do you ever go through red lights?

[badger]

today I got yelled at by a pedestrian who told me it was a red light. It was a blocked intersection where the traffic is only one way - the direction I was going. There's no traffic going in any other direction, and for all intents and purposes, if there was no light there, it would be no different than a straight road.

For me to stop, it would be kind of pointless. There's no crossing traffic and 90% of the time no pedestrian traffic. I wasn't in any way going to hit him or inconvenience him in any way, but he felt I should stop anyways because as he pointed out, it was a red light.

***

another curious thing I noticed is if I'm going straight at an intersection where cars are turning left (with you facing them), they tend to completely ignore you even if I have the right of way. Anyone else experience/notice this? it's quite dangerous.

[KnottedYet]

Around here if you want to be respected like a vehicle, with the rights of a vehicle, and travel on surfaces used by vehicles.... you follow the same rules as the vehicles.

If I wouldn't run the red light or stop sign in my car, I won't run it on my bike either.

[salsabike]

Around here if you want to be respected like a vehicle, with the rights of a vehicle, and travel on surfaces used by vehicles.... you follow the same rules as the vehicles.

If I wouldn't run the red light or stop sign in my car, I won't run it on my bike either.

Yup. I agree.

[lph]

Around here if you want to be respected like a vehicle, with the rights of a vehicle, and travel on surfaces used by vehicles.... you follow the same rules as the vehicles.

If I wouldn't run the red light or stop sign in my car, I won't run it on my bike either.

I agree, with one caveat - to accord you respect as a vehicle, someone has to be around to see it. I sometimes encounter 4-way intersections where all crossing traffic has passed, and there are are no other vehicles travelling in my direction. Then I'll admit to "making like a pedestrian" and riding over even on a red light (walking on a red light is permitted here). But I make a point out of coming to a full stop first and checking, for the benefit of any stray pedestrians I might not have seen. I could wheel my bike over and be in full accordance of the law, but that feels a little unnecessary when I'm already starting from a full stop.

Very very seldom - but still once in a while - I'll consider riding on a red when there are other vehicles around. For instance, there's a light-regulated pedestrian-only crossing on this one hill, with a bus stop 100 yards after it. If the bus is breathing down my neck as we wait for a green I'll try to move early to get across and past the bus stop so that the bus doesn't have to wait for me to get moving, or worse, try to pass me and then stop.

In practice, though, I wait through almost all red lights, pissing off many an urban cyclist I make a HUGE point out of stopping when a cab driver can see me, since I know they are cyclist haters number one around here.

[KnottedYet]

I agree, with one caveat - to accord you respect as a vehicle, someone has to be around to see it.

It's also the law here that bicycles follow street laws while on the street. I tend to follow the law whether or not anyone can see. And whether or not I'm in my car or on my bike.

[tangentgirl]

I don't run red lights. I have to admit, on occasion, I carefully go through stop signs without completely stopping, and feel very guilty about it. Much more guilty than rolling through the same sign in my car.

I know that in California, the ticket for running a stop sign or light on a bike is the same for running it in your car. Something like $300+, and you either go to traffic school or get a point on your license.

[carinapir]

Do you mean a T-intersection where you are crossing the top of the T and there is no way a car could hit you even if your light is red?

I actually think you should at least slow down and look carefully for pedestrians or bikes who might be crossing in front of you as you pass the stopped cars, especially if there is something for them to get to on the other side, like a store or something. You have to really know the traffic and layout at the intersection in order to determine if it really is safe not to stop.

There is an entrance to a bike trail by my house that is a the top of a T intersection and there is also a heavily used bike lane running along the top of the T. When I'm riding up the T to the entrance, I always have to watch out for overzealous road riders who don't feel the need to stop or even look when the light is red and my light is green. And they KNOW that the entrance is there and that hundreds of walkers, runners, and bikes must cross in front of them, but they don't always pay attention. It's an accident waiting to happen.

[Cataboo]

Legally, bicyclists are supposed to follow the rules of the road and stop for redlights and stop signs.

I pretty much always stop for red lights. If it's a big enough intersection to warrant a light & not just a stop sign, I'll stop and make sure there's noone coming.

I usually stop for stop signs, Stop signs can sometimes be optional if it's a 4 way stop and I've got good visibility coming to the stop to see that there are no cars coming in any of the directions. I will still at least slow down and make it obvious that I'm looking around. It does suck losing the momentum when you have to stop.

[Biciclista]

I stop for red lights but if my bike can't actuate them, I cross the street red light or not. Of course I look both ways,proceed with caution etc...
But some lights just won't change without a ton of steel actuating them!
I never "BLOW" through red lights.

[Melalvai]

Missouri just got a "dead red law" for cyclists & motorcyclists. If the light doesn't change, after 3 minutes we can proceed when it is safe. 3 minutes is a long wait. Usually a car comes up before 3 minutes passes and triggers the actuator. There's only a few intersections that I haven't figured out how to trigger the actuator with my bike.

I stop at all lights and signs. I'm setting an example for other cyclists, improving the reputation of all cyclists, and protecting my hide legally. If I'm ever in a wreck, a history of prudent or imprudent behavior can help or hurt my case. Maybe no one is watching--or maybe someone is.

Oh--and also protecting my hide literally. But I've found the safety card doesn't fly. No one stops at every red light because it is safe. Everyone always has a situation where "it doesn't matter"!

[moderncyclista]

I stop for red lights but if my bike can't actuate them, I cross the street red light or not. Of course I look both ways,proceed with caution etc...
But some lights just won't change without a ton of steel actuating them!
I never "BLOW" through red lights.

I know. I agree with 100% of what you said Biciclista. Some mornings it is too early for a single car to be out (it seems) and my steel steeds don't trigger the actuators. I have to be cautious, but then I begrudgingly go through.

On Critical Mass, most of the people I ride with want to blow through the lights. I do not. I don't think it sets a good precident, it pisses drivers off, and is generally unsafe.

Also, on a funny note - sort of thread-drifty. I rode yesterday and got yelled at to "Get off the street!" Sometimes when drivers get aggressive I move to the sidewalk. Maybe 10 minutes later a man I biked past on the sidewalk yelled at me to "Get off the sidewalk!" In my state if you ride on the street, you act like a car. You can ride on the sidewalk (but not downtown) if you act like a pedestrian. Drivers get so mean sometimes. There needs to be a cycling awareness campaign in my state. IMO. *Sorry, needed to vent...back to your regularly scheduled thread.*

[Melalvai]

Also, on a funny note - sort of thread-drifty. I rode yesterday and got yelled at to "Get off the street!" Sometimes when drivers get aggressive I move to the sidewalk. Maybe 10 minutes later a man I biked past on the sidewalk yelled at me to "Get off the sidewalk!" In my state if you ride on the street, you act like a car. You can ride on the sidewalk (but not downtown) if you act like a pedestrian. Drivers get so mean sometimes. There needs to be a cycling awareness campaign in my state. IMO. *Sorry, needed to vent...back to your regularly scheduled thread.*

When I first started cycling, I couldn't figure out if I was "supposed" to ride on the sidewalk or the road. Motorists yelled "Get off the road!" and I was absolutely mortified when a pedestrian said "Bicyclists belong on the road" as I passed her. I was so mad: why can't "they" figure out which way it should be? Didn't she realize the only way to access the bike racks is by sidewalk, which implies that bikes use the sidewalks?

Now that I am a seasoned cyclist and I have taken Traffic Cycling 101 (was Road I when I took it) and am an LCI to boot, I know what is wrong: there is no consensus, no "they", no "supposed". The Bike League is generally regarded as the expert but not everyone knows about the bike league or agrees with them.

The best thing I got out of the bike class was confidence in my choices. I choose the road. I choose when to share the lane or take the lane. I choose to observe the signs, lights, and rules and regulations that apply to me. That power to choose made everything else much less stressful, like the mixed & hostile messages.

And to get to the bike racks, I have to use the sidewalks. I ride slowly & quietly behind the pedestrian traffic (if any).

[OakLeaf]

"Get off the sidewalk!"

In the past month, while running on the sidewalk, I've been run into the street three times by people on bicycles. I won't dignify them win the name "cyclist"...

[Melalvai]

another curious thing I noticed is if I'm going straight at an intersection where cars are turning left (with you facing them), they tend to completely ignore you even if I have the right of way. Anyone else experience/notice this? it's quite dangerous.

There is an intersection near my house. One day a left-turner waited for the oncoming traffic to clear and then started to go. His wife (me) screamed "See the cyclist!" and he lurched to a stop. The cyclist was Bike Shop Bob. I spoke to Bob later and he was awfully glad I'd been there to scream!

It was night, but Bob has good lights and reflective gear. But he had been riding awfully far to the right. The oncoming traffic had actually been passing him in the intersection. That's partly why my husband hadn't seen him. (I don't want to assign blame though. I am the first to point out, unwisely yet frequently, that my husband is not the most observant driver.)

I was at the same intersection another night (also with good lights like Bob). I generally ride pretty close to the middle of the road as I approach an intersection. I was behind a line of cars in this spot. I was in exactly the same situation Bob had been.

No one tried to pass me as we went through the intersection. The left turner on the other side, in the same place my husband had been in, started to go when the line of cars had passed, but saw me right away and waited.

I told Bob all about this later. He agreed that he hugs the curb, and said he'll take the lane when he goes through that intersection.

[badger]

let me state that I in no way bomb through red lights with no regard to pedestrians or oncoming traffic. The intersection in question is indeed a T intersection, but the intersecting section of the T is blocked off so cars only go in one direction, the way I was going. It's essentially a one way street. And let me state again that I was not in any position to harm the pedestrian and there was nobody else around.

Regardless if you're a cyclist or a motorist, one should be vigilant and observant of their surroundings.