Cyclist Blows Thru Stop Sign
#76
For The Fun of It
Join Date: May 2007
Location: Louisissippi Coast
Posts: 5,852
Bikes: Lynskey GR300, Lynskey Backroad, Litespeed T6, Lynskey MT29, Burley Duet
Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2135 Post(s)
Liked 1,647 Times
in
829 Posts
Good way to get killed. He'll get nailed, at some point. Probably inevitable.
One would think there's limited demand for going the double-hip replacement route, with titanium skull plate accessorizing.
I've had too many close shaves in poor-visibility areas where their aren't perfect sight lines. (In cars, on bikes.) A lifetime of that has taught me to be astoundingly cautious in those situations. Every month or two I experience yet another such spot where some other fool comes "blowing through" with nearly no regard for the fact nobody else can see him there. Honestly, I'm surprised I don't see far more chalk outlines all over the streets, with how frequently that sort of thing is seen.
One would think there's limited demand for going the double-hip replacement route, with titanium skull plate accessorizing.
I've had too many close shaves in poor-visibility areas where their aren't perfect sight lines. (In cars, on bikes.) A lifetime of that has taught me to be astoundingly cautious in those situations. Every month or two I experience yet another such spot where some other fool comes "blowing through" with nearly no regard for the fact nobody else can see him there. Honestly, I'm surprised I don't see far more chalk outlines all over the streets, with how frequently that sort of thing is seen.
I suspect the reason you don't see more chalk outlines is because the riders exercise a modicum of care before they "blow through." I have found that most riders do not want to get hit and don't routinely make decisions that could result in them getting hit. Of course some make mistakes, but I don't reckon it happens often that they say "eff it" and blast through leaving everything to chance.
#77
Newbie
Join Date: Dec 2020
Posts: 56
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 38 Post(s)
Liked 39 Times
in
22 Posts
If I'm within twenty yards of an empty intersection, there's no way I'm stopping, even if someone else technically beats me there because of the benefit of a motor. If someone's already there, I'll wave them through. I almost never come to a full stop. Not while commuting and especially if there's bad weather. Cars can wait, especially in a climate crisis.
Likes For Comfort is King:
#78
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Posts: 4,811
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1591 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1,018 Times
in
571 Posts
I suspect the reason you don't see more chalk outlines is because the riders exercise a modicum of care before they "blow through." I have found that most riders do not want to get hit and don't routinely make decisions that could result in them getting hit. Of course some make mistakes, but I don't reckon it happens often that they say "eff it" and blast through leaving everything to chance.
Reckless riding isn't appropriate and it isn't safe, but it's probably generally less dangerous than it appears to startled drivers.
(But University police will ticket them if they can. Tickets to cyclists are rare in the city except in and around the campus, where they are frequent. You can run a stop sign elsewhere if you do it with caution, but on campus even a cautious roll can earn a ticket.)
#79
señor miembro
Join Date: Dec 2018
Location: Pac NW
Posts: 6,626
Bikes: '70s - '80s Campagnolo
Mentioned: 92 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3888 Post(s)
Liked 6,484 Times
in
3,208 Posts
Originally Posted by work4bikes
Cyclist blows through stop sign.
Likes For SurferRosa:
#80
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 5,992
Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2495 Post(s)
Liked 738 Times
in
522 Posts
If I'm within twenty yards of an empty intersection, there's no way I'm stopping, even if someone else technically beats me there because of the benefit of a motor. If someone's already there, I'll wave them through. I almost never come to a full stop. Not while commuting and especially if there's bad weather. Cars can wait, especially in a climate crisis.
#81
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 5,992
Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2495 Post(s)
Liked 738 Times
in
522 Posts
Tell us how you really feel. Your dire predictions notwithstanding, if that cyclist was going to get nailed, it probably would have happened already. Most people get crapped on early in their cycling careers. The more accident free miles you rack up, the less likely your chances of ever seeing the inside of an MRI machine. I never have, and I've toasted more stop signs and red lights than you have had hot meals. Uncountable hundreds if not thousands, over a more than 40 year cycling centric lifestyle, in mainly big city metro's. I'm getting a bit long in the tooth to be hanging it over the edge daily like I did in my prime, but I can still blast through a standing red if the cross traffic is right. What surprises me is that it surprises you that more cyclists don't get hit. Why should that be? You've got the same eyes. The same ears. Use them. Free your mind and your bike will follow.
#82
Newbie
Join Date: Dec 2020
Posts: 56
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 38 Post(s)
Liked 39 Times
in
22 Posts
Actually, no. I couldn't care less about what the law says. I care only not hitting pedestrians, my personal safety, and not usurping someone's ROW. That's it. I'd argue that cyclists have a moral obligation to disobey all 4-way stops and especially 3-way ones. Those are there to slow down heavy machines. And, since a bicycle isn't one, it renders them moot. I don't care it a cop is sitting there. Guess what? They don't care either because it is a bike. I also lane split, draft, filter, jump reds, and even roll through if I have clear lines of sight. Often, I'll take a hard right if I can't go, then a hard U-Turn and a quick right. That's how you boss an intersection.
The OP is a trolling post. This is why I feel obligated to explain my scofflaw behavior, which is completely justifiable from an ethical standpoint, since bikes effectively do not cause harm. Since I'm one of the mileage leaders in the region every year, haven't had a car in a quarter century, and have toured around the country, plus I used to be a bike messenger, I come from a place of experience. Experience yells me that momentum equals safety.
The OP is a trolling post. This is why I feel obligated to explain my scofflaw behavior, which is completely justifiable from an ethical standpoint, since bikes effectively do not cause harm. Since I'm one of the mileage leaders in the region every year, haven't had a car in a quarter century, and have toured around the country, plus I used to be a bike messenger, I come from a place of experience. Experience yells me that momentum equals safety.
Last edited by Comfort is King; 01-17-21 at 05:34 AM.
Likes For Comfort is King:
#83
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2014
Location: USA
Posts: 1,823
Bikes: 1996 Trek 970 ZX Single Track 2x11
Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 614 Post(s)
Liked 565 Times
in
429 Posts
I'm with you, on the "perfect" opportunity, where there are clear sight lines and little to no risk. It's unlikely someone taking that chance (if can even be called "chance") when all's well and traffic-less at an intersection is going to result in a crash or worse. Reference to this sort of thing is even in the driving laws, at least in the U.S. (with heading through a red light, for example, though only after stopping as required).
Again, the situation being describe earlier and commented on by others was different. Not the idyllic different circumstances you're describing in other situations.
#85
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 4,624
Bikes: iele Latina, Miele Suprema, Miele Uno LS, Miele Miele Beta, MMTB, Bianchi Model Unknown, Fiori Venezia, Fiori Napoli, VeloSport Adamas AX
Mentioned: 16 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1324 Post(s)
Liked 927 Times
in
640 Posts
There used to be a fellow hereabouts who early in the morning whilst it was still dark would ride out of a one way street whilst riding the wrong way, turn left onto the main road without stopping and then ride the wrong direction on that road. A short distance from the road he exited from there was an on-ramp type of thing for traffic coming off another main cross road onto the main road he was riding the wrong direction on. I just missed hitting him a couple of times on my bicycle. I told him what he was doing was exceedingly dangerous.
He doesn't ride anymore. Early one day his luck ran out.
Cheers
He doesn't ride anymore. Early one day his luck ran out.
Cheers
#86
Full Member
When cars do wait for you to go through what hand gesture if any do you give to express thanks? high five? Thumbs up? Both sequentially?
#87
Newbie
The crimes of drivers and cyclists tend to be crimes of convenience and opportunity. For cars, it's speeding, rolling through stop signs, and not paying attention. For most cyclists, speeding is not an option, but blowing through stop signs and taking questionable shortcuts are.
#89
Full Member
I've noticed that since bicycle riders are harder to see, drivers don't see us when we do make legal stops. I'll make a full stop at an intersection. Then I start to move forward, see more traffic and hold. So now I might be 1 or 2 car lengths past the stop sign. I finally get a chance, so I move thru. Now a car approaching the intersection sees me moving, but never saw me stop and wait honks at me. They are still far from the intersection and they still have to make their stop. This has happened to me a couple of times.
I've also had the opposite happen. I was a few seconds from a 4-way stop. A car has just stopped in the perpendicular direction. I stop and since the traffic is light, I swap my empty and full water bottles. I hear the driver honk at me. I am surprised he is still there. He could have moved on before I even got to the intersection. Once I stopped and put both my feet down, it should have been clear he still had plenty of time to drive away.
Another one was a couple I saw walking at a different 4-way stop. I made a full and complete stop. The couple was not at the intersection when I started to move forward. By the time I got to the other side of the intersection, the couple got to the corner and walked into the street directly in front of me. The man said something I won't repeat here. I just wished them a good rest of their day and continued.
I've also had the opposite happen. I was a few seconds from a 4-way stop. A car has just stopped in the perpendicular direction. I stop and since the traffic is light, I swap my empty and full water bottles. I hear the driver honk at me. I am surprised he is still there. He could have moved on before I even got to the intersection. Once I stopped and put both my feet down, it should have been clear he still had plenty of time to drive away.
Another one was a couple I saw walking at a different 4-way stop. I made a full and complete stop. The couple was not at the intersection when I started to move forward. By the time I got to the other side of the intersection, the couple got to the corner and walked into the street directly in front of me. The man said something I won't repeat here. I just wished them a good rest of their day and continued.
#91
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 5,992
Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2495 Post(s)
Liked 738 Times
in
522 Posts
Why did you say that? You know it isn't true. I've cycled on both coasts and in the middle and I've never been anywhere where a majority of cyclists were @$$h@ts. Behavior like described by the o.p. and a few others is the exception.
#92
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Layton, UT
Posts: 1,606
Bikes: 2011 Bent TW Elegance 2014 Carbon Strada Velomobile
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 626 Post(s)
Liked 701 Times
in
418 Posts
Yeah, the only place I've been where I would say an actual majority of people on bikes (most were not 'cyclists' in the sense that we generally think of them) were terrible was NYC. I had several almost run into my van while I was stopped....
#93
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Atlantic Beach Florida
Posts: 1,945
Mentioned: 18 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3773 Post(s)
Liked 1,044 Times
in
790 Posts
P.S. To anyone that thinks I'm an elitist, because I refer to others as non-cyclists, nothing could be further from the truth.