Dammit, I'm tired of cyclists blowing through stop signs

[Dead Man]

Maybe bro just messed up, op. Sometimes people make mistakes. Maybe he's an inexperienced rider and had a moment of confusion. Maybe he's an experienced rider and just drank too much last night, decided he should t be driving to work and took the bike instead.

I don't remember who said it, I think maybe even a drill sergeant in the army ... ? "Never attribute malice where stupidity provides ample explanation." we are intelligent people who make good decision s most of the time, but every once in a while we do something stupid in a moment of carelessness, thoughtlessness, errorinjudgmentness, etc.... and it's the exception to our rule, despite the fact that everyone else who witnesses it immediately snaps to the conclusion that we're just deliberate ass hats.

[DRZRM]

+1

Originally Posted by saab2000

i mostly ride alone now. It's way less stressful.

[John H.]

Fact- I rarely have issues when I ride alone.

Yesterday I was riding with 2 guys- one car buzzed us closely. They were cussing, I was wishing I was alone.

Then another guy who seems to be a magnet for flak joined us.
Within 5 minutes I dropped my bottle, then one of the other guys knocked off his own glasses when a bee got underneath them.

Originally Posted by saab2000

I mostly ride alone now. It's way less stressful.

[FlashUNC]

Originally Posted by Elefantino

No. At Berkeley High. I was turning left onto Milvia. A car was stopped at the stop sign. The cyclist blew right through.

I don't take Milvia on my rides home, usually, because of all the crazies. I take Grant to Russell. No traffic, no hipsters.

If memory serves, Kittredge has a stop, but Bancroft and Durant don't. And the Kittredge sign isn't all that well marked if you're southbound, I know northbound it ain't all that visible. Could easily lead to some confusion for those who even ride the road regularly. I know I've blown the Kittredge sign a couple times coming back from a ride pretty fried.

Skip the bike boulevards, let the cyclists joust it out. But I support the Idaho stop for stop signs for cyclists, so what do I know.

[Elefantino]

Originally Posted by FlashUNC

so what do I know.

Yeah, you hate Sagan, too.

[SeanScott]

I have an aggressive friend that blows every stop sign, sometimes making a car slam on their brakes. I stop and everyone looks at me like I am the A-hole because the other cyclist is long gone.
I have talked to him about it but he says it is just how he rides.
It really is a stupid thing to do and makes drivers hate all cyclists.

[soulspinner]

Originally Posted by SeanScott

I have an aggressive friend that blows every stop sign, sometimes making a car slam on their brakes. I stop and everyone looks at me like I am the A-hole because the other cyclist is long gone.
I have talked to him about it but he says it is just how he rides.
It really is a stupid thing to do and makes drivers hate all cyclists.

Got a friend just like yours. A horrific accident and a spine an inch shorter didnt change a thing. I keep waiting for that call from his wife..

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by pbarry

I agree completely. The scufflaws make us all look like jerks. Yes, the potential for affecting others by inattention or conscious ignorance of street signs is a great point. Thank for posting your thoughts.

Agree, really bad around the republic, bad a particular intersections..4 way stop, I'm on my bike..I stop, then go, expecting the guy and girl on bikes, on the right to stop..they don't, I almost hit the guy..say something 'intelligent'(not, like dumb-ass, stop at stop signs)..he grips..so it goes. I'm pretty militant when on a bike, to 'mention' to some they ought to stop at stop signs and stop lights..get the same reaction tho, 'FU'..

[oldpotatoe]

Originally Posted by SeanScott

I have an aggressive friend that blows every stop sign, sometimes making a car slam on their brakes. I stop and everyone looks at me like I am the A-hole because the other cyclist is long gone.
I have talked to him about it but he says it is just how he rides.
It really is a stupid thing to do and makes drivers hate all cyclists.

Got a guy who I used to ride with like that..life's too short, I ride alone. Let somebody else call his wife.

As for the "Idaho' rules..fine and dandy when they become law, locally and be interesting when car drivers start doing the same thing..'but I saw a guy on a bike run the light officer'..

[William]

Its universal. I was complaining of this on the forum years ago about riders I would see daily in Portland running lights and stop signs, going the wrong way down one-way streets, bombing down sidewalks etc... It used to bug the carp out of me because it just adds fuel to the fire when motorists/public complain about how cyclists are dangerous on the road. I don't see it as much now being in a more rural area and mostly riding alone but I would bet money that if I went back into PDX or any other good sized city I would see it immediately.







William

[weisan]

I have said this many times. What we do off the bike transfers over to what we do on the bike. If we are self centered, feel entitled, hate establishments, don't like following rules, anti-social, super competitive, must always win, egoistic, i-ride-a-bike-so-i-must-be-superior, holier than thou attitude, anger management issues, mad at the world, etc. All of these will manifest in different ways when we are riding on a bike by ourselves or with others.

At worst, you will get yourself killed. But most of the time, it doesn't get that bad, all it does is inject negativity into the overall experience for everybody, both cyclists and other road users.

[beeatnik]

doesnt bother me. nor do i believe every individual on a bike is a representative of a class. in a few big cities jaywalking is common but even the most reckless is not a proxy for all pedestrians. first rule of driving, don't hit anyone.

[Bentley]

I may be an "offender". Typically I ride alone and I always approach intersections with "caution", I slow down and I am ready to stop. That said if the intersection is clear I "blow thru"

I have had situations at a 4 way, where I have been at the intersection first, rolling very slowly and continued thru. In a few cases I gotten the "International sign of peace and harmony". I would argue if it's on a busy throughfare you should always stop, just for self preservation, but also it reflects respect for everyone. But if you are on a very lightly travelled road, you slow down and are ready to stop, and you make eye contact with any/all drivers and they give you an ok, then I see little harm done.

I read from your post that its riders on busy roads, filled with folks that have a general disdain for cyclist as the "audience", I agree but I do think there are a wide array of circumstances and have found that hard rules generally do not work in all circumstances.

Best

Ray

[Dead Man]

Sometimes it's safer to blow through.


The B's rules of the road on a bike, in order of priority:
1. Be safe
2. Be courteous

**** the motorvehicle code - I'm not in a 4500lbs steel cage with crumple zones, seat belts, and air bags. Not riding my 15lbs bicycle like I am a car.

[tuscanyswe]

Originally Posted by beeatnik

doesnt bother me. nor do i believe every individual on a bike is a representative of a class. in a few big cities jaywalking is common but even the most reckless is not a proxy for all pedestrians. first rule of driving, don't hit anyone.

Agreed. Its not like i hate drivers just because a few are complete jerks.
I dont feel responsible for other riders or like im representing other riders when i ride. Probably would stop if i did