do you ever go through red lights?

[PscyclePath]

I have a reputation to uphold, so yes, I stop at all red lights, and stop signs too. Even those way out in the boonies.

Locally, we've had three cyclists killed here in the past nine months, and every one of those fellows ran a stop sign and was hit by a truck. Of the many complaints that i receive from or hear about from the general public, nearly every one (>90%) deal with either running stop signs & red lights, or riding in a swarm filling all the traffic lanes in a given direction, and quite often some of the other direction's half, too. Cyclists who are diligent about following the rules of the road are good ambassadors for cyclists everywhere.

Tom
LCI #1853M

[carinapir]

Well, yes, stopping at a T intersection just for the sake of stopping does feel silly as it does with a four way stop were you can clearly see that no one is coming. I think the informed choice is made at each specific occurrence and each person's comfort level and focus while riding is different. I like to err on the conservative side because in a quick instant like that I know that I am capable of choosing the wrong course of action, like forgetting to consider that a pedestrian might enter the equation. It only takes someone being at the wrong place at the wrong time to cause an accident.

But I have done the same thing as you on occasion and run that red light.

[shootingstar]

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.

There are several T intersections with 1 way streets in downtown Vancouver. I'm a pretty cautious cyclist so I do slow down at such intersections to a rolling stop and will look around, before continuing forward, if it is a red light. If it's thick traffic, no I just stop and wait.

[shootingstar]

Were there some slightly different responses when a similar topic was discussed several months ago about whether or not one used a rolling stop vs. a full stop at an intersection?

[blackhillsbiker]

There is one place on my commute where I'm guilty of a rolling stop. I'm trying not to. At red lights I use the pedestrian buttons. There is only one place where I take the lane. The rest of the time I am on the bike path.

Deb

[Tri Girl]

On my morning commute I do rolling stops at stop signs all the time. I only ever encounter one car (two if it's a busy morning) on my way to work. When there's a car around, I do come to a full stop at a stop sign. If not, I slow down and check for cars and roll through. I know- I'm a bad cyclist. In the afternoons I always stop.

I have only "run" a red traffic light once (on my commute) and that's because I sat there for an eternity and couldn't trip it (goes back to seeing no cars on my morning commute). Now I just take a different way to avoid that light.

[skhill]

These days, I always come to a complete stop at red lights. If the light is on a sensor and there are no cars around to activate it, eventually I'll go on the red. But that's it...

I used to run reds a lot more, but don't anymore. There's one road with way more lights than it needs that is one of my favorite routes through town on my bike, but I almost never travel that road by car. I used to run the reds on that particular road regularly, but then one day I was driving there and realized that I was driving right on through the reds, out of habit. Including the one right by the fraternal order of police lodge. So I chanded my bike habits, and don't run the reds anymore...