Stop Signs

[DancingLady]

My approach depends on the traffic. I will always acknowledge the existence of the sign, but I will not always come to a complete stop, simply because start up time on a bike is not very fast and from a driver's perspective, holds things up. If it's say, Saturday morning, and there are no cars in sight, I will slow down to double check, then go through. If there is one other car, I will give them the right of way unless they clearly indicate for me to go through first. I try to gage my speed so I don't completely, totally stop and have to put my foot down, more like hover, then go when it's my turn. I think driver's seem to appreciate that I make an effort to get through the intersection as quickly as possible. Sometimes there is a car ahead of me and I have to stop and wait for my turn though, but that doesn't happen all that often for me.

 

[Gelsemium]

When I am with my kids I am extra-careful because they are still small and they don't have the notion of the road, but when I am alone I am more relaxed.

 

[joshposh]

In my town you are required to stop just like a car would. That includes hang signal. Signal when turning left and right. Kind of a bummer to be doing all that, but if you get caught not doing it, a police officer has every reason to stop you and issue you a citation.

 

[Zif]

Inherently when riding a bike you are a vehicle so you should stop. It's easy to get into a bad habit if you don't and make a mistake failing to see a car speeding through the intersection. The car is also in the wrong for ignoring the stop sign, but unfortunately you still lose if it hits you.

 

[jhuskey]

A cycling slowed down and rolled through a stop. Unfortunately a police officer saw him and pulled him over. As he started to write the ticket the cyclist remarked " Slow down, stop what's the difference"?
The cop pulled out his baton and started beating the hell of him and remarked " Now do you want me to stop or slow down"?

It all come down to common sense as I have some stops at the top of steep hills where I can see the road in all directions and it would be much more dangerous to stop and try to resume that to keep going if the way is clear but I am not talking about an Urban area.

 

[bicyclez]

I stop at stop signs because that's what the law requires and because I believe more drivers will respect cyclists when they see cyclists riding according to the law. I'm not so lazy that getting started after coming to a stop is a struggle.

Would you come to a complete stop in a quiet neighborhood at a time when there virtually no cars on the road?

 

[joshposh]

It is the laws of the road. what motorist follow, cyclist have to do the same, that includes hand signals and stopping for pedestrians.

 

[jhuskey]

You guys need to broaden your perspective. I rarely see a pedestrian. Not everyone lives in an urban area.

 

[bicyclez]

You guys need to broaden your perspective. I rarely see a pedestrian. Not everyone lives in an urban area.

I agree. Even in an urban area most accidents are not from a lack of hand signals or stopping for pedestrians. I've had pedestrians walk right in front of me purposely it would seem. Bottom line, its not a level playing field and in order to take care of yourself you need to improvise at times.

 

[jhuskey]

As in most things it comes down to common sense. Always be alert and expect people to act recklessly, impatient and selfishly.

 

[gavinfree]

For stop signs, I go with state and local law and then go on with my day. I don't give it that much thought. It's not a serious issue, and if you're being so reckless that you hit someone or get hit by a car going through a stop sign, then you need to rethink how you approach life. I'll ride through a stop sign, but I'm not going to fail to look around and know what's going on in my surroundings.

 

[Catsyo]

I always stop. My reasoning is a lot of motorists have this perception about cyclists that we don't obey traffic laws. Some motorists think that it's okay to not obey traffic laws in relation to cyclists because cyclists don't so I always make a point to stop to show that this perception isn't true. I think it's in everyone's best interest to treat bikes like motor vehicles so if we're going to do this then bikes have to stop at stop signs. I don't really get that mad when I see other cyclists blow through a stop sign. I just hope they are being careful.

You just never know who's watching you so I think it's better to stop just to be safe.

 

[jhuskey]

Very true a squirrel might turn me in .It is obvious some of you guys don't ride in rural areas.

 

[Catsyo]

You're definitely right that running a stop sign could be considered less of a concern in rural areas but it's still possible that someone will see you. I mean the police and mean drivers don't just stay within the city limits. You're right in general though, common sense should rule the day. If I rode in the country, I might be more inclined to pass through a stop sign.

I just think stopping is a good habit to have in general. I'm probably biased because I've seen bad cyclists almost hit pedestrians or other vehicles. I think it's possible that a lot of people just get in the habit of ignoring stop signs unless they absolutely have to stop because of crossing traffic and that's pretty dangerous.

 

[jhuskey]

On my back road rides I do not recall ever seeing an officer of the law. You would need to ride with me to appreciate my perspective. Every place is unique and the world is a big place and each route is different so it is impossible to impose a standard. In my opinion of course.

 

[Tryner]

I always, always, ALWAYS stop at intersections, stop sign or not. I think it's alright to roll through if you can clearly see every direction, but I'm not personally comfortable with doing that. I just always expect the worst to happen, but at least it keeps me safe!

 

[karebear07]

Whenever I ride my bike, I also stop at the stop signs. Not only do I stop at stop signs but I also yield and stop when I know I am crossing an intersection and where cars may have trouble seeing me. At the end of the day, even though drivers are suppose to look out for bikers, if sadly we are hit by a car....the car will hit us at a greater impact and also we have less protection, so I always try to be cautious and safe!

 

[BikeBikeBikeBike]

There is actually a debate going on right now in the city of Toronto about stop signs. Legally you have to come to compete stop here in Ontario. Most do not. A group wants to amend the law to say cyclists can legally treat them as yields, which is what most do anyways.
Personally I treat stop signs as yields. Yes its not legal. I don't even have an excuse or a justification. If it's safe I just ride right though. It's completely selfish and lazy, I just don't feel like stopping!

 

[katherine25]

I always stop at the stop signs even if I don't see a car approaching. I have seen many cyclists go through the stop signs without even looking and have been stopped by officers. Its not worth it to me so I always make sure I stop.

 

[9lines]

I must stop at any stop to avoid accidents and even fines. If you cannot stop then you will inconvenience other road users. People behind you may also want to do what you have done thereby causing a traffic jam.