Braking Away

[BikeDutchess]

From the NY Times: Braking Away, by Chris Raschka

Perhaps looking for a new challenge, I’ve been attempting something unexpected in New York City bike-riding behavior: I stop for red lights.

for me, the real reason for stopping at red lights — seriously, not even right on red! — is simply to see if it can be done.

A fun Op-Ed piece.

[Aquila]

What a great piece. Thanks for sharing it with us. (I stop on reds, too, because I figure if I want to be treated like a vehicle, I should do my best to act legally.)

[malkin]

Cute.
I stop for red lights and for stop signs too, when there are cars. I plant my foot down and just stand there. Really! It's quicker ( and cheaper) than a trip to the ER.

[PamNY]

Hah. I'm surprised he didn't point out that stopping at the 39th St. light puts you in serious danger of getting rear-ended by the spandex crowd.

There's virtually no chance of getting hit by a car unless you are incredibly stupid; it's a cab stand, not a street, and you can easily see the cabs. But if you forget to pull all the way over to the right you are in serious danger from other cyclists.

[jdubble]

Red lights are coffee drinking time! I fully admit to slowing to a crawl at stop signs if there's no traffic present instead of a complete stop each and every time, though I am ALWAYS prepared to stop if need be. But red lights? No way. That's a full stop until the light turns green.

[PscyclePath]

My LCI instructor ground it into our heads, if you make a habit of running red lights and stop signs, you're gonna get hit. Might be sooner, might be later, but someday...

So yeah... I am locally infamous as the guy who always stops for traffic signals. I have been rear-ended 5 times in the past year and a half; 4 times by fellow cyclists and once by a drunken pick-up driver. I still have a bent quick release lever on the rear brake of my road bike where the local bike club prez got me while I was waiting on a string of cars to clear an intersection ;-)

So Mr. Rascha's little story really drives home to me...

Tom

[MomOnBike]

I sent this one on to my daughter who loves Mr. Rascha's children's books. She loved it, thanks for posting.

Put me in the Stops At Red Lights crowd. My basic feeling is that if I wish to claim all my vehicular rights to the road, I'd better own up to my responsibilities, too, which include stopping at red lights. I could continue with my rant . . .

[PamNY]

Just for grins tonight, I made a Parks Department vehicle wait for the light just a block north of the one this guy refers to. Normally I'd pull over so they could run the red. If cyclists cooperated in this effort, it could be one way to get the lights retimed.

[OakLeaf]

I have been rear-ended 5 times in the past year and a half

That alone would be reason to make me change my behavior. If only to holler louder, display the hand signal for a longer time, AND watch my rear-view more closely when stopping.

I live in terror of being rear-ended whenever I'm on two wheels, bici or moto. It's the one accident that - especially on the bici where you don't have much acceleration - you can do a lot of things to prevent, but once it's in progress, you don't have the "last clear chance" to stop it.

I always come to a complete stop for red lights, although if the green hasn't triggered within a reasonable time, I may roll through after stopping, especially if there are no other vehicles in sight. It's a tough call whether to take the lane or not. I'm always in hi-viz - which makes it an easier call - but if there isn't already a car immediately behind me when I stop, I'll often take my hands off the bars and pretend I'm stretching my arms over my head, just to make me a larger, moving object they're more likely to see. But there are times I won't take the lane, depending on the intersection, because I feel I'm in more danger of being rear-ended if I do.

Stop signs, I will do a California stop if there are no other vehicles approaching it. And if there are other vehicles, I'll observe the right-of-way rules, and if they try to wave me through (another thing for the stupid-things-that-piss-me-off thread) I'll put a foot down and refuse to budge until they take their ROW, even if I have to sit there for a full minute. It's dangerous to EVERYONE when cars stop for no good reason just because they see a bicycle.

And again, as I've said before, NYC traffic is a thing unto itself. A lot of what the guy says seems like it would apply no matter where you are, but IMO that's a really dangerous "seems."

But haven't we had this discussion before.....

[7rider]

My LCI instructor ground it into our heads, if you make a habit of running red lights and stop signs, you're gonna get hit. Might be sooner, might be later, but someday...

So yeah... I am locally infamous as the guy who always stops for traffic signals. I have been rear-ended 5 times in the past year and a half; 4 times by fellow cyclists and once by a drunken pick-up driver. I still have a bent quick release lever on the rear brake of my road bike where the local bike club prez got me while I was waiting on a string of cars to clear an intersection ;-)

It sounds like, for you, STOPPING at lights is more hazardous than not!

[PamNY]

And again, as I've said before, NYC traffic is a thing unto itself. A lot of what the guy says seems like it would apply no matter where you are, but IMO that's a really dangerous "seems."

I don't know if the bike path this writer refers to is different from those in other cities. It is a festival of frustration, with crossing by pedestrians and vehicles going to tourist and commuter ferries, the police horse stables, the city tow pound, and cruise ships, but it's also safe 24/7 so I can get in a nice ride any time I want. And it is safer than a regular street.

The Times printed two rather predictable letters to the editor in response to this piece.

[marni]

oakleaf made a comment about stopping for red and not even doing a right on red without stopping.

Around here, the runnning joke among bikers is that red is thhe other color you can drive through.

I always keep an eye on the rear mirror when I stop at a red light, but I have been tapped a couple of times, always with profound apologies but with some shock and surprise that I didn't just "ease through it like all the other bikers."

marni

[runningcyclist]

Interesting post. Here in the UK cyclists can get ticketed for running red lights as it's illegal. Unfortunately there is a small minority who persistenly RLJ and those are the ones drivers use to castigate us with whenever there's a problem between us and them.

As for peds and cyclists. That's another story when I've had lots of alcohol to stay calm

[MartianDestiny]

Didn't read the article, and I DO stop, but just have to make a comment about everyone getting rear ended by other cyclists.

There's a stop sign on campus leading into a gated roundabout (gate keeps cars off the main road through campus during the day, and is where the stop sign is for us cyclists leaving the pedestrian controlled area, on the road, in a bike lane that's not gated).

They finally decided to enforce stopping at this sign (as there IS cross traffic going through the roundabout and into the parking lots for two academic buildings and a set of dorms). Published it in the local newspaper and everything. "Cyclists stop or you will be ticketed".

6 or 7 cops standing across from the stop sign (that I typically stop at anyway as I don't like the idea of being creamed by an 18yr old stoned driver, but don't always put my foot down for 3 seconds if there isn't traffic). Signaled, stopped, put foot down, about to make a sarcastic smile and wave at the SWAT team worth of cops across the streets, and then all of a sudden "DUDE YOU MIGHT WANNA......"...."SCREEEEEAAAAACCCCHHHHHH".....

Yup, he hit me, gave ME a "what the fudge" look, jumped the curb onto the sidewalk and took off (with his buddy), while I'm screaming at him that it's "an F-ing stop sign" and something about "hit and run".

The cops just stood there....

So I gave THEM a "what the fudge" look and the "I'm miffed" throw hands up. To which they said "thanks for stopping, good job".... Yea, thanks, why don't you go ticket the idiot that didn't stop for reckless driving resulting in an accident and get him to pay to true my (rather nice and quite expensive) rear wheel.

Same incident happened again a week or so later, sans cops. I guess even $150 tickets can't teach idiots (they don't even slow down for this stop sign...).

[carinapir]

Oh geez! I was never worried about getting re-ended before. I never considered it. Yet another think to be worried about.

Maybe it's because I live in So. Cal. but not stopping for red lights seems suicidal. Even if you think you don't see anyone coming there always is someone just beyond your field of vision tearing towards the intersection and our intersections can be very big too. Well, at least in my experience everyone here stops and then might proceed if the light doesn't change and it's safe.

Stop signs are another thing all together.