I will treat red lights and stop signs like yield signs



C

Cobra

Guest

>> "Patrick Goetz" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
> > Re: venting by: Patrick Goetz 07:38 PDT
> >
> >
> > >On Tue, 10 Sep 2002, Mike Dahmus wrote:
> > >You started out fine, but right here you lost me, since from experience
> > >in the past, I know that both you and MBJ occasionally run stop signs

and
> > >lights for no reason other than convenience. There is no safety benefit
> > >here; only a convenience benefit (for you); and as I've pointed out, if
> > >everybody did the same thing, you'd be dead long ago, since not

everybody
> > >has the skills to always know when it's safe to ignore the big red sign
> > >or big red light.

> >
> > That is correct. If there is no traffic in the perpendicular right of
> > way, then I will treat red lights and stop signs like yield signs.
> > Please explain to me how this is a safety problem.
> >
> > For political reasons (i.e. in order not to give motorists an excuse to
> > hate bicyclists), if there are cars waiting behind me or opposite me I
> > usually don't run red lights even when there is no traffic, despite the
> > fact that this really inconveniences them by not having me out of their
> > way long before the light turns green. This is what I call "willful
> > stupidity" brought about by the fact that other people can't quite grok,
> > perhaps due to poor blood circulation to the brain as a result of lack

of
> > exercise.
> >
> > Trust me, most motorists would jump at the chance to treat stop signs

and
> > red lights as optional. And trust me again: as a bicyclist, you don't
> > want to live in a world where they _do_.
> >
> >
> > Mike, this might come as a big shock to you, but *I* *don't* *care* if a
> > motorist runs a red light or stop sign when I'm not there to be hit. To
> > be more specific, I am perfectly comfortable with motorists treating red
> > lights and stop signs as yield signs; in fact, if all motorists drove

the
> > way I bike, biking in Austin WOULD BE MUCH SAFER THAN IT IS NOW. It's

all
> > about paying attention to what you are doing, trying to anticipate what
> > other road users are going to do, and MINDFULLY trying to prevent
> > accidents.
> >
> > Traffic laws which create the illusion that one can tool around without
> > paying much attention to the matter at hand ARE A SAFETY PROBLEM. We'd

be
> > a lot better off if everyone had to pay careful attention to the road
> > because they have no idea what might happen. For example and in point of
> > fact, traffic lights have NOTHING whatsoever to do with safety and
> > everything to do with allowing cars to drive faster than they would
> > otherwise be able to do in a situation where there might be contention

for
> > right of way. Traffic lights ARE A SAFETY HAZARD; an accident waiting to
> > happen, as we all know from either personal experience or reading the
> > paper. Ditto for 4-way stops, although these are considerably less

likely
> > to result in fatalities than traffic lights. Did anyone else notice that
> > Deborah Prokoff got killed at 44th and Ave G. AFTER THEY ADDED THE
> > "TRAFFIC CALMING" 4-WAY STOP SIGN AT THIS INTERSECTION?
> >
> > This is a perfect example of just how stupid mindlessly following rules
> > actually is. An intersection with absolutely no right of way indications
> > (but with a huge sign indicating this) is probably much safer than ANY
> > alternative (save for something like a roundabout or traffic circle).
> > Why? Because everyone has to pay attention to what they are doing and
> > even though someone might space out or be drunk or ignore the sign, you
> > can bet that in almost all cases, at least one of 2 contending parties

is
> > doing just that. Accident prevention. Before, users of the 44th and Ave.
> > G intersection had to be more careful, since one side clearly had the
> > right of way. Adding a 4-way stop was almost certainly directly
> > responsible for the death of a bicyclist.
> >
> > This is why I'm firmly convinced that Fred Meredith, John Forrester, and
> > all the other "effective cycling" advocates are actually secretly

OPPOSED
> > to increasing the number of bicyclists on the road. Their half-baked
> > preaching is directly responsible for increasing the number of bicycling
> > fatalities (lots of examples right here in Austin - Ben Clough, Deborah
> > Prokoff, etc. - check MBJ's web page). The more bicycle fatalities there
> > are, the more people are afraid to ride bikes because it's not safe. The
> > result: fewer bicyclists on the road. This is what these losers want:
> > They want to feel special, and every additional commuter bicyclist makes
> > them less so, so best to try to reduce the numbers of those pesky

hangers
> > on (like me, for example), who ride bikes around without making a big

deal
> > out of it. One way to do this is feeding them nonsense (always

mindlessly
> > follow traffic rules being the primary example) which is GOING TO GET

THEM
> > KILLED.
> >
> > Pardon me if I don't have any respect for this attitude, in part because
> > it directly and negatively affects my own safety. The fact that honest
> > bicyclists get killed by listening to these idiots is kind of sad, but
> > it's also part of that evolutionary march towards better genes, hence
> > can't really be avoided. They should have been reading MBJ's bicycle
> > safety tips instead - they'd probably still be alive right now. And THAT
> > is the true irony of this whole ridiculous thread.
> >
> >


>"***** West" <[email protected]> wrote in message

news:[email protected]...
> You sound like Ted Kennedy boozed up trying to get Mary Jo Kopechne across
> the Chappaquiddick bridge.
> http://www.ytedk.com/ Natural Selection is Natures way of eliminating
> the losers, and looks like you are next.
>
>


President George W. Bush is taking powerful anti-depressant drugs to control
his erratic behavior, depression and paranoia, Capitol Hill Blue has
learned. The prescription drugs, administered by Col. Richard J. Tubb, the
White
House physician, can impair the President's mental faculties and decrease
both his physical capabilities and his ability to respond to a crisis,
administration aides admit privately.
 
"Cobra" <[email protected]> writes:


>
> President George W. Bush is taking powerful anti-depressant drugs to control
> his erratic behavior, depression and paranoia, Capitol Hill Blue has
> learned. The prescription drugs, administered by Col. Richard J. Tubb, the
> White
> House physician, can impair the President's mental faculties and decrease
> both his physical capabilities and his ability to respond to a crisis,
> administration aides admit privately.

\=

Looks like it affects his sense of balance too :)
 
Cobra write:
>> President George W. Bush is taking powerful anti-depressant drugs to control
>> his erratic behavior, depression and paranoia, Capitol Hill Blue has
>> learned. The prescription drugs, administered by Col. Richard J. Tubb, the
>> White
>> House physician, can impair the President's mental faculties and decrease
>> both his physical capabilities and his ability to respond to a crisis,
>> administration aides admit privately.


Davey_Crockett wrote:
> Looks like it affects his sense of balance too :)


Nah, thats the mandatory marijuana required for mountain biking.
 

Similar threads