nowadays
In cyclist congested places like the Wiggle in San Francisco and any number of similar streets in Seattle, Portland and Minneapolis, people just commuting becomes effectively a group ride just from sheer numbers.
#34
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2015
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From: Ankeny IA
Bikes: 2015 Fuji Absolute 1.9 disc
Ok, I just hear a lot of bicyclists complaining that we should have the same right to the road that the cars have, but then we want to not have to go by the same laws, that's all I'm saying.
Mark.
Mark.
#35
The space coyote lied.



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Nah. I'm OK with being banned from the Freeways in the cities. Would be cool if, in exchange, we could have Idaho stop law.
#36
The space coyote lied.



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For the past 4 years, I've commuted a lot to my work which is a 22 mile round trip. The ride is pretty nice and peaceful. But I've left that job and just starting to commute to my new job which is 36-38 miles round trip. The exercise and scenery are really nice and this commute bring me into a different town which is philly. I work in the heart of the city and enjoy the commute but one thing I've been doing is just slowing down at red lights and watching for incoming traffic. If there is traffic, I stop and out a leg down. If not, I slow down and roll through.
For the folks who commute in big cities, what do you do?
For the folks who commute in big cities, what do you do?
#37
Here in Boulder County they have installed some type of video system at all the traffic lights. The lights that I always ran because they didn't respond now work as if I'm a car. I was still running them when I started to notice the system was tweaked to see bikes. It works very well. I suppose the system also helps with car traffic congestion by clearing out bottlenecks such as left turners dynamically instead of fixed time intervals. Hopefully this is the future because no matter what anyone claims, many of the old loop sensing systems simply don't detect bike traffic.
#38
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From: Kent Wa.
Bikes: 2005 Gazelle Golfo, 1935 Raleigh Sport, 1970 Robin Hood sport, 1974 Schwinn Continental, 1984 Ross MTB/porteur, 2013 Flying Piegon path racer, 2014 Gazelle Toer Populair T8
What about the stop sign law? How will motorists like it if a club ride cues up single file and each one skootches up to the stop line, stops, looks both ways, then goes?
SF Cyclists To Protest Stopping At Stop Signs With ?Stop-In? « CBS San Francisco
I think most people just want traffic that flows smoothly and safely.
SF Cyclists To Protest Stopping At Stop Signs With ?Stop-In? « CBS San Francisco
I think most people just want traffic that flows smoothly and safely.
#39
The space coyote lied.



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Better for cross traffic, yes. Catastrophically worse for anyone behind them going the same way. And if LEOs insist on this type of left turn behavior by group rides, it could mean the end of group rides as we know them.
#40
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Joined: Feb 2014
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From: Kent Wa.
Bikes: 2005 Gazelle Golfo, 1935 Raleigh Sport, 1970 Robin Hood sport, 1974 Schwinn Continental, 1984 Ross MTB/porteur, 2013 Flying Piegon path racer, 2014 Gazelle Toer Populair T8
Most group rides take place where liberties taken go unnoticed and/or have no meaningful impact on other road users, and will most likely continue to be ignored.
On the other hand, once in a while routes are chosen poorly where such behavior is disruptive, and pace lines are simply inappropriate.
#41
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Joined: Jan 2015
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From: Kota, Aichi, Japan
Bikes: 2011 Giant Seek R3, 2015 Specialized Allez Elite, 2017 Giant TCR Advanced 2
I almost always stop now because I can't see well enough or there is just too much traffic or people watching. My previous commute there were a couple of lights that were completely pointless and I would roll through those if I was caught by them. On my commute now I don't pass any roads like that, but I have taken a route where I hopped on the sidewalk at a T, and I do that if there is a light from a pedestrian crossing and I see the pedestrian has already passed.
By the way, some of you have very few lights to go through.
By the way, some of you have very few lights to go through.
#42
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Joined: Sep 2014
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From: SE Michigan
Bikes: 2014 Genesis GS29 (Yellow Fork)
I'll blow a light if I don't see anyone coming but my judgement for "someone coming" takes into account my own somewhat pathetic acceleration and the sheer number of moron drivers that don't know what the stalk on the left of the steering column is for. As a result I usually end up stopping anyway, even if it isn't for the whole light. Heck, around here I've found it's safer to cross against the lights. Car drivers just don't pay attention to small traffic on the right when they're turning.
#43
Keepin it Wheel




Joined: Aug 2011
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From: San Diego
Bikes: Surly CrossCheck, Krampus
FWIW I stop at all red lights except for when the intersection is straight-ahead + left only, so that the bike lane is not in danger or in the way of any traffic. I'm also scrupulous with arterial stop signs, purely residential stop signs not so much.
#44
The space coyote lied.



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On the circular ones, I like to make a chord with my bike's wheelbase. Most repaves will involve loop replacements, chipseal or other surface treatments often obscure the cuts, though.
#45
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Joined: Jun 2014
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From: Bruce Twp, MI
Bikes: Huffy Sienna Cruiser, Specialized Rockhopper
I usually slow down for the red lights. If the cross traffic is clear then I speed up and roll through. I try not to take too many chances. If there are any cars that could potentially turn in front of me, I'll just stop and at least wait for them to clear through.
#46
Mad bike riding scientist




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From: Denver, CO
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I've used this method in 47 of the 50 states and never had a problem tripping a light if I could see the loop as I clearly stated above. Even repaving doesn't necessarily mean that you can't find the loop, however. On new fresh pavement, it is impossible. But if the pavement is a couple of years old, often times cracks will develop over the loop lines. Often I can see long linear cracks in the pavement and I know that is where the loop is. My success rate with those is a little lower but not by much.
__________________
Stuart Black
Dreamin' of Bemidji Down the Mississippi (in part)
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Dreamin' of Bemidji Down the Mississippi (in part)
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#47
Prefers Cicero

Joined: Jul 2005
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From: Toronto
Bikes: 1984 Trek 520; 2007 Bike Friday NWT; misc others
I have 6 or 7 lights to go through in 20 miles. Most lights I'll come to a normal stop like a vehicle and rarely roll through a red. One light shown below is essentially a 3 way intersection even though technically cars could go through the intersection from top left to bottom right they seldom do so I just take the path shown in green if the light is red.

#48
Senior Member


Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 9,201
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From: Vancouver, BC
There is often a truck or work crew parked over there but in the 250+ times I've been through that intersection I've yet to see a vehicle go through past my green path. There's good visibility so if I did see someone I'd stop. I just treat it as a T intersection.
#49
Keepin it Wheel




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From: San Diego
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I think I see what he means is, what path could a double-trailered truck take to end up there? I'm guessing they don't back up so well, so he must have come off that bottom cloverleaf making as wide a left turn as possible to rest at the curb.
But what is that stump even for? There's a left-turn lane, why does traffic need the 'jughandle' (as we called them in NJ)?
But what is that stump even for? There's a left-turn lane, why does traffic need the 'jughandle' (as we called them in NJ)?
#50
For the past 4 years, I've commuted a lot to my work which is a 22 mile round trip. The ride is pretty nice and peaceful. But I've left that job and just starting to commute to my new job which is 36-38 miles round trip. The exercise and scenery are really nice and this commute bring me into a different town which is philly. I work in the heart of the city and enjoy the commute but one thing I've been doing is just slowing down at red lights and watching for incoming traffic. If there is traffic, I stop and out a leg down. If not, I slow down and roll through.
For the folks who commute in big cities, what do you do?
For the folks who commute in big cities, what do you do?




