Do you HAVE to stop??
 

So this may be more of a question / poll....but the past couple times out when I am riding a couple people in cars passing me have gotten on my case about not fully stopping at a four way stop, my thought process goes something like this:

1. Approach all stop signs with caution
2. I stop if there is on coming traffic with the right of way, or if I arrive with multiple vehicles at a four way
3. If the coast is clear, I continue on thru the stop sign...even if I see traffic that is too far off to pose a threat
4. I always stop on red at lighted crossings

Today I went thru a 4 way, all be it at a slow speed as I was the first to arrive...guy in a car literally pulls up next to me and tells me I should stop at a stop sign, I politely explain that I am a pedestrian and have the right of way and thank him for his concern ( I was very nice about it), he replies with "Even bicycles have to stop" and zooms off.

His car was literally 300-400 feet on the approach from another direction when I went thru the four way...so what is the rule of the road? what do you do?

Again, I NEVER approach a stop sign and barrel thru without checking, but if I feel I have enough time and clearance I will just roll thru at a slower pace.

Hate to burst your bubble, but he's right.

This is going to be a fun thread.

:popcorn

I'll throw a little bait in the water: drivers of cars don't always obey the speed limits.

Seriously? Unless you are walking the bike, you are NOT a pedestrian.

Now a serious answer.

You aren't a pedestrian, you're a vehicle. Most laws apply to you whether you're on a bike or in a car, a different set than when you're on foot. Unless you're in Idaho, the law requires you to stop at stop signs and red lights. Whether you follow the law or not is a personal choice, it's a good idea to as a general rule.

Legally, you generally have to stop (although there are some states with exceptions). As a matter of practicality, it usually doesn't make a ton of sense to unclip at 4-way stop signs, at least where I live. The driver you spoke to is legally correct, but if was interested in discussing the matter, I'd inform him that (1) you were going slow enough to observe other traffic, (2) you have better sight lines than someone in a car, and (3) maintaining momentum is more important for cyclists. Try to inform him that you're making a maneuver because you think it's safer.

If you're biking in the road (which I assume from posting on the 41), you are not a pedestrian, and the last thing in the world you should want is to be treated as one by the law.

Different states have different rules for bicycles wrt Stop signs, I believe. Some say you MUST stop just as any other vehicle. Others say you can treat it as yield sign. But I don't think any state treat bicycle as pedestrians.

I'm not saying he is wrong, just asking what others are doing....I just hate slowing up my cadence and stopping for a car that is still an 1/8 or a mile or more from the stop sign...but, maybe I should. But I also think there should be a little leeway from drivers too...if I was on the road driving I'd give the biker the right of way and understand why he went thru a stop sign slowly...but that's just my thinking.

Plenty of people do the Cali-stop in cars at stop signs. Other drivers seem less bothered by this than when cyclists do it.

I guess my thinking of a pedestrian is anyone walking, running, or biking by the side of the road....I would full give them right of way no matter what. I don't think of my bike as a vehicle (although it is) equal to a car in size, etc.

It's a matter of how concerned you are with pedantic legal definitions. Most (perhaps all?) people break minor laws from time to time. Rolling through a stop sign is breaking the law, in most states. I choose to do so anyway.

I hear ya. I'm not saying that I don't do what you do either, but technically speaking, the driver is right, and if he gives you a little stuff for it, you shouldn't be surprised, shocked, or upset. You can forget about the "leeway". Any day I don't get crap from a driver I consider a good day.

In Michigan law, you're only subject to pedestrian rather than vehicular laws when you're actually on the sidewalk or crosswalk, and even then you're supposed to stop.

While not uniformly true, my experience is that the bit of eye contact and a hand motion indicating what I'm about to do alleviates a lot of that. Some drivers are just plain belligerent, but a lot of people are a lot more tolerant when they're sort of forced to understand that they're interacting with another human.

Personally, I treat Stop signs as caution/yield signs and have done so in front of cops, they never gave me a ticket. I blew through a Stop sign one time without even slowing down, I got a warning from a cop. I always stop at red traffic lights.

Your thought process has nothing to do with the law. But this is not A&S...IBTM.

Plus, you have to be extra careful, you are probably the only one in your area with a Jamis and thus, easily recognizable :innocent:

Idaho is the only state which explicitly allows yielding at a stop sign rather than a full stop, if I remember correctly.

Bikes obey the same rules as cars when on the road. You should stop. I would say something to you as well. If you are on the sidewalk, get off and walk your bike across the crosswalk if you want to be treated like a pedestrian.

Here are the laws for your state.

http://www.m-bike.org/blog/laws/

I've been riding so slowly lately that I may seek to be legally reclassified as a pedestrian.

No cars around to PO, Stop sign = yield sign.

Cars around, I stop at stop signs.

Why?

He stated he was a pedestrian, he wants to be a pedestrian, get off the bike. He wants to ride his bike on the road, follow the laws. Stop sign blowers, even well intentioned, ill informed ones, give cyclists a bad name.

It's not really a matter of opinion.

I'll bring the beer :beer:

Check your local law. It is going to tell you that you have to stop.

What you do beyond that is up to you. Personally I find that cars get really confused when I act like them. When there is traffic at an intersection with a stop sign I give the right of way to the appropriate vehicle and go on my merry way when it's my turn. More often than not, they waive me through before them.

When there is no traffic, I hope a copy isn't feeling his oats nearby and roll through. ...and yes, I have been pulled over by a cop, he said "You know I can give you a ticket for running that sign, right?" My reply, "Yes." His response, "Hmmph. You need to stop. (under his breath... This summer is going to be different.) Stop next time."