Velo Dog

At least where I live, cyclists have argued for years that bikes are legally vehicles, entitled to all the rights and privileges of a car. We've made some headway with that, though you can still pretty much run down a paceline with your pickup and get off with a suspended sentence.
And if we're going to use that argument, that we have the rights, we have to assume the responsibilities and follow the laws, too. Stop for the damn bus.

Arcanum

Pretty much. If cycles are a vehicle like any other, they're obliged to follow the rules of the road like any other. I'm not personally convinced that bicycles should be considered a vehicle like any other, but if you're going to operate in the physical domain of other vehicles you need to behave like other vehicles. Anything unexpected is a potential hazard, and in this particular case the cyclist would not only be a hazard to himself and other vehicles but to the kids getting on or off the bus as well.

DX-MAN

Yup. Too many bike riders want to rationalize/justify their scofflaw actions, just so they can feel good about continuing to act like spoiled children.

Granted, this is no different from the REST of society...!

America has become the Land of the Excuse.

Dammit -- just do the right thing, be an adult!

Pscyclepath

Several states clearly define bicycles as "vehicles" under state law. But even in places where bicycles aren't legally "vehicles" by statutory definition, every state and territory has promulgated a statute providing that every person riding (driving) a bicycle has all the same rights, and all the same responsibilities (duties) of a driver of a vehicle. This means that bicyclists must follow the exact same traffic law as people driving cars, trucks, etc. If a car has to come to a full stop at a stop sign or red light, then a bicyclist does too. If a car has to stop and wait while a school bus loads or unloads, then a bicyclist does too.

The one advantage that the bicyclist has is that he can almost immediately step to the curb, get off the bike, and walk as a pedestrian past the bus, then remount and go his merry way once he gets past the bus. But as long as you stay mounted on the bike, you have to follow traffic law.