Finally got to ride to work today!

[GLC1968]

Congrats and welcome to the commuting 'club'!

For a light that won't trigger (I had one on my commute in NC - nothing I could do would trigger it and there were rarely any cars on my morning leg to trigger it for me), it's totally ok to hit the crosswalk button and then get back into the road to wait for the signal. I used to do that all the time. I'd ride up to the intersection, onto the sidewalk right there and hit the button. Then I'd scoot my bike back out onto the road before it changed. (Before anyone freaks about the riding up onto the sidewalk - there were no cars AND no pedestrians at this time of morning!). You do what you have to do! I figure it was better than running a red light (my only other option!).

[Melalvai]

Some states have Dead Red exceptions, which allow a motorcyclist or a bicyclist to run a red light when the actuator doesn't detect it. Most folks will do that anyway, I mean you wait there for the requisite 3 min or whatever, and eventually when there's a break in traffic you just go, but this exception allows you to do that legally.

That particular exception passed in the Missouri Senate but the House never got around to voting on it this year.

[BBsw]

Good for you! I am a newbie too! Did my second ride to work yesterday. Working out the logistics of parking, cleaning up and changing is going to take a few rides.

[Blueberry]

NC has a law like that for motorcycles, but NOT bikes. Go figure

[Melalvai]

NC has a law like that for motorcycles, but NOT bikes. Go figure

In Missouri, it was the motorcyclists who were pushing for that particular law. The Mo Bike Fed folks contacted the motorcycle organization and asked if they could include "bicycles" in the language. Of course they said yes, and welcomed a new ally.

It would be a good move for the NC bicyclists to find a friend in the state legislature and add "bicycle" to the existing law. It wouldn't meet with much of any opposition, and would be good publicity for that organization.

[sfa]

I don't think there's a law like that in Maryland; I'll have to look into it. As it is, at that particular intersection I don't think I could have used that approach without ending up a dead red(head) myself. There was a lot of traffic in the cross street! I'll have to try triggering the light the next time--I'm pretty sure there were cuts in the pavement. Thanks for that advice!

And now there's not going to be a next time for the next three weeks--I have to drag my daughter to and from camp the next two weeks, then we're on vacation for a week. That'll give me plenty of time to look read all the threads about saddles--I don't know if I just need to get re-used to my old saddle or if 18 years, ten pounds and two HUGE babies have changed my anatomy enough that I need something different. I was fine at work all day, but hurting by the time I got home.

Sarah

[Blueberry]

It would be a good move for the NC bicyclists to find a friend in the state legislature and add "bicycle" to the existing law. It wouldn't meet with much of any opposition, and would be good publicity for that organization.

*sigh*

In a very shortsighted move, most NC cyclists opposed the law adding bicycles. They were afraid that "special treatment" would erode bikes otherwise being treated as vehicles. Logic, sadly, did not prevail.

CA