Pointing at Drivers?

[jobob]

When practiced sufficiently, it can stop every living creature within 200 yds, dent sheet metal, and even get the bartender's attention.

ooh I see this this can come in handy, can Snap and I have lessons?
Or care to join us on our next "Road Trip" ?

[Grog]

Speaking of your voice coming from your feet...

I was on the bike path tonight riding at about 25 km/h (I rarely do that... especially at that time, like 6pm so there were many oncoming bikes) and there was a young girl (let's say 16-17 y.o.), no helmet, riding in the middle of my lane, chitchatting with the other girl riding with her, not looking ahead at all.

I yelled: "Mademoiselle, you are in the wrong lane" (that was in French) but I almost frightened myself, I could hear my own voice bounce and come back to me full strength. Poor girl... She was careless though. But I wish I would have stopped after "Mademoiselle"! I always have had a deep, strong voice, but that was really surprising, even to myself.

Needless to say, she moved to her lane.

[CorsairMac]

CMac isn't going to be riding badly in Montreal any time soon!

[julbee]

This is an interesting discussion!

I'm sure I'll have more to comment on as I gain more experience!
Denise, thanks for the "link" to state statutes.

After reading my state's laws, it's clear a very experienced road roder has been misinforming us of the applicable laws! I don't think he really knows... he seems to go by what he thinks is best, which makes sense from his point of view!

I have the "right" to do many things that are not in my best interest!
My husband and I were out riding on the roads just a couple of days ago.
I'd watched him as went ahead of me... on a very busy stretch of road.
I was thinking... that guy is nuts! He was exercising all of his riding "rights" even when it was clearly "detrimental" to do so!

We are finished our ride and he says: "Riding on the road is very dangerous! I was almost hit a couple of times! I'm going back to riding in the woods!"

Well... it can be dangerous. It's more dangerous when people insist upon doing whatever they feel the law tells them they have the right to... even when it's an error in judgement to exercise those rights at a given time/place!

Umm...if he continues riding that way... he really should restrict himself to off-road riding! I won't argue with that!

[Lynne]

Ok, along these lines I have a question. When I'm bike commuting (and even some weekend rides) there are places that don't trip the light/signal for a bike. You guys have been posting that we are vehicles and need to obey the laws. So what do you? Wait forever for a car to come along? Sometimes I've been (cautiously) running them. Sometimes I go over and hit the walk button, but then by the time I get back out in the road, it's already flashing, blah blah blah.

[slinkedog]

This happens to me sometimes when I ride really early in the morning and no cars are out. I cautiously run the light, but I come to a complete stop and put my foot down before I go. I think if you treat the red light like a stop sign, no cop would cite you, but I could be wrong.

[snapdragen]

Ok, along these lines I have a question. When I'm bike commuting (and even some weekend rides) there are places that don't trip the light/signal for a bike. You guys have been posting that we are vehicles and need to obey the laws. So what do you? Wait forever for a car to come along? Sometimes I've been (cautiously) running them. Sometimes I go over and hit the walk button, but then by the time I get back out in the road, it's already flashing, blah blah blah.

jobob can correct me if I'm wrong, since I've "retired" from our club's bike academy. I believe we teach students to proceed with caution if they cannot trip the light, or hit the walk button.

[DirtDiva]

I run the red. Unless there's cops around - dunno about here/elsewhere, but in NZ you can be fined just as much as a car/driver can (a couple of hundred dollars, I think).

[DeniseGoldberg]

...When I'm bike commuting (and even some weekend rides) there are places that don't trip the light/signal for a bike. You guys have been posting that we are vehicles and need to obey the laws. So what do you?

I stop, unclip and stand. After looking to verify that there is no traffic, then I cross on the red. Otherwise I could sometimes be standing there for what seems like hours! I find it interesting that one of these "change only if cars are present" lights is right in front of the State Police barracks. At first I figured someone would come out and give me a traffic ticket, but it hasn't happened.

I think I remember hearing that the technology does exist to sense cyclists as well as cars (must be something other than a sensor in the pavement that's sensitve to weight, right?) but I've never seen a light change based on the presence of a cyclist. Bummer.

--- Denise

[skibum]

I think I remember hearing that the technology does exist to sense cyclists as well as cars (must be something other than a sensor in the pavement that's sensitve to weight, right?) but I've never seen a light change based on the presence of a cyclist. Bummer.

The sensors aren't sensitive to weight, they are sensitive to the presence of metal. I think they try to set the threshold at a level to prevent false positives (from cars in other lanes, for instance) and that's high enough to keep a bike from tripping it. Supposedly, they can configure them to trip for cyclists and not have too many false positives but, like Denise, I've never seen a light change based on the presence of a cyclist so traffic engineers must not be bothering to make the adjustment.

I think the type of metal makes a difference too. I can trip the sensor on the gate to leave my neighborhood with my steel bike but not with my aluminum one.

[CorsairMac]

Depends on the road: Fri I was on a very busy street and was the only "vehicle" going straight so I couldn't get the green to trip. In that case I went over to the sidewalk and hit the walk button than stayed there so I could get across rather then trying to get back onto the street. On Sun mornings in dead downtown, after stopping, (as in putting one foot down and taking my hinney off the seat), I run them. I have never been able to figure out what trips them coz there are lights I can't get my Harley to trip (yup....I run those too! )

[DirtDiva]

As far as I know, it depends on the shape of the thingamy under the asphalt too. Some don't cover enough area to pick up a skinny little bike.

[tatormc]

I try to ride along the edge of the box that you can see in the payment which is the light trigger. If I manage to stay pretty straight on the line then the light will change if not I come to a complete stop and go when it's safe.

[alison_in_oh]

Ok, along these lines I have a question. When I'm bike commuting (and even some weekend rides) there are places that don't trip the light/signal for a bike. You guys have been posting that we are vehicles and need to obey the laws. So what do you? Wait forever for a car to come along? Sometimes I've been (cautiously) running them. Sometimes I go over and hit the walk button, but then by the time I get back out in the road, it's already flashing, blah blah blah.

You're in Portland. I'm told that just after we left in 2002, a law was passed giving cyclists the right to treat all stop signs and I believe lights as Yield. That would make it perfectly legal for you to slow, look, and go!

That's what I do when riding solo. If no cars are coming to trip the sensor, I run it. If there is traffic, I err on the side of being a good example as a bike citizen, and travel as a car would.

EDIT: Upon Googling, I can't find support for this supposed law. However, it still stands that I feel this is a safe compromise.

[MomOnBike]

I think some people mount rare-earth magnets to the bottom of their bikes to trip the sensors. It seems to work for them. Don't ask for more details, 'cause I don't know any.