Aren't bicycles suposed to stop at stop signs?

Steve + Laura <[email hidden]> wrote in news:3F5D38C6.6050207 @yahoo.com:

Quoted message said:

I went on a charity group ride the other day, and saw hundreds of bicyclists ride through 30 or 40
stop signs. The number of cyclists I saw stop for a stop sign: zero.

Aren't you supposed to obey normal traffic rule on a bike?

Depends on the arrangement the charity has with the local police. Sometimes they close the course so
only cyclists are allowed on the roads. Sometimes they have marshalls to direct traffic. Usually
they don't.

Steve + Laura said:

Is this how I'm supposed to ride on the street? Seems a bit unsafe...

ALWAYS slow down to a speed that'll let you stop easily at the line during stop signs, and stop when
necessary. When there are no cars, just roll past. Watch out for cops. They give out tickets for
violations such as running lights and stop signs.

Don't be lazy and not pull a foot out during a stop sign. Have one foot out to be safe.

cyclists are supposed to obey all traffic signals just the same as other road traffic. many
inexperenced cyclists don't realize this and run stop signs.

Steve + Laura said:

I went on a charity group ride the other day, and saw hundreds of bicyclists ride through 30 or 40
stop signs. The number of cyclists I saw stop for a stop sign: zero.

Aren't you supposed to obey normal traffic rule on a bike? I even saw riders blow through a stop
sign at an intersection holding up a car that had no stop sign. The driver stopped, but was more
than a little annoyed.

Is this how I'm supposed to ride on the street? Seems a bit unsafe...

Steve.

Steve + Laura said:

I went on a charity group ride the other day, and saw hundreds of bicyclists ride through 30 or 40
stop signs. The number of cyclists I saw stop for a stop sign: zero.

That's terrible. You should make a big stink!

Quoted message said:

Aren't you supposed to obey normal traffic rule on a bike? I even saw

Absolutely.

Quoted message said:

riders blow through a stop sign at an intersection holding up a car that had no stop sign. The
driver stopped, but was more than a little annoyed.

Is this how I'm supposed to ride on the street? Seems a bit unsafe...

No. Do not ride that way.

It's possible that there was some reason that the charity group ride was supposed to do that, but
it's still terrible.

Cyclists will never be safe as long as some ruin it for all like that.

Quoted message said:

Steve.

--
Rick Onanian

"Steve + Laura" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I went on a charity group ride the other day, and saw hundreds of bicyclists ride through 30 or 40
stop signs. The number of cyclists I saw stop for a stop sign: zero.

Aren't you supposed to obey normal traffic rule on a bike? I even saw riders blow through a stop
sign at an intersection holding up a car that had no stop sign. The driver stopped, but was more
than a little annoyed.

Is this how I'm supposed to ride on the street? Seems a bit unsafe...

Steve.

In our state cyclists are required to obey traffic laws. Our club rides do. They stop for lights and
signs when they encounter them. I don't always do it when I ride alone, though. I look out for
traffic at an intersection and I stop if I see anything. Otherwise I just go throug carefully.

My daily solo riding is on country roads at the crack of dawn and I rarely encounter traffic so it
isn't as dangerous as it would be in more populated areas. In fact I broke a record just last
Tuesday morning. I went 11 miles before I saw my first vehicle which passed from the opposite
direction. I saw only one additional one on the 16 mile ride and not a single one in my lane. It is
the only time I have gone that far without having a single vehicle pass me. Good area for cycling.

Fred

"Steve + Laura" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I went on a charity group ride the other day, and saw hundreds of bicyclists ride through 30 or 40
stop signs. The number of cyclists I saw stop for a stop sign: zero.

Aren't you supposed to obey normal traffic rule on a bike? I even saw riders blow through a stop
sign at an intersection holding up a car that had no stop sign. The driver stopped, but was more
than a little annoyed.

Is this how I'm supposed to ride on the street? Seems a bit unsafe...

It's like all large group gatherings where sheep bleat in unison. Critical Ass mentality takes over
and anarchy reigns.

I recommend ignoring it or go ride your bike somewhere else.

--
Robin Hubert <[email hidden]

Ken said:

Steve + Laura <[email hidden]> wrote in news:3F5D38C6.6050207 @yahoo.com:

Quoted message said:

I went on a charity group ride the other day, and saw hundreds of bicyclists ride through 30 or
40 stop signs. The number of cyclists I saw stop for a stop sign: zero.

Aren't you supposed to obey normal traffic rule on a bike?

Depends on the arrangement the charity has with the local police. Sometimes they close the course
so only cyclists are allowed on the

roads.

Doubtful. Besides, there were cars there, according to the OP. On our rides we always say that you
have to obey all traffic laws. It doesn't help much.

Yes, as long as yahoos on bikes ignore the laws, we will not be treated decently by drivers -- and
cops. But also, as long as we are marginalized on the roads, there are cyclists who will feel that
they get no protection from the law, so have no respect for it.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not _`\(,_ | certain, and as
far as they are certain, they do not refer to (_)/ (_) | reality. -- Albert Einstein

I usually don't come to a full stop at a stop sign in my car, unless there is some other reason to.

On my bike, my concern is safety. I basically could care less what the signs are. Yes, I know its
the law. But its an instance where the law is stupid. More than half the stop signs in my area are
put up simply to slow down traffic, and not for any safety reason.

Duffy

"Joel Lowrie" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

cyclists are supposed to obey all traffic signals just the same as other road traffic. many
inexperenced cyclists don't realize this and run stop signs.

Steve + Laura said:

I went on a charity group ride the other day, and saw hundreds of bicyclists ride through 30 or
40 stop signs. The number of cyclists I saw stop for a stop sign: zero.

Aren't you supposed to obey normal traffic rule on a bike? I even saw riders blow through a stop
sign at an intersection holding up a car that had no stop sign. The driver stopped, but was more
than a little annoyed.

Is this how I'm supposed to ride on the street? Seems a bit unsafe...

Steve.

Mon, 08 Sep 2003 22:36:33 -0400, <[email hidden]>, Rick Onanian

Quoted message said:

Cyclists will never be safe as long as some ruin it for all like that.

I've noticed the opposite. Many drivers here expect cyclists to run stop signs so they sometimes
even stop when it's not required.

Good. At least I know they know I'm there.

Sometimes they will proceed sooner if I'm dabbed rather than if both feet are on the pedals.

Some get snotty when I point to my stop sign and tell 'em to move.
--
zk

It's entirely optional. The stop sign means the other guy has the right of way, if there's one
there. If not, just blow through. It's the same as a red light.
--
Ron Hardin [email hidden]

On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

Riding bicycles through stop signs in the U.S. is much like the colloquial practice of using
dangling prepositions at the end of phrases and sentences. It isn't correct, but most of us do both
routinely. Some would say that this almost unanimous behavior makes it excusable.

I ride many miles every day and I'm sorry to say that I only rarely see any other bicyclists
observing either stop signs or red lights, unless cross-traffic makes it necessary. It would
make an interesting study, to try to determine why so many of us behave like this.

Steve McDonald

"Rick Onanian" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Tue, 09 Sep 2003 02:19:51 GMT, Steve + Laura <[email hidden]>

.

Quoted message said:

Cyclists will never be safe as long as some ruin it for all like that.

What do you mean by that? Whether a cyclists stops or not is of little concern for me. I never
assume bikes or cars will stop, see me, or travel the right way, or right side of a road. That's the
only way to be safe.

"David L. Johnson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Tue, 09 Sep 2003 02:22:29 +0000, Ken wrote:

Quoted message said:

Yes, as long as yahoos on bikes ignore the laws, we will not be treated decently by drivers --
and cops.

I think this, although often claimed, would be very difficult to prove. From my personal experience,
I don't believe it to be true at all. Motorist and police irritation seems to be based completely on
the perception of cyclists causing delays to motor traffic. They don't want you to behave, they just
don't want you there in the first place.

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Steve + Laura
I went on a charity group ride the other day, and saw hundreds of bicyclists ride through 30 or 40
stop signs. The number of cyclists I saw stop for a stop sign: zero.

Aren't you supposed to obey normal traffic rule on a bike? I even saw riders blow through a stop
sign at an intersection holding up a car that had no stop sign. The driver stopped, but was more
than a little annoyed.

Is this how I'm supposed to ride on the street? Seems a bit unsafe...

Steve.

Yes. Cyclists are supposed to stop at stop signs. We're vehicles and we're traffic and all the traffic rules apply. That said, I'll claim guilty as charged. I have gone through stop signs without coming to a full stop, particularly when I'm on a trail where the trail is to yield to road traffic. The "slow down, look both ways, boogie if there's no traffic" is more laziness on my part than anything else.

I'm also aware of the fact that if I blow through a stop sign and get smacked for my stupidity, it's my fault and not the drivers.

Ron Hardin said:

It's entirely optional. The stop sign means the other guy has the right of way, if there's one
there. If not, just blow through. It's the same as a red light.

I knew that was coming.

In article said:

Ken said:

Steve + Laura <[email hidden]> wrote in news:3F5D38C6.6050207 @yahoo.com:

Quoted message said:

I went on a charity group ride the other day, and saw hundreds of bicyclists ride through 30 or
40 stop signs. The number of cyclists I saw stop for a stop sign: zero.

Aren't you supposed to obey normal traffic rule on a bike?

YES. A bicycle is a vehicle, subject to the same privleges and responsibilities as any
other vehicle.

snip

Quoted message said:

Yes, as long as yahoos on bikes ignore the laws, we will not be treated decently by drivers -- and
cops. But also, as long as we are marginalized on the roads, there are cyclists who will feel that
they get no protection from the law, so have no respect for it.

Very true.

On some club centuries, riders think they have right of way over everyone else, and ride almost with
total disregard.

Does every auto driver come to a complete stop at stop signs?? Obey speed limits???

HAND - Ride Safe Operate by the Laws of Gross Tonnage

--
³Freedom Is a Light for Which Many Have Died in Darkness³

- Tomb of the unknown - American Revolution

Pbwalther said:

Does that mean that if every cyclist in the country obeyed all traffic laws that the drivers would
suddenly treat us in a sane and courteous fashion?

No, but fixing that problem would take away one of the major causes of the bad treatment.

Quoted message said:

Now I can see where scoff law behavior would outrage drivers. But I doubt that slowing down at a
stop sign, looking to see if it is clear, and rolling through is really a major problem to anyone.
Also I have been treated with

True; but I think that the OP said that everybody on the ride just blew through stop signs without
even looking, at full speed.

Quoted message said:

excessive discourtesy both by motorists and policemen when I was cycling in a safe legal manner.
To many of policemen and motorists cyclists should not be on the road period.

That's terrible, but true. That's another component of the problem.

I have to say, personally, I haven't had many problems. I'm almost always treated very nicely
and safely.

--
Rick Onanian

Peter Cole said:

Quoted message said:

Cyclists will never be safe as long as some ruin it for all like that.

What do you mean by that? Whether a cyclists stops or not is of little for me. I never assume
bikes or cars will stop, see me, or travel the right way, or right side of a road. That's the only
way to be safe.

True, but automotive-only drivers _constantly_ see cyclists ignore traffic signals and ride on the
wrong side of the road. As a result, they expect ALL cyclists to do so, and lose respect for all
cyclists, and fall asleep at the wheel to run us down.

Oh, that last piece was from another thread. <G>

--
Rick Onanian

As a cyclist if you run even one stop sign intentionaly, then you have no real claim to complain
about being treated unfairly etc. etc. Laws of the street are put in place for safty, and as well so
drivers can predict what you are going to do. If your running stop signs, making illegal u-turns,
going against traffic etc, how can a driver predict what you are going to do. In my area people are
terrible about traffic laws, its common to see a auto-driver to run a stop light. I dont know about
you but I dont feel like taking a chance of being roadkill on some trucks front end just so I can
shave a few seconds on my commute by running a stop light. I know this sounds rather prudish, but
just cycling is dangerous compard to a car, which means we, as cyclists have to be more attentive,
more on the ball, more careful. I have noticed that cyclists in numbers sometimes get big headed
kinda like you cant hit all ofus kind of thinking. That goes back to my final thought. Sharing the
road and dominating the road are two different things. I share the road, just like i expect auto
drivers to do as well. Rules apply to everyone, and I dont want to hear that the laws are dumb etc.
that is just being immature, and copping out on why you break the law.

Hill

Ron Hardin <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

It's entirely optional. The stop sign means the other guy has the right of way, if there's one
there. If not, just blow through. It's the same as a red light.