Dig the meltdown

[Fat Robert]

I try to be a nice guy. But I don't know when to keep my mouth shut. Read, enjoy.

http://www.rockhillbicycleclub.com/forum/comments.php?DiscussionID=236&page=1#Item_0

[William]

I used to think the same thing when I would be driving in Portland and I would see messengers running lights, going the wrong way on one way streets, shooting out of alley ways, and ripping up onto sidewalks to get around traffic. Exactly the kind of stuff the anti-cycling folks rail about.....but check out the wheels on that rig.

:rolleyes:


William ;)

[saab2000]

Dude,

Off topic.....

I thought of you the other day. I was in Greenville, SC and saw the hills. Then I took out my trusty map (pilots use maps sometimes) and saw that you might know those hills. Cool. I want to ride in those hills.

[Kevan]

the last place we cyclists should be is left standing in a traffic intersection waiting for a light change, especially if riding alone. Wearing slippery-cleat road shoes on pavement all the while straddling a bicycle is a dangerous position to be in, what with traffic stopping, going and turning all around us. I agree that we should try our best to obey traffic rules, but survival too has to be accounted for (Can't wait to have this argument with a police officer some day. I'm prepared to lose.).

I will stop and obey the laws at busy intersections, but given an opportunity to skip out of Dodge... I'm gone. It is unfortunate that motorists only see the bad for our actions, were they in the same situation, they might come around to our way of thinking. And that's all I gotta say about that!

Give'm hell Robert!

[petitelilpettit]

I think that cyclists should stop at lights, but I know that they are not going to do so. I ride with my mechanic all the time and we always laugh at the people who come up to the light and swerve into the crosswalk and run the red light, hoping that the move into or past the crosswalk justifies them running the red light. I always laugh at them. For me, I try to come up to lights slowly and either time the light so I don't have to clip out, or attempt to trackstand on my road bike (still working on getting the slope just right). If I see that no one is approaching, I'll roll through the light. But anytime I'm with a group, we'll usually stop and clip out. Robert, I don't think you did anything wrong. The other guy "Dog" didn't want to admit that you did what he couldn't do. Oh well.

Pettit

[justinf]

Interesting you should post this today. Yesterday I coasted through a residential stop sign at the bottom of a hill, not really giving it any thought--I was at the end of a hard ride. A guy a few houses down stepped into the street, waved a newspaper in my face as I passed and yelled something like: "If you want us to share the road with you then stop at stopsigns *******!" I had to swerve to dodge the paper.

Well, it's been weighing on my conscience what I did next--turned around, went up to the guy, essentially dared him to say it again (which he wouldn't, clearly afraid to do so with me right in his face), and cursed him harshly bfore hopping back on the bike and leaving.

I was a little upset from some previous back-and-forth with a couple disgruntled football fans on the way back from the game. (I'm also in Charlotte and we got smoked yesterday), so this poor guy took the full heat. Granted, he was a jerk out of nowhere. But my question is this, similar to the above:

At what point do we make all of our collective lives worse by a) poor traffic conduct, and b) retaliating to jerks? My answer to a) I bend traffic laws when I think it's safe. I'm not above running a light, sign, etc. at times.

b) I'm struggling with today.

[LegendRider]

Why do drivers think its perfectly OK to reprimand cyclists for breaking the law, yet they never seem to do the same to other drivers. I will make a deal with motorists - you keep your idiots in check and I'll do the same for mine!

[67-59]

Why do drivers think its perfectly OK to reprimand cyclists for breaking the law, yet they never seem to do the same to other drivers. I will make a deal with motorists - you keep your idiots in check and I'll do the same for mine!

Legitimate issue. My guess is that every driver, neighbor, etc. who reprimands a cyclist for running a light or sign has done a rolling stop, or driven over the speed limit, or turned without signaling, or....

Here's what I'd have asked the guy with the newspaper: Can you tell me that you have never made a rolling stop, or gone 31 in a 30 zone, or forgotten to signal? You might also have reminded him that throwing a newspaper at a cyclist is every bit as illegal as your riding was. (Now wouldn't THAT have surprised him?) That alone certainly doesn't justify the conduct. But it's clear that some people are holding cyclists to higher standards than they hold themselves or other drivers.

[neverraced]

the last place we cyclists should be is left standing in a traffic intersection waiting for a light change, especially if riding alone. but survival too has to be accounted for (Can't wait to have this argument with a police officer some day. I'm prepared to lose.).

When I'm stopped an intersection I know that the guy on my left won't "see me" when he suddenly, and without signalling, decides to make a right turn as soon as the light changes. Ditto the guy across the street making a left turn. Ditto any number of idiots getting a jump on turns and switching lanes, etc.: they won't "see me".

Therefore I always will go through an intersection once I make sure no one is coming who has the green light--I'll take my chances being hit by the cars I don't see rather than by the cars who somehow can't see me.

[mike p]

Agree with neverraced, it's not good for your health to stand around intersections. I always slow look and book. If those in cars rode bikes and got hit once in a while they would understand.

Mike

[Lincoln]

Jeesh, what a bunch of dorks.

[cadence231]

Follow the laws that are applicable in your area. Right?

[m_moses]

I like the line "you broke the law and hurt cycling in general."

I'm so depressed.

;)

There's a guy in a club that I pretend to be a member of who is always laying down stupid, melodramatic ****e like that.

[sevencyclist]

When I come to a stop sign or a red light, I think about what I would tell my 7 year old daughter and 10 year old son to do, and then I know what to do.

[ti_boi]

Totally...You know the web...the new frontier in communications...doubles as a place where the angry can grind their axes a bit. I have been completely put off with many forums based on people spending a lot of time making judgements about everything from how a person spends their money to their girth or hairline....not something that I personally give two craps about mind you....in this case you have the classic Holier Than Thou'ist trying to conduct a 'people's court'....reminds me of China and the bands of internet enforcers and do-gooders who band together to berate and abuse anyone who they deem unsuitable. Makes me want to 'log-off'....knowwhatimean?

When I did commute a few times I can remember a co-worker commenting on seeing me riding in that morning...she said, "...and you were obeying the traffic laws..." which I was -- then it is rush hour and the cars are endless sure...but if I can eyeball a roadway and see no cars or one in the distance...and I have a shot at a free crossing I am going to take it...and I think cycling will survive...LOL

[gdw]

Sorry folks but if you're riding the roads you are required to obey traffic laws. That means stopping at lights, stop signs, etc. Cyclists constantly complain about drivers but lets be honest, the average driver is 100 times more predictable than the average cyclist.

[LegendRider]

Sorry folks but if you're riding the roads you are required to obey traffic laws. That means stopping at lights, stop signs, etc. Cyclists constantly complain about drivers but lets be honest, the average driver is 100 times more predictable than the average cyclist.

I think the typical cyclist is quite predictable - 9 times out of 10 he'll blow through the stop sign :D

[ti_boi]

Sorry folks but if you're riding the roads you are required to obey traffic laws. That means stopping at lights, stop signs, etc. Cyclists constantly complain about drivers but lets be honest, the average driver is 100 times more predictable than the average cyclist.


I regularly disobey the speed limit...sometimes ignore a no turn on red sign...and often fart in a closed car....I guess I have been lucky.

And 'being predictable' means turning into things in your blind spot while talking on a cell phone....stopping suddenly for no reason....and tailgating my Bimmer while eating a hamburger in a beat up minivan, than yes...those in their cars are pretty predictable...I suppose.

[Grant McLean]

I think the typical cyclist is quite predictable - 9 times out of 10 he'll blow through the stop sign :D

around here, that's survival skills.

If you actually stopped at a 4 way, you'd cause a 20 car pile up. :)


g

[BURCH]

There is no way that that guy "Dog" has stopped at every single stop light he has ridden up on...PLEASE!

Not to mention the fact that he just made the club look worse by airing it on a public forum.

[Serpico]

.
snitches and gossips are the worst

the guy on the forum should've sent you a message/or/email instead of calling you out publicly*




*could we make this an unspoken/unofficial policy here? it seems like every couple of weeks there's some kind of public squabble that could've been settled privately. it's sometimes fun to watch, but no one is the better for it. just imo
.

[Fat Robert]

if the intersection is wide open, I don't have an issue with a cyclist crossing it slowly. If there is any opposing traffic, its absolutely stupid. Shooting stop signs is just dumb -- and actually, the guy's post reminded me that I've fallen into some lazy habits.


For me, its an issue with two guys in the club -- retired cat 3s who posit themselves as the Gods of Cycling and the self-appointed behavior police, and take it upon themselves to shame others in submission.

[AgilisMerlin]

i rarely obey traffic laws. Most people don't care.

when i come to a stoplight i usually take a right, go about 20 yards, cross over into the other lane, then take a right again. I don't blow through red lights, but i circumnavigate - 98% of the time.

i just don't care, and i don't care what people think. i feel totally comfortable riding in the city and not obeying the laws. My rule of thumb is never stop. Shoot me :banana:



No one stops at stop signs out in bumfark, do they?


i also go 15 mph over the speedlimit on the highway.........here in the virginia :D



AmerliN

[Grant McLean]

For me, its an issue with two guys in the club -- retired cat 3s who posit themselves as the Gods of Cycling and the self-appointed behavior police, and take it upon themselves to shame others in submission.

Unsolicited advice is rarely listened to. Even if it is good advice,
it usually has as much weight as something shouted from a passing car.

If you want to get a message effectly across to someone, you need a little
more tact. Just my .02, which you can take or leave :)

g

[orbea65]

No offense to fatrob or anyone else....
But just so I'm clear........you all think it is OK for cyclists to run red lights??

Interesting.

[Fat Robert]

No offense to fatrob or anyone else....
But just so I'm clear........you all think it is OK for cyclists to run red lights??

Interesting.


I think it all depends on the situation, and some common sense.

If there is no opposing traffic, and you've slowed down to 2-3 mph, looked both ways, and made sure that its clear, then I'd say break the law. I have no problems with that.

[dauwhe]

I won't run a red light unless I absolutely have to (bike won't set off sensor that changes the light).

It's funny--the thing I do that elicits the most positive responses from non-cyclists is stopping at crosswalks for pedestrians. They're invariably surprised and pleased that a cyclist is showing some courtesy, especially in a situation where many cars are breaking the law. Nice to get some smiles and thank-yous!

A poster mentioned it's dangerous to put your foot down at an intersection, due to slippery-soled shoes. I'd think that's a problem with the shoes, rather than the traffic laws...

Dave, happy to be using MTB shoes

[gdw]

So you're saying that Jersey drivers suck? That's predictable.

[gdw]

"And 'being predictable' means turning into things in your blind spot while talking on a cell phone....stopping suddenly for no reason....and tailgating my Bimmer while eating a hamburger in a beat up minivan, than yes...those in their cars are pretty predictable...I suppose."

So you're saying that Jersey drivers suck? That's predictable.

[J.Greene]

FL passed a law a few months back that requires vehicles to give cyclists several feet of room while passing. The law will be ignored and one of the reasons will be our own behavior. The police will never enforce it also, and why should they, as a group we think were above the law anyway atmo. As the father of three young boys I'm hard pressed to come up with any reasons to break the law.

JG

[ti_boi]

"And 'being predictable' means turning into things in your blind spot while talking on a cell phone....stopping suddenly for no reason....and tailgating my Bimmer while eating a hamburger in a beat up minivan, than yes...those in their cars are pretty predictable...I suppose."

So you're saying that Jersey drivers suck? That's predictable.


We have the highest mortality rate in the nation for motorcycle accidents--( NY Metro which is my turf)....so the fact that I sold my 78 Bonnie is an indication that I do not trust my life in the hands of the people who drive here.....or in most places for that matter....but especially here....

When I lived in FL the norm was the medicated 90 year-old blowing through a stop sign and taking out whatever was in the way....with no memory of the event.....sad but true...

GDW....the detroit circle is about as hairy a driving experience as any I have had....was rear ended by a dude in a malibu once outside of detroit....in the burbs....iffn i was on a boike I couldn't write this here thoughtful post

[Tom]

I won't run a red light unless I absolutely have to (bike won't set off sensor that changes the light).



I do that every time, if I won't get run over. The rest of the time, it's situational. There are lights I'll wait out and others that I figure that the best thing to do is clear out. I'll cross it the way I'd walk it... stop, look, figure it's safe, go. There are ones I take a left on red because standing there in the middle of the road is a good way to get killed.

I'm not sure other car drivers would feel the same way, but I'd prefer the guy on the bike to be gone when the light changes. I'll sit there saying "You go" and he's looking at the car going "Dang, that thing's big, I go and he flattens me." and I say "C'mon, doof, go" and he says "NFW, I be ribbon man if I go" and pretty soon I'm screaming at him full neck vein "Go, you stupid son of a *****!" See, it's better that the bike has gone on its way.

[orbea65]

I think it all depends on the situation, and some common sense.

If there is no opposing traffic, and you've slowed down to 2-3 mph, looked both ways, and made sure that its clear, then I'd say break the law. I have no problems with that.

So is it OK for a car to do the same? If a car pulls up to a red light, and there is no traffic whatsoever at the light, is it OK for that car to run the red light??
The rules/laws seem pretty clear in this situation.
I don't think it was right for your club members to call you out on their forum. But I do think it is wrong to run a red light. Anyhoo....

[Kevan]

I do that every time, if I won't get run over. The rest of the time, it's situational. There are lights I'll wait out and others that I figure that the best thing to do is clear out. I'll cross it the way I'd walk it... stop, look, figure it's safe, go. There are ones I take a left on red because standing there in the middle of the road is a good way to get killed.

I'm not sure other car drivers would feel the same way, but I'd prefer the guy on the bike to be gone when the light changes. I'll sit there saying "You go" and he's looking at the car going "Dang, that thing's big, I go and he flattens me." and I say "C'mon, doof, go" and he says "NFW, I be ribbon man if I go" and pretty soon I'm screaming at him full neck vein "Go, you stupid son of a *****!" See, it's better that the bike has gone on its way.
.

[ti_boi]

Bikes and cars SHOULD obey the laws, but Bikes are not seen by cars as EQUALS....that much is clear. So bikes should be creative and avoid being with cars at all costs....if that means getting away from places like intersections where more harm is done by cars to bikes (than bikes to cars) that makes perfect sense to me..>ATMO

[dreadpiratetim]

When I come to a stop sign or a red light, I think about what I would tell my 7 year old daughter and 10 year old son to do, and then I know what to do.

I grapple with this same issue... then I think to myself how much better it is to actually make it home instead of becoming a hood ornament. Do I stop at stop signs? Sometimes. Do I stop for red lights? Usually. Have I broken any laws riding my bike? Fewer than driving my car.

OT we could talk about when it's OK to break laws and/or rules. What you'll get from me is a healthy dose of individual responsibility, laws or no laws. My goal is to get my kids to think for themselves, respect others, develop a strong sense of self esteem and to give more than they take. If it means blowing a stop sign, so be it, but they'd better look first.

What's that quote about people living in glass houses? F@cking drivers should look in the mirror before going off on cyclists.

[mike p]

No offense to fatrob or anyone else....
But just so I'm clear........you all think it is OK for cyclists to run red lights??

Interesting.

Totally depends on the situation, but many times it's much safer for the cyclist. I'm all about staying alive.

Mike

[cpg]

I will run a red light if I've slowed down and there's nobody there. I mean nobody. If there's a car going my direction and stopped then I'll stop. But if I'm alone at the intersection, I go through. Is it against the law? Yes. And I take the responsibility for that. If I'm fined, I deserve it.

Justin-
I can't believe you got into that guy's face. I believe it but just didn't think you were the type. Not that there's anything wrong with that. :)

Curt

[Louis]

I will run a red light if I've slowed down and there's nobody there. I mean nobody. If there's a car going my direction and stopped then I'll stop.

Agreed. If there is anyone around at all I won't run a light. We need to set as good an example as possible. The smallest violation on our part gives them another excuse (in their rationalization) to treat us even more horribly than they do already.

Louis

[dreadpiratetim]

Here's some more fuel for the discussion courtesy of BicycleSafe:

Naturally we don't advocate running red lights, but if you're the kind of person who does, then apply the invisibility principle when deciding on whether to run a particular light: Could any cross traffic possibly hit me if I were invisible? If yes, then absolutely don't do it. Never make a car have to slow down to avoid hitting you (red light or not). Remember, the more you rely on cars to see you to avoid hitting you, the more chances they'll have to actually do so.

Source: http://www.bicyclesafe.com/

[dauwhe]

Bikes and cars SHOULD obey the laws, but Bikes are not seen by cars as EQUALS....that much is clear. So bikes should be creative and avoid being with cars at all costs....if that means getting away from places like intersections where more harm is done by cars to bikes (than bikes to cars) that makes perfect sense to me..>ATMO

There are intersections that I feel are just too dangerous for me as a cyclist. One legal option (which I use often) is just to get off the bike, and turn into a pedestrian. I can hang out on the sidewalk, and use walk lights or crosswalks, and then turn back into a cyclist.

My favorite way of avoiding cars is country dirt roads with no traffic... :)

Dave

[justinf]

I can hang with the invisibility principle. Most guys and gals that politely wait at every stop sign/light are probably not used to urban intersections.

cpg--I know, the gandhi-like figure in my household is not me unfortunately. It takes something like me recounting the experience above to really get my wife raging ;)

[Grant McLean]

So is it OK for a car to do the same? If a car pulls up to a red light, and there is no traffic whatsoever at the light, is it OK for that car to run the red light??
The rules/laws seem pretty clear in this situation.
I don't think it was right for your club members to call you out on their forum. But I do think it is wrong to run a red light. Anyhoo....

Of course it's wrong to roll through a red light.

It's also wrong for pedestrians. But that doesn't stop them from doing it.
Given the fact that way more pedestrians are car drivers than they are
cyclists, i'd suggest that it's far more situational than some drivers would
like to admit.

As a non car-driver myself, I often wonder what the average car driver who
has never been on a bike would do in traffic if they suddenly found themselves
relying on a bike for transportation.

I think many, many cyclists show a great deal of restaint. If i rode my bike as
aggressively as a lot of cars: speeding, lane changing, hammering their brakes,
charging yellow lights, honking their horn, all while on the cel phone...
by comparison, rolling a red light when nobody was around doesn't seem like
worst behaviour.

But yes, it's "wrong".

g

[Dan Le foot]

MSO and I were doing a casual Sunday morning ride a few weeks ago.
We were in a residential neighborhood with a golf course. We came up on a 4 way stop sign. (Actually a T so not quite 4 way. I guess it would make it a 3 way) Anyway, very good sight lines. Never any trafiic and I have never seeen a car never mind a bike actually come to a stop at that intersection when there was no traffic.
So we carefully rode through the stop sign going maybe 10 MPH just chating away.
Well, at that intersection there also is a tee box with a foresome getting ready to tee off. Apparently our chatting disturbed a golfer in his backswing. (We were on a public city street) Man, did he let us have it for running that stop sign. He next topped his tee shot and started to swear at us again for blowing through the stop sign. I had no idea we had that much power. :no:
Dan

[Len J]

give drivers another reason to ban you from the roads?

Go ahead, shake your head...and think how melodramatic I am being....but then think about the following:

1.) There are way more drivers than cyclists
2.) Most drivers see us on the road as a PIA....slowing them down, many of us driving inconsistently, etc
3.) When I ask people who make the comment about us not belonging on the road why....they answer....they go to slow, they are unpredictable and they don't obey stop signs and lights.

If this thread is a sample than something like 80+% of us believe we don't have to follow traffic laws even though we are the first to make sure everyone knows we have a "right to the road".

Well, the first thing I learned in driving school was that driving was a privilege...not a right.....I think the same is true about riding our bikes on the road...it is a privilege....a privilege that too many of us take for granted.....and there is a rising groundswell in many areas of the country to ban us from the road.

If it happens, we will only have ourselves to blame. Think about that the next time you are making some rationalization about running a stop sign or light.

Len

PS...as to the original post, this should not have been handled publicly.

[Julia Hampsten]

At what point do we make all of our collective lives worse by a) poor traffic conduct, and b) retaliating to jerks? My answer to a) I bend traffic laws when I think it's safe. I'm not above running a light, sign, etc. at times.

b) I'm struggling with today.

There is no doubt that the same jerk yelling at you has at the very least rolled through a sign or three while driving, AND: no one has any call to yell names and wave a paper in your face - unsafe, rude at least and bound to provoke a reaction.

Julia

[nm87710]

I feel for ya FRob. Just rise above the fray and ignore the club melodrama queens.

I've got just one rule when it comes to riding on the road - be safe. Let's face it blowing a stop sign/light isn't going to make a difference in your training and it's damn hard to train when you're all banged up - or worse. Now that doesn't mean I completely follow the motor vehicle laws either. Hell, I ride a lot and technically probably roll 10K stop signs a year without ever coming to a complete stop with my foot down. It's situational. I never a run a red light unless no cars are around and I can't trip the sensor. FWIW, they had this same issue at the OTC a couple decades ago. Locals getting all pissed at the riders. So the coaches initiated a $1 fine for each stop sign we ran. As poor young cyclists with no $ we quickly changed our habits and training routes. Problem solved. Locals happy. The funny thing was it didn't harm our training.

If someone is really into cycling then moving to an area without many stop lights/signs or at least driving to one for rides makes sense. Think about it...who would choose to live in the middle of a big city or sprawling sea of suburbia if riding horses was their passion??? That just leads to nothing but trouble. It's no different for cycling.

just my 2 pesos

FRob, what were you doing riding on a Saturday anyway? When I lived in them parts they had blue laws requiring everyone to be in church from Sat morning till Sunday evening. :D Being a cyclist was a sin - thus I had to leave. :rolleyes:

[BURCH]

What is your opinion on this tactic. (which is what I do in busy traffic at a light). At a busy light, I go into the lane and take up the spot like a car would. I don't like being pushed to the debris ridden, cars don't acknowledge my presence side of the lane at a light. By being in the lane, I can usually get going as fast as the cars when it gets green and my prescence is well known. Then when I get thru the intersection or have made my complete turn, I go back to the side of the road. I never knew if this made drivers mad or if they respected me not buzzing up beside them to get to the front of the intersection. If I do get caught at the intersection on the side of the lane, I will (as a nice gesture) get as far out of the lane as I can and look back so that the cars know that i want them to proceed first. Once the cars are gone, I go without fear of a car coming up on me from behind and hitting me or turning into me. This tactic is used at major traffic intersections.

In less congestion, I will slow down for every light and stop sign and stop if any cars are there, but out in the country or with no cars around. I will slow down and then go right thru the intersection without stopping.

If I am riding with someone and I am in the lead, the other riders are well aware that I will stop at every intersection. I don't want someone behing be getting clipped because I went didn't stop and they followed.

[Sandy]

Go back to the article again and click onto Bike Club Home (above the article itself, in a red rectangle). You will see cyclists riding 3 abreast in the front of the group and a little further down the road, one cyclist on the double yellow line. The group is completely blocking the road from automobile use.


Sandy

[mikemets]

I do that every time, if I won't get run over. The rest of the time, it's situational. There are lights I'll wait out and others that I figure that the best thing to do is clear out. I'll cross it the way I'd walk it... stop, look, figure it's safe, go. There are ones I take a left on red because standing there in the middle of the road is a good way to get killed.

This about covers it for me.

[BumbleBeeDave]

There are plenty of lights around here where your bike won't set off the sensor. You'd be sitting there, well, until another car came along--which could be quite a while. I also don't feel too bad about several intersections where I'll jump the left turn signal rather than sit out there in the middle of the road by myself waiting for a left arrow. Good way to get your @ss run over and it's very nearly happened to me a few times . . .

It should be situational. But I don't necessarily feel there is a double standard as far as cars having to obey all the traffic signals. A car with driver weighs anywhere from 10x to 50x as much as I do and packs a huge amount more energy. In a collision with me or a pedestrian or motorcycle, the car is going to come out on top--period. There are far more serious potential consequences for doing something stupid. Auto drivers should have the most responsbility of any road users for obeying all the signals and being careful and I accept that responsibility when I drive one. But of course we know how many of them don't.

That being said, I usually do stop for lights and wait if I feel it is safe and feasible to do so. Same with a four way stop--I'll wait my turn. The dilemna for me is when I'm with group and I'm going to stop, but the other people go right through, even with close cross traffic. Do I follow them and feel irresponsible or stop for the light and get cropped--possibly permanently?

Of course, the best solution for this is just to head out of town ASAP on any ride and get in the clear . . .

BBD

[CNY rider]

What is your opinion on this tactic. (which is what I do in busy traffic at a light). At a busy light, I go into the lane and take up the spot like a car would. I don't like being pushed to the debris ridden, cars don't acknowledge my presence side of the lane at a light. By being in the lane, I can usually get going as fast as the cars when it gets green and my prescence is well known. Then when I get thru the intersection or have made my complete turn, I go back to the side of the road. I never knew if this made drivers mad or if they respected me not buzzing up beside them to get to the front of the intersection. If I do get caught at the intersection on the side of the lane, I will (as a nice gesture) get as far out of the lane as I can and look back so that the cars know that i want them to proceed first. Once the cars are gone, I go without fear of a car coming up on me from behind and hitting me or turning into me. This tactic is used at major traffic intersections.

In less congestion, I will slow down for every light and stop sign and stop if any cars are there, but out in the country or with no cars around. I will slow down and then go right thru the intersection without stopping.

If I am riding with someone and I am in the lead, the other riders are well aware that I will stop at every intersection. I don't want someone behing be getting clipped because I went didn't stop and they followed.


I'm with you Burch. At the busy crossings I have no problem taking the lane while we sit and wait for the light. I pull over again once through the intersection. The times I've seen trouble in those situations is when the cyclist isn't clear about whether he wants the lane or wants to be passed. That just invites a driver to try and squeeze by and push the cyclist off the edge of the lane. I've never had upset drivers when I make it clear that I'm taking the lane until we get through the light

[Bill Bove]

Maybe I missed it FR but were you wearing your helmet when you did this? You do know that every time you go out for a ride and you don't wear your helmet God kills a kitten, don't you?