Who has the right of way where trails meet roads? It depends

[OakLeaf]

Just because you're willing to stop, doesn't make it "not an issue."

I've spent in total, literally hours of my life arguing with motorists who absolutely refuse to cross a crossing while I'm anywhere near it. Even when I'm not a pedestrian. Even though I have a stop sign and they don't. Even though I'm not in the "crosswalk," only near it, or nowhere near anything that remotely resembles a crosswalk, but just waiting to cross the road. Without exaggeration, more than once I've turned around, started to proceed the other direction, and still had to wait one or two minutes being berated by a motorist for refusing to cross the street in front of someone who's just randomly stopped. If they've hallucinated a stop sign, how do I know when that hallucination might disappear?

It's hugely frustrating and it's going to get someone killed someday, when they're part of a rear-end chain reaction involving one of these drivers who just stops randomly. I would definitely appreciate a "Not A Crosswalk" sign ... but I don't know how much effect that would have on drivers that can't even tell whether or not I'm a pedestrian.

Plus, a lot of these crossings are often used by (and most appropriate for) families with several small children, people with limited mobility who must cross the street slowly, etc. Light controls are pretty much absolutely necessary at these intersections, but no one's ever going to bother installing one.

[Crankin]

I agree with you, Oak. Drivers who randomly stop because they think they are being nice in these types of situations are a menace. Massachusetts is famous for them. I see it at the 4 way stop by my house, all of the time. Instead of orderly following the rules, people come to the stop sign, stop, and wait to go until another car is stopped. Then, they both sit there and wave each other on, like "You go, no you go!" Add a bike into this mix (which happens very, very frequently), and it's a comedy, except it's dangerous. People around here hallucinate stop signs on a regular basis. I feel the same way about cars who go over the yellow line, on the opposite side of the road, to pass me on my bike, when there is plenty of room to do it safely. There's going to be a head on collision one day.