Eric F 

Info for reference... https://www.bikelaw.com/laws/virginia/

Ummm...okay. I have zero idea what this relates to regarding anything in this thread.

rc5781

I was there earlier, seemed to be incorrect. Go ACTUAL VA statutes.

FBinNY 

Ahhhhh! This changes EVERYTHING.

Sadly, it puts you even more in the wrong.

Throughout the thread, I wondered why you kept referencing crosswalks, since a cyclist would normally be in the crossing roadway, beyond the crosswalk.

Now that you've clarified, different rules come into play. In most states the obligation to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk trumps all traffic signals.

This means that a motorist is legally obligated to stop for any pedestrian who's stepped off the curb into the crosswalk REGARDLESS of the traffic signal.

Now, whether a cyclist stopped toe down in a crosswalk is legally a pedestrian (at that moment) is something for lawyers to argue, and appellate judges to decide, but I expect that reasonable motorists would err on the cautious side.

Meanwhile, in some states, the code assigns fault in a collision to the person with the last opportunity to avoid it. So, a driver not sure of your intent might feel obligated to be sure to avoid a crash by stopping.

So, while you might hate motorists allowing you to cross, it's your own fault if you've moved off the curb. Once, having done so, it's on you to either retreat to the curb, or finish crossing.

Eric F 

Interesting. This is definitely different than what I'm familiar with in CA.

It seems that some of my earlier assumptions about traffic signals and sidewalk signals related to bicycles may not apply in VA.

shelbyfv

So is OP not a cyclist after all? And it's not cyclists but pedestrians who are stopping all these cars at green lights?

Chuck M 

I never said I was OK with anything. I was only curious how you conducted this "talk" with these people you took umbrage with wondering if you stopped to discuss this or if you shouted out of your window at them where possibly/most likely they didn't understand any of it. I will admit my suspicion that you soapboxed about it here was an effort to garner support for you opinion, but you seem to argue with anyone that even remotely agrees with you. I only became sarcastic when it was obvious that all you wanted was someone to ***** and moan to.

Me thinks he just enjoys arguing.

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rc5781

Cars with a green light should be able to continue going forward without having to ponder if some cyclist or pedestrian has the right to stop them.

Argue that...

Chuck M 

What if the motorist has a green light and they see a cyclist or pedestrian that they think may be unpredictable? And what if they are ogling an attractive person of the opposite sex like a recent poster did when they had a less than positive interaction on a MUP with a dog? What then? What should they do?

Eric F 

Being a safe and responsible driver includes being able to respond to unexpected and unpredictable conditions, including pedestrians stepping into the street against their crosswalk signal.

rc5781

A motorist should not stop unless it's inevitable that they will hit someone.

Eric F 

Nonsense.

rc5781

Let's get specific, "nonsense" if the motorist has a green light?

Chuck M 

I feel a motorist should stop if they think it is possible they could hit someone. But then I possess a little bit of sanity.

rc5781

You agreed with me, and then put me down.. whatevers whatevers...

Chuck M 

Look up the difference between inevitable and possible. I totally disagreed with you. Again... You just want to argue or as stated above your reading comprehension needs work.

Eric F 

Chuck M had expressed my opinion on this pretty well.

rc5781

Relentless gas lighting from "old timers" on this forum. If a car has a green light, they have the right of way. I can't believe you "old timers" are arguing with me on this point...

rc5781

If a car has a green light should you pass in front of them, even if they wave you on to go?

jaxgtr

If they give you the approval and it safe, why not

FBinNY 

WRONG!

A motorist can stop anytime for any reason provided it's not unnecessarily short, sudden, or unpredictable. These are city streets, not a freeway. A driver will NEVER be faulted for stopping for someone in a crosswalk

You're arguments about possible dangers from other approaching drivers is imaginative nonsense. Drivers have to be ready to avoid all sorts of surprises on the road. imagine a drivet trying to explain in court that he hit a car because it blicked his right of way.

FWIW "right of way" (in this context) isn't any kind of RIGHT.. it's simply a system for deciding who goes first when 2 vehicles meet at the same place and time.

You seem to like lecturing people. IMO, it's not a desirable quality, but b it's exponentially worse when you're wrong.

rsbob 

I would not, then thank them and waive them on. Who knows who may be coming from the other side and could take you out?

I have seen well meaning people stop to waive through a cyclist, me, and then watch them get rear ended because the driver behind them didn’t expect them to stop in the middle of the road.

I want to control the variables and go when I know it is safe.

rc5781

Let me modify my post to counter you: A motorist should not stop WITH A GREEN LIGHT unless it's inevitable that they will hit someone.

Russ Roth

Can you guarantee no one is coming around them? There's an accident near my house every other week as someone gets waved through and some ass 4 cars back, knowing there's a turn lane coming up, passes the line of stopped cars and t-bones the one being waved through. People are too impatient to trust that something similar won't happen.

zandoval 

In some areas a wave on is just another invitation to be a hood ornament...

FBinNY 

Not necessarily.

As I explained earlier, (did you read post #78?) in some (most? all?) states, a pedestrian in a crosswalk trumps things like a green light. In some states drivers absolutely MUST stop for a pedestrian in a crosswalk.

Interestingly, you're the one who pointed out that where you live, a bicyclist is legally a pedestrian in the circumstances you reference. So a driver may certainly yield to you in a crosswalk, and may even be required to do so.

So while your standing there insisting he goes, the driver might correctly know that, legally, he can't.

Sorry to be an oldtimer gaslighting you (have you even seen the movie?) but the real world is full of seemingly contradictory rules, with pecking orders that are sometimes so complex that even judges have trouble sorting them out.