glockenspieler

But at 4 square miles, I can't possibly get my miles in while staying in the city!

Nexx11

Let's see...how to prevent this.... I don't know, STOP?

No sympathy here.

dstrong 

I don't think he's looking for sympathy...just *****in' about the size of the fine. He's already said he'll pay the fine since he knows he did the crime.

I *think* the rule in Texas for the "T" intersections he's talking about is that if the shoulder/lane I'm riding in has a line across it, then I need to stop at the line when the light is red. If there's no line, then I don't need to stop. Mind you, these are primarily high-speed expressway type roads with 8 foot breakdown lanes.

I should probably research that just to make sure I'm right.

telebianchi

There is an intersection on my commute where I can do this. Similar set up to the OP where I am riding down the top of the T with a light at an intersection with a road coming in from the left. The next light is only about 150 yards up the road and in the evening traffic at that one can back up to the light at the T. Luckily, there is a sidewalk on my side along with a ramp up to the sidewalk. When I can see the traffic backed up I'll pop up to the sidewalk and continue on. This can save me two cycles at the next light. I will add that it is legal for bikes to be on the sidewalk here.

But, if I stay on the road I stop for the red.

Drag

You broke the law. You got caught. You pay the man.

richfell

That appears to not be correct. Here's the drivers manual (covers bicyclist in chapter 13):

https://www.txdps.state.tx.us/driverl...ments/dl-7.pdf

Here is a part of that chapter:

4. A bicyclist should always obey all traffic laws, signs, and signals. Neverride opposite the flow of traffic. Stop at all stop signs and stop at red lights.


Just pointing this out so someone does not read your comment and get hurt in thinking that it is correct.

Stealthammer

gregf83 

I'd take it to court. Make the argument that what you did was safe, or any other argument you care to make. Good chance the officer won't show or you might get a sympathetic judge.

TromboneAl

I'm not understanding: If it doesn't change, then how can it go through a cycle?

sqroot3

Perhaps Joel means the light goes through a complete cycle for cross traffic but stays red in your direction. That definitely happens (albeit infrequently) around LA.

glockenspieler

Yep, and as someone else noted, I'm not looking for sympathy.

It just seems that the magnitude of fines should reflect some kind of judgement about the seriousness of the infraction. I know that some will disagree, but I do think that rolling through an intersection at 6mph, where the direction with the green is free of traffic, and I'm at the top of the T intersection in the bike lane is just not the same as driving several thousand lbs of steel through an intersection because you weren't paying attention.

In essence, yeah, I'm arguing that bikes are different. We can hit people and kill people but we just don't have near the energy as cars, and that makes us inherently less dangerous.

I didn't even mention the fact that he also listed me as 10 lbs heavier than I am.

Phil85207

I have seen many times roadies come up to a red light, cut over into the pedestrian cross walk and ride across while I am sitting at the light. I have run stoplights many times between 3 and 5 AM when no cars are around though.

Jfitalia

it happens in sacramento Ca a ton especially in the left turn lane for me. all intersections will have a chance to go however the light your stuck at never changes because the sensor doesnt know you're there. next thing you know the other lights are green again

pallen

yes, running a red light on a bike is orders of magnitude less dangerous than doing so in a car (mostly dangerous only to the rider). Good luck changing the fine though, you're just never going to get anywhere with that campaign. I think you'd have better luck getting the authorities to consider adopting the Idaho rules with a common sense argument than adjusting fees for bikes to reflect severity of the threat to public safety.

Megiddo

I have two intersections just like that... I run through the straight "T" part. I'm always thinking, a ticket might be on the way. I do stop for normal lights, but stopping for these seems silly.

jmX

I nearly hit a dude on a bike just 2 days ago because he ran the red, even tho he appeared to slow down and check, he was apparently blind to my vehicle coming at him at 45mph. If I hadn't been a cyclist myself and known how douchy cyclists are, I probably wouldn't have been paying such close attention to the fact that he was about to break the law and come into my path illegally.

$250 ticket is so tiny compared to the chaos that can happen when a person is killed by a car. My life would have changed forever for killing a person, and his would have been over.

Stop at the freaking reds. You're not that special.

Jfitalia

the seriousness is the same whether your in a car or on a bike. either way someone can die from you running that light. by arguing that your bike does less damage is going to sound very funny in court. just because you may not do as much damage that car a will however what kind of damage will that car do when it swerves to miss you and ends up hitting another car????

Seattle Forrest

When this happens, you're allowed to run red lights for the rest of the day, every one you come to.

ChrisM2097

Exactly. There's many left-turn lights around here that don't get triggered by bicycles...and unfortunately, quite a few of those turn lanes are infrequently used by vehicles...which leaves you sitting there waiting, and waiting, and waiting for a car to pull up behind you so that you can get the green arrow. One that I try to avoid at all costs is the Westbound Berryessa to Southbound Capital Ave left turn lane in San Jose. It crosses a very busy, multi-lane intersection that also includes a light-rail, and during my commute time, hardly any vehicles use that left turn lane, so I could be sitting there for quite a while.

PhotoJoe 

What nobody has mentioned is that with budgets as they are, cities are looking to leo's to bring in revenues. You just helped reduce Atlanta's deficit.

pallen

If you had 1000 cars running a red light and 1000 bikes, which do you think would result in the least injury?

I agree that such an argument in court is just silly and pointless, but they are not equivalent in terms of the threat to public safety. Not even close.

gregf83 

I don't think you understand how a T intersection works. Normally the bike lane, or shoulder, would be free and clear even on a red light. The same can't be said for the vehicular lanes.

qcpmsame 

Now I understand why you wanted to rant Coming out with the truth will set you free. BTW, my daughter lives in hotlanta and I drive there a good bit. Running or even "walking" the light, as the FHP calls the slow roll, Is a dangerous proposition on a slow traffic day. I thought that combat pay was mandatory for bicyclist in Fulton Co, DeKalb, Marietta and the other counties up there.

dstrong 

Thanks richfell...it might not alter my behavior in one or two spots but now at least I'll know not to argue it if I get pulled over.

Seattle Forrest

I've heard of two or three pedestrians being killed by cyclists. One was in a suburb, on a MUP I rode on once. An 80+ year old lady stepped out from behind a tree or bush or something, and the cyclist didn't have time to stop, hit her, and she died that day. I think she died en route to the hospital.

Every year in this country, about 5,000 pedestrians are killed by drivers, and 60,000 more are injured.

Game, set, and match for pallen; no points to Jfitalia.