Do you follow the traffic laws?

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Here is a question for you all. Do you follow the traffic laws when cycling?

Always

Never

Most of the time

Occassionally

where's the option for "i only follow them when there are cops around"?

Everything apart from stopping at pedestrian crossings but the more cycling I do, the worse I get.

I'll admit that I tend to roll through red lights (after checking for traffic).

I will also weave between two lanes of cars to get a jump on the light - particularly when a driver is straddling the right lane and the shoulder and I can't get past them.

Unfortunately - it seems like I always follow the speed limit, but that is more a physical limitation (for now! ;) )

Following the rules gets you there in one peice. It also makes you a faster rider. You'll learn to time lights well and build sprint muscles stoppign for every light/sign you come across. Plus you represent properly, anything else and you're instantly part of the problem.
Representing and safety are my main reasons for riding that way, not sure which comes first. I can tell you that in 11 years and 250G+ miles I've ridden in the back of an ambulance 14 or 15 times, each time looking after a cyclist not as disciplined or just wrong place wrong time/driver at fault, bout 50/50. Never needed one myself, had to get checked out of one once, it's best to let tthem look you over if you're not sure.

btw a few weeks back i was rear ended by a commuter that didnt believe he should stop for a ped crosswalk with people in it, that was hilarious! He was scrapped up nicely, and there may have been a small bruise on my back but for the most part he deflected and went for a nice tumble. We (the peds, a driver witness and myself) were all nice to him, made sure he was ok, but boy was his face red! Not just the blood either :p
I did have to mention to him that he was quite lucky I'm a full grown, very fit fellow. If I had been frail older cylist or smaller/out of shape etc he would have landed himself in more than just a minor accident. It was as hard as a real good body check.

I am a little lax at some of the stop signs in the isolated parts of my ride, but otherwise I practice good compliance habits in hopes that it stays second nature.

Following the rules gets you there in one peice. .Not only do I follow regs, but I also go so far as to slow down when approching intersections even when I've got the green light. Some jerk ran his car through a red at 60 to 70 kph and I ended up in the hospital for a week. I left the hospital with a plate & 9 screws in my ankle. Not to worry, I was riding again in 2 months and doing the 40k in three. The MD's and physiotherapist said I did a year's worth of recovery in three months because of all the biking I did before the accident (about 290km per week). It would seem that biking is healthy in more ways than one! Get on your bike, BE SEEN (reflectors, lights, reflective tape, etc.), pay attention, follow regs that let everyone use the roads in harmony, be wary of jerks, and be nice to everyone else. Everyone will be safer for it. It's all good after that.
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One more thing...SIGNAL, SIGNAL, SIGNAL! We hate it when motorists nearly kill us by turning, merging, or otherwise manouvreing without notice. We should let them know what we are going to do in order to keep ourselves alive and healthy. It is also just plain old good manners.

Only ever "bend" the laws when I am cycling to work at 5am on empty roads.

There's one stop sign on my normal riding route that I slow down for but rarely stop for. If there's a car coming I will simply slow down well in advance and pedal slowly until it's passed. The only time I've ever run a red light was when I had to--was in a turn lane and the light was activated by a magnetic loop in the road which couldn't pick up my bike. After looking both ways, I proceeded across the intersection.

Not only do I follow regs, but I also go so far as to slow down when approching intersections even when I've got the green light. Some jerk ran his car through a red at 60 to 70 kph and I ended up in the hospital for a week. I left the hospital with a plate & 9 screws in my ankle. Not to worry, I was riding again in 2 months and doing the 40k in three. The MD's and physiotherapist said I did a year's worth of recovery in three months because of all the biking I did before the accident (about 290km per week). It would seem that biking is healthy in more ways than one! Get on your bike, BE SEEN (reflectors, lights, reflective tape, etc.), pay attention, follow regs that let everyone use the roads in harmony, be wary of jerks, and be nice to everyone else. Everyone will be safer for it. It's all good after that.
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One more thing...SIGNAL, SIGNAL, SIGNAL! We hate it when motorists nearly kill us by turning, merging, or otherwise manouvreing without notice. We should let them know what we are going to do in order to keep ourselves alive and healthy. It is also just plain old good manners. Quite so! There is a reason why pedestrians and bikeriders are commonly refered to as "soft roadusers" :eek:. You gotta look out for number 1, to most other people you'r not even number 2. :D

I avoid using pedestrian crossings so I don't face that one.
Stop signs, I almost stop if its clear.
There's one buslane that I cross left into when individual cars aren't giving me my legal room AND its empty. (we drive on the left)
I signal left(not required)when its helpful. I signal right unless/until its dangerous.

Stop signs, I almost stop if its clear.


A fundamental difference between car and bike is no bonnet(hood) in front.
MUCH better visability so you can actually tell that it is clear.

Looking at the results (87/94 people follow the laws "always" or "most of the time"), I suspect people are fibbing a bit or else the sample is not representative of the whole. (Perhaps most of the people I see are not as cautious as the cyclingforums' members.) I *rarely* see cyclists make more than a subtle speed reduction at stop signs (I'm in San Francisco), and often I see them making unbelievably stupid decisions at major intersections. I'll admit that I rarely make complete stops at stop signs - unless necessary - but I do make sure that I'm not violating the yield priorities or riding blindly through an intersection..

Just as often - or almost as often - I see drivers doing blatantly negligent things like turning right in front of a cyclist, running red lights, talking on cel phones, reading the newspaper, not checking their mirror before opeing their door, etc. I think both groups need to do a lot to improve the safety of everybody.

I live in a very built-up area and try to stick to the rules. Like some of our guests say, it's a mark of respect for oneself and the law; it's not just me on the road and if others want to break the law then it's their life they'll loose.

Plus, if you come up against some arrogant slob behind a ton of steel, the moment you resort to their tactics and their primeval instincts you've got not case should the cops turn up; potential witnesses will also scarper. If you can get into some 'good habits' on a bike then I honestly believe that you'll transfer them behind the wheel of the car..curteousy, patience, keeping your head when other's don't etc. and putting other people in danger..so many people in my area have died because of someone else's stupid behaviour on the road.

Sometimes you get a great response from pedestrians, that a cyclist has actually bothered for instance, to stop at a crossing and allow time for them to cross. They often say thank you even if they don't have to..It can be a pain constantly checking your shoulder as well as stopping and starting, but I just try and remind myself that hand signals are not just for my own benefit or safety.

Now what really annoys me, are cyclists who give us a bad name: in my area they often ride like idiots for kicks (the one's that live long enough, that is). These are the people who deserve a ticking off because it just makes life that much more irritating for the rest of us. You even get the same mentality behind a wheel, such as when you the cyclist are going around an island - signalling to let other's know your intentions - yet along comes Mr. cretin, undercutting you for the hell of it or just poking fun because his ego cannot take something smaller, lighter having priority. That's the kind of mentality you have in my area anyway.

I do have to say, that in 15 year's worth of cycling in Europe (UK in particular), that I have seen far more idiots in cars than on bikes. Those who cycle a lot HAVE to pick up a 6th sense even if it's to account for the bad drivers out there.

The only exception for me as regard the rules of the road, is late at night (even then in the UK it can be really busy), where on some backroads I don't signal so much. I always stop for lights and never, ever risk pedestrian crossings.

I am all for creating road tests for cyclists as well as awareness courses for ALL drivers.

I voted for most of the time. I wear a helmet (law here in aus), I ride on the correct side of the road. I stop at red lights, then go if there is no traffic. I'll obey a stop sign (that is to say, slow down alot ;)) if I can't see clearly. I run pedestrian crossings only if no-one is crossing at the time.

My basic philosophy is to ride not within the laws, but within what I believe will get me there ASAP without compromising my safety or the safety of other road users. I've never hit anyone or been hit (that is, all my accidents involved only myself :P), and I've been riding for about 14 years (since I was 4).

I ride a fixed wheel in Malaysia. If there are road rules here, someone forgot to tell the roadusers about them. Traffic Lights over here are viewed as having the same application to road usage as Christmas Lights. It's a battlefield out there, but I still enjoy riding amongst it.

I'm a "most of the time". The occassional exception for me is stop signs. I still slow and give right of way where it's due, but rarely come to a complete stop. Everything else, I pretty much follow to the letter. It's just not worth the risk and the fines. Like someone else said, it makes you a better rider anyway.

On this note, there's one maneuver I often see that completely baffles me. I stop at a red light. A rider comes zooming past me from behind and out into the intersection. But he doesn't go straight across the intersection - instead, he swoops right, then left, then right in one quick move, as if to deceive us into thinking he didn't actually just run the red light. It's a silly attempt to stay "legal". Who are these people kidding? You're still going to get the ticket for running the red (right turn on red after stopping anyone?), you're going to get a ticket for an illegal u-turn, and you're still going to get creamed by that car that's crossing the intersection on the green. Learn to balance and sprint.

I am a little lax at some of the stop signs in the isolated parts of my ride, but otherwise I practice good compliance habits in hopes that it stays second nature.


I'm the same way... we have a lot of rural 4-way stops, that if I see a car as I approach, I wave thru and just time my crossing without having to brake.

But I wait "in line" at busy lights, and never ride up ahead - I figure those folks already were polite enough to safely pass me, no need in making them pass me again!

I've ridden motorcycles and cycles. There's a similarity. To a degree (albeit a lesser on on a bicycle) you have to assert yourself to get the car drivers to observe and respect you as a user of the road.

I'd never ride a motorcycle in the right half of the lane of travel. No respect--the drivers would push you off by passing you in the same lane.

Similarly, I tend to ride a bicycle in the travel lane about two feet inward. Similar to England. Some drivers hate it, and honk and come close. Most move way out of the way. Some tractor trailer drivers are really scarry.

Stupid? Death wish or a desire to avoid a puncture by roadside debris?
Don't know.

Steve

Here is a question for you all. <snip> Hi LightCycles,

To simply follow traffic laws - as motorized road abusers can - is simply too dangerous on many occasions.
Only unexperience bikers do so I find.

I'm relatively observant and follow the rules as good as possible, but there are clearly many (minor) occasions where I break the rules for safty reasons. Police is usually hopeless and has no idea of what is safe if it comes to bikes.

Cheers, Livos