Traffic Light Poll
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Traffic lights that control junctions etc - always .
Lights that control pedestrian crossings , there are 7 in a row on the street that I live that are sequenced to slow traffic-and I hit every damn one , then it depends ; if there´s traffic stopped or people crossing or waiting to cross then yes I stop , otherwise probably not as much as I should according to the law , but stopping 7 times in a 11/2 km straight ??( it´s beach front and to protect the tourists and their kids but any time except august and semana santa there are very few tourists and even fewer kids )
Lights that control pedestrian crossings , there are 7 in a row on the street that I live that are sequenced to slow traffic-and I hit every damn one , then it depends ; if there´s traffic stopped or people crossing or waiting to cross then yes I stop , otherwise probably not as much as I should according to the law , but stopping 7 times in a 11/2 km straight ??( it´s beach front and to protect the tourists and their kids but any time except august and semana santa there are very few tourists and even fewer kids )
i agree.
got a ticket on my bike, not coming to a complete stop at a stop sign. i was turning right and there was no traffic in any other direction. didn't see the cop who was 3 cars back. he caught up to me and pulled me over.
granted, i was in portola valley, which, back when i lived down there, was known for their very anti-bike populace.
"Of course I'm no historian, and if anyone has any information or links to the contrary, I'd be interested in looking. The links I noted in my previous post are chock full 'o' good information, none of which supports the bikers-made-most-traffic-laws theory."
My answer:
I would like to correct myself in saying that most of the FIRST traffic laws were by and for bicyclists. Horse and buggy traffic was only heavy in the largest cities and the law did not bother with regulation for the most part. When the bicycle was first made it was considered extremely dangerous " a tool of the devil" sent here to hurry us down the road to ruin.
You can find information about it here:
Smith, Robert A. (1972). A Social History of the Bicycle, Its Early Life and Times in America, New York, New York: American Heritage Press. ISBN 0-07-058457-5
My answer:
I would like to correct myself in saying that most of the FIRST traffic laws were by and for bicyclists. Horse and buggy traffic was only heavy in the largest cities and the law did not bother with regulation for the most part. When the bicycle was first made it was considered extremely dangerous " a tool of the devil" sent here to hurry us down the road to ruin.
You can find information about it here:
Smith, Robert A. (1972). A Social History of the Bicycle, Its Early Life and Times in America, New York, New York: American Heritage Press. ISBN 0-07-058457-5
The way I figure it is:
1. An individual cyclist doing stupid things doesn't give all cyclists a bad name just like 18yo hoons don't give all motorists a bad name.
2. Everybody breaks road rules to suit their lifestyle (you're in a car & you're late you step on it......)
3. If I get it wrong running a red light on my bike I'm dead and there's a small dent where I went.
So, I ride through red lights & I expect to get caught & booked. Some times I just gently roll through & some times completely blast through. I mean on roads I ride all the time, I know the light sequence really well, so you know the changes. On a bike you can also creep the intersection so you can see the other lights. Very handy.
1. An individual cyclist doing stupid things doesn't give all cyclists a bad name just like 18yo hoons don't give all motorists a bad name.
2. Everybody breaks road rules to suit their lifestyle (you're in a car & you're late you step on it......)
3. If I get it wrong running a red light on my bike I'm dead and there's a small dent where I went.
So, I ride through red lights & I expect to get caught & booked. Some times I just gently roll through & some times completely blast through. I mean on roads I ride all the time, I know the light sequence really well, so you know the changes. On a bike you can also creep the intersection so you can see the other lights. Very handy.
"On a bike you can also creep the intersection so you can see the other lights. Very handy."
That's what I do, just kind of creep through, frequently. Another thing is that on a bike you can hear what's going on, if someone's coming. It's not foolproof, but it's a big advantage over being in a closed vehicle, or even to being on a motorcycle or scooter, where you have the helmet blocking out sound + your engine covering up a lot of what you can hear on a bike.
That's what I do, just kind of creep through, frequently. Another thing is that on a bike you can hear what's going on, if someone's coming. It's not foolproof, but it's a big advantage over being in a closed vehicle, or even to being on a motorcycle or scooter, where you have the helmet blocking out sound + your engine covering up a lot of what you can hear on a bike.
Yup definitely. Sure it takes us more effort to get going again; maybe it would be nice for vehicles to cut us some slack if they have a choice, but when it comes to traffic laws, things have to be done by the book otherwise you never know what to expect.
Just as cars can't run red lights when no one's looking, so that they don't nail some unwary cyclist, so we shouldn't have any right to blow them either.
Depends where the lights are. I frequently 'jump' lights on roundabouts when I'm leaving at the next exit. Generally, I respect any other lights unless turning left. The thing to remember is that bike takes up a lot less room on the road than a car so, in turning left, we almost have our own slip lane. (note I live and ride in the UK hence driving on the left and the roundabout). Lights with traffic sensors are a pain in the neck. Both of the ones that I regularly encounter are on a narrow, zero viz humped back bridge and a dangerous cross-roads. I find I have to wait for traffic to pull up behind me before the lights change. people in our contry appear to have forgetten that we have a Highways Agency. It should be re-named the motorist's agency and have done with it!.
Some lights don't register the bike as a vehicle waiting at the lights. The only way to trigger the change would be to get off, walk like a duck to the pedestrian walk button, press it and get back on the road and wait. Too much hassle, if it's safe, go. How long would you wait in a car if no one was around ?
Wow - I am truly amazed at how many people stop for traffic lights!
I am even further amazed that some people are decidedly upset that some signals don't register the presence of a bicycle.
All intersections I go through I always check for traffic - sometimes I can do that safely traveling at 50km/h, sometimes I actually have to slow down - the color of the light NEVER makes a difference to me. I cannot count the number of times I have ridden straight throuh a red, in the presence of police - I have not yet been pulled up.
I am fully for the concept of traffic signals being a saftey measure second and first and foremost as a way of regulating the traffic flow.
In any and every situation - if there is a way to get through without getting in anyone else's way, whether it be an old lady or a semi-trailer, I go.
I am even further amazed that some people are decidedly upset that some signals don't register the presence of a bicycle.
All intersections I go through I always check for traffic - sometimes I can do that safely traveling at 50km/h, sometimes I actually have to slow down - the color of the light NEVER makes a difference to me. I cannot count the number of times I have ridden straight throuh a red, in the presence of police - I have not yet been pulled up.
I am fully for the concept of traffic signals being a saftey measure second and first and foremost as a way of regulating the traffic flow.
In any and every situation - if there is a way to get through without getting in anyone else's way, whether it be an old lady or a semi-trailer, I go.
I agree fully. The red light and the stop signs, to me, are just 'yield signs' when I am on my bike. IF the traffic is light and there are no cars and I am stuck at a red that doesnt change, I wait for a let up in the cross traffic, and just ride thru. ITs a situational thing and depends on where you are, how much traffic and who you are with.
But...I do stop at red lights if there is a line of cars on my side, to be polite to other drivers, even if there is no one coming at all in the cross traffic. THe bottom line is to be courteous. You just dont know who you might ******** and I dont want to **** anyone off.
If I have a clear view and no traffic, I do sometimes cheat
If there are any motorized vehicles around, however, I always wait. If for no other reason than not to appear to be a jerk.
It is the law and I already have to pay the price with attitudes from drivers who have had to put up with some of the real idiot cyclist stunts that I have had the displeasure to observe.
(Of course there are those drivers who are just naturally born evil and deserve to have bad things happen to their mirrors and antennas )
If there are any motorized vehicles around, however, I always wait. If for no other reason than not to appear to be a jerk.
It is the law and I already have to pay the price with attitudes from drivers who have had to put up with some of the real idiot cyclist stunts that I have had the displeasure to observe.
(Of course there are those drivers who are just naturally born evil and deserve to have bad things happen to their mirrors and antennas
)
I don't know enough about electronics to know if the phase induction loops used to detect a vehicle can be made to reliably detect bicycles and motorcycles but it seems inappropriate that we're required to stop at the lights but may not be recognized by the detector. I've had the same problem while riding a 600 pound motorcycle which seems a bit silly to me. I think it's a case of government types deciding that only the majority counts.
On my route to work, the Cambridge police often set up a trap for cyclists running red lights. A bike cop will hide behind some parked cars and then grab everyone who runs the light -- sometimes three or four people at a time. I got tagged with a $20 ticket -- not much, but enough to make me wait for the green from now on.
Best thing about waiting at reds? Finally being forced to work on my trackstands!
Best thing about waiting at reds? Finally being forced to work on my trackstands!
Those lights that do not detect bicycles are to be considered malfunctioning. Assuming that you have come to a complete stop, that it is safe to proceed, and that the light is unable to detect bicycles then (according to the Pennsylvania bicycle guidebook) it is not illegal to proceed. It would be wise to report said light so that it can be repaired and/or replaced.
Any time that the light DOES detect bicycles, however, it is just as illegal to run it on a bicycle as in an automobile.
