Is this really how you're supposed to commute?

[PscyclePath]

http://vimeo.com/4664164

Please tell me this isn't the norm. Please?

Probably the simplest way to say it is that BikeForums isn't the best place to go for sound cycling advice. Over there, the more controversial it is, the better the natives like it. JoeyBike has simply been lucky... so far.

[PamNY]

Here's a blog that I think is done by the same guy.

Some of what he says makes sense. I see a lot of bikers who stay ahead of traffic by blowing through lights and stop signs, and it does work. I don't personally have nerve enough to do it, and I don't advocate it, but I can see the logic.

As far as riding on the yellow line, we don't have many two-way streets, but again I can see his reasoning as far as getting doored or dealing with pedestrians. I'm not endorsing his methods, and I'm certainly not going to emulate him, but if you ride in a urban area, you should know that cyclists do these things.

Pam

[7rider]

I have read of some movements to allow cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs, and red lights as stop signs. That, I can say, has a certain logic. Patently blowing through stop lights, because you are certain you've timed the gap correctly between cars moving at speed....I find that does not have any logic and is a disaster waiting to happen.

[Deborajen]

You wouldn't last long riding like that where I live. There are a handful of homicidal drivers that don't like bicycles, but even worse is that there isn't a lot of cycling traffic and the drivers just don't know to look for idiots like that.

I did notice last year when gas was over $3 per gallon that there were a few bikes blowing through red lights. There were also a few fatalities from cyclists blowing red lights. I guess there are a few who aren't smart enough to figure it out but no, it isn't normal to commute like that.