Do you ever...
...sacrifice safety just to keep your momentum going?
Example: Your descending down a long hill with a 4-way stop at the bottom. There's a big climb waiting on the other side of the sign. Do you blow through the stop sign just to keep your momentum up? |
No.
I've managed to endanger my safety enough through inattention and survived to intentionally do it for convenience. In that example, I may not come to a complete clip out stop if it's traffic free, but I will come close. |
Nope. I stop when climbing uphill too.
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No ! I would just do a quick track stand and go thru if clear, besides I enjoy a little extra work on a climb.
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I guess your sponsor is badgering you about that Strava KOM you lost. Chances are good others will stop at the intersection. Blow the sign and get that crown back!
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No! Car will kill you dead, or make you wish you were, much rather put a little more effort into the hill.
Tim |
Are you trying to assess your risk of a collision with another cyclist who might think the same thing as you?
If the majority of us will plow through the stop sign, you have confirmation that going along with the majority is ok even if you risk a collision. And if the majority of us won't plow through the stop sign, that's also a confirmation your risk of a collision will be low when you do it because you'll be expecting someone else to stop for you. |
What kind of intersection are we talking about here? How clear are the sight lines? I stop if I need to stop. But if it's a red light/stop sign in my direction, and I can see clear road for several hundred yards in each opposing direction, what am I stopping for? What happens in front of me is the only thing I have any control over, and I'm at greatest risk when stationary. I keep moving unless conditions force me to stop.
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Originally Posted by DrIsotope
(Post 21081254)
What kind of intersection are we talking about here? How clear are the sight lines? I stop if I need to stop. But if it's a red light/stop sign in my direction, and I can see clear road for several hundred yards in each opposing direction, what am I stopping for? What happens in front of me is the only thing I have any control over, and I'm at greatest risk when stationary. I keep moving unless conditions force me to stop.
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You are absolutely free to live your life unsure of your own capabilities, but do not think that you are free to estimate the capabilities of others. I do not ride recklessly, ever. Do I stop at every intersection? I absolutely do not. Because I am confident in my abilities. I can absolutely judge distances and closing rates accurately enough to ensure my safety. BTW, I never said "100 yards." I never said a specific number at all. But since you want to play the pedant, let's. At 60mph, a car will take 15 seconds to cover a quarter mile. I can cross an intersection for a 5-lane in half that-- from a stop. At 20mph, it's under 3 seconds.
This isn't advanced geometry, nor is it gambling against "some phone engrossed driver." You see, I don't think everyone out there is 100% distracted 100% of the time. In fact, +99% of people behind the wheel are doing a pretty good job-- and I'm doing an equally good one, because in all of the combined miles we've travelled together (that is, me and cars) I've had close calls just a few times. Never near an intersection, never even in any situation where my behavior could have changed what happened in any way. The phone engrossed driver that gets you is the one you never saw. No one can predict everything. But it is possible to go through a red light without risking life and limb. Just being realistic. |
you are right, you did not mention quantitative numbers. i tossed that in. it was not directed toward you actually, just something i was thinking in my head while responding. in the OPs original scenario i would never do that. there comes a point in that situation where you just have to complete the maneuver because you probably cannot stop in time anyway. seems unnecessary. and yes, i do blow the occasional stop sign but *never* at full speed, i *always* slow down, kind of like when i drive a car.
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Safety first. I don't care about momentum or speed...I do run through red lights and stop signs but only when it's safe to do so.
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I just don't think there are any absolutes. I've gone through an "intersection" at full speed, because I was in the middle of absolute nowhere, and there wasn't a car between me and the horizon. The OP hasn't refined our view of his situation-- it could be wide open with sightlines for miles, or it could be semi-blind and he's completely relying on it being a 4-way stop to prevent a car from obliterating him.
I don't rely on traffic signals or signs at all-- if I'm not gonna stop, I'm gonna assume that cross traffic isn't gonna stop either-- so if I'm going, I'm relying on physics. The cross traffic has to either be non-existent, or moving slowly enough, from far away enough that I can make it at a reasonable pace-- no hammering-- I'm not racing traffic like an insane squirrel. I need to be able to make it easily. So that said, I've never fully "blown" a stop light or sign. I've checked every angle of approach more than once, and absolutely know for certain I can cross safely. To me, blowing an intersection is just putting your head down and hoping for the best. That I will not and would not ever do. |
I go through stop signs at full speed to maintain momentum, but I would not sacrifice safety do do so.
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No. I don't want to die or be maimed. The ops question is beyond ****ing stupid.
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There is an intersection like this, along one of the routes I take. It usually has traffic; I stop, just like the other drivers. In addition to it being a safety issue, I don't like that drivers where I live seem to have a negative impression of cyclists, so I like the idea of trying to be a good ambassador of sorts, for cyclists, and showing other drivers that, in case they have a negative perception of cyclists, that not all will cycle recklessly, break road rules, etc.
Plus, I wouldn't want drivers to call the police on me or try to vote for legislature that would require all cyclists to have a license for their bike. |
For a stop sign, red light, flashing yellow/red; On a bicycle, I'll use my better judgement. In a vehicle, I'll obey the law.
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Originally Posted by bcpriess
(Post 21081527)
No. I don't want to die or be maimed. The ops question is beyond ****ing stupid.
This Myriad threads where cyclist are busy commiserating about why the motoring public is rude to cyclists or there's new legislation restricting our movement. Perhaps it's, in part, because of the stupid things we do as a group. We are often our own worst enemy. Running stop signs, red lights etc., is ok when safe but don't forget your helmet. I never had a problem writing cyclists tickets for unsafe movements, it was a lot less paperwork than writing a report for a major injury/fatal accident. Ok, stepping off my soap box and putting down my third cup of coffee. :D |
Originally Posted by bcpriess
(Post 21081527)
No. I don't want to die or be maimed. The ops question is beyond ****ing stupid.
I'd be willing to bet more cyclists do things such as this more than you think. Matter of fact, I see it quite often. But, of course they're not going to admit in on this forum. If they did, some know-it-all, tactless holier-than-thou would call them "****ing stupid" or some other degrading asinine name. |
The reason why I asked this question, is because about a week or so ago I saw a cyclist barrelling down a hill toward a 4 way stop. I was 50 yards or so behind him, and had full view of the situation. He obviously could see vehicles coming toward him, and could see to the right of the intersection, as the view wasn't obstructed. But to the left, the view was obstructed by many trees. There were no vehicles around until he got within about 30 yards from the intersection. All of a sudden, a black pick-up truck pulled up to the stop sign. The cyclist put out his left palm toward the truck, as if to direct the driver to "stay put" so he could fly right on by. Well, the driver either did not see him do that, or didn't adhere to the instructions because he pulled out right in front of the bike. Luckily, the cyclist got it stopped with only inches to spare. I didn't think he would, and just knew it was gonna be bad. The cyclist then let the truck driver know exactly what he thought about him not giving way.
The situation just got me to wondering how many others do this sort of thing, sacrificing safety just to keep their momentum up. It's obvious to me that's what he was doing. |
Even if I have right of way I don't blast through intersections. Motorists are too dumb and dangerous and being cautious through intersections has saved me many a trip to the hospital.
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I don't ever have to rush past anything. I'll go past a dog at walking pace if i feel i should, even if i have a hill to climb. Because i have electric. Any momentum is utterly expendable at any time i see fit.
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stop signs at the bottom of hills are my least favorite but most frequent nemesis.
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There's a huge difference between urban and rural riding. A four way intersection at the bottom of a hill with clear sightlines in a city is not something I encounter very often. I do see such places in the rural areas, and they come up in places where I may not even been passed by a car for the previous several miles. If I have clear sightlines in all four directions, there's no cars in sight, and I have momentum, why the hell am I going to stop? That said, if I have any inkling there's a car anywhere near the intersection, I'll stop.
I am, btw, getting really sick of this "drivers hate us because we roll stop signs" nonsense. I get the most hostility from drivers when I refuse to do dumb crap like riding to the right of a right turn lane. If I start second-guessing my safety decisions based on whether or not the drivers are going to like it, I suspect my safety margin will go way down. |
If they did, some know-it-all, tactless holier-than-thou would call them "****ing stupid" or some other degrading asinine name. |
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