[ac/bc]

In MN bicyclist are being ticketed for cruising threw stop signs and street lights even when no one is around or anyone in the vicinity that would pose a threat to themselves or motorists. The fact is most cyclists use there judgment and slow down to a reasonable enough speed to stop in time if something should happen. What really ticks me off is that the ticket is the same as you would get if you were driving an automobile. You pay the same fine and it goes on your driving record.

Vote.
http://www.startribune.com/local/19210589.html

 

[robdamanii]

Not that I'm trying to kill your buzz, but one of the reasons we take so much crap is for disobeying traffic laws that we really should be obeying in the first place. If we acted more responsible (on the whole, not saying you're not personally a responsible individual) we'd have more access rights and face less abuse from people. Maybe.

 

[anthrax]

It seems to me that this is just the way it is... That does not make it right, but what choice do we have?

In Ontario (Canada) cyclist are subject to the same laws as motorists end of story.

Cyclists are entitled to, and governed by the rules of the road. There is not one of us that does not violate the rules when on a ride, or driving a motorized vehicle.

The bigger picture problem here is abuse of authority by the police... That is what you should be outraged over...

 

[jupiterrn]

I am as guilty as the next person of rolling threw a stop sign or doing a track stand but I have to say it is against the law to not follow all traffic signals. If they are cracking down then there must have been some issues that made motorists mad. You can try to fight it or get upset but if you want respect on the road we SHOULD all try to follow the rules. There, I will now take off my halo.

 

[Steve B.]

In MN bicyclist are being ticketed for cruising threw stop signs and street lights even when no one is around or anyone in the vicinity that would pose a threat to themselves or motorists. The fact is most cyclists use there judgment and slow down to a reasonable enough speed to stop in time if something should happen. What really ticks me off is that the ticket is the same as you would get if you were driving a automobile. You pay the same fine and it goes on your driving record.

Vote.
http://www.startribune.com/local/19210589.html

Obviously there ARE people around, as a the cops are watching and issuing tickets.

Perhaps a change of attitude is in order and maybe start obeying the traffic laws ?.

SB

 

[Hooben]

That's why my club focus is on the outskirts of town and outside city limits where less stops exist. City riding limits you as their are laws which you must obey. We share the road, not own it.

 

[bmxhacksaw]

I like Idaho. Bicyclist can treat stop signs like yield signs.

 

[Dave Hickey]

What really ticks me off is that the ticket is the same as you would get if you were driving a automobile. You pay the same fine and it goes on your driving record.

Stop with this sense of entitlement. You want to share the road, obey the laws…

 

[Scot_Gore]

In MN bicyclist are being ticketed for cruising threw stop signs and street lights even when no one is around or anyone in the vicinity that would pose a threat to themselves or motorists.

Huh....where do you live?
I've not seen or heard of any such enforcement.

Channel 5 did their report and discovered that many cyclist don't come to complete stops at stop signs (I know, I know...a shocking and amazing piece of investigative journalism) but I've seen no change in behavior by law enforcement because of it.

Vote.
http://www.startribune.com/local/19210589.html

This Star/Trib article you reference says nothing about enforcement of stop laws on cyclist. It is an article about Phyliss Kahn's proposed legislation to bring the Idaho rolling stop laws to Minnesota. The mention of actual enforcement of stop laws on cyclist is conspicously absent from the article, likely because they coudln't find anyone who was actually ticketed to report upon.

 

[robdamanii]

You don't have kids, you wouldn't understand.

 

[wim]

In MN bicyclist are being ticketed for cruising threw stop signs and street lights even when no one is around or anyone in the vicinity that would pose a threat to themselves or motorists. The fact is most cyclists use there judgment and slow down to a reasonable enough speed to stop in time if something should happen. What really ticks me off is that the ticket is the same as you would get if you were driving a automobile. You pay the same fine and it goes on your driving record.

Vote.
http://www.startribune.com/local/19210589.html

I'm glad to see it. And about your "driving" record: running signs and lights simply means you're an irresponsible traffic participant, regardless of how you transport yourself. Infractions go on your record as they should.

BTW, it's not Nazi's, but Nazis. The plural doesn't get the apostrophe, only the possessive. You vill remember this.

 

[SleeveleSS]

I like Idaho. Bicyclist can treat stop signs like yield signs.

I like that idea. I hadn't heard of it before. The fact is that we use two senses to avoid accidents when approaching a stop sign, whether in a car or on a bike: sight and sound. Cyclists have much better hearing and vision when riding a bike. We have no radio (or at least shouldn't) nor sound deadening material around us. We have no A or B pillars to impede our vision. Cyclists are at a distinct advantage at stop signs, but we are given no consideration because of that advantage.

I illegally run stop signs and traffic signals. Not commonly, but I do it. The reason I don't do it more often is because it is rare that there aren't other cars that I would be impeding. If there are other people at a four way stop, you have to wait your turn- no brainer. If there are other cars at an intersection governed by a traffic light, you have to wait your turn- no brainer. If you are at a light that is set on a trip, or at a four way stop when no one else is on the road, there should be considerations for you as a cyclist. It's likely that those cops weren't driving on the road when they issued tickets, they were sitting in a parking lot specifically looking for cyclists to run the stop signs on an otherwise empty road.

The lights that are set on a trip especially bother me. I feel as though cyclists should definitely get special consideration and be allowed to run those if the road is clear, because trips are discriminatory. We are supposed to be given all the rights of a vehicle on the road. But they did not give us the ability to set off the trip to change the light. I can understand it would be more costly and probably unfeasible to change (since they are based on the vehicles' magnetic signature), so just give cyclists an exception, to treat that as a blinking red light.

 

[GearDaddy]

Yes, the Stib story is about enacting legislation like that in Idaho, where cyclists can legally roll through stop signs and go through red lights after stopping and looking. Makes perfect sense to me. Unfortunately, the vote results so far show nearly 60% against having such laws.

I'm all for obeying traffic laws because I believe they are in the interest of my own safety. Sure, I roll through stop signs when there's no traffic, and I'll even go through a stop light after stopping if there is no traffic. So this proposed law would turn me into a gleeming example of a good citizen on the roads.

Let's get real though. This whole "if we just obeyed the traffic laws to the letter, then we would get respect" argument is a total red herring. I don't believe for a second that such change in cyclist's "bad" behavior would change a damn thing. That Channel 5 story on cyclist's blowing through stop signs and the e-mail responses to the story revealled the real ugly truths, i.e. that so many drivers either don't understand the traffic laws pertaining to cyclists and that so many simply don't like bikes on the roads. Also many drivers are simply uptight and complain about how cyclists get in their way of being able to drive as fast as possible to their ever important destination - that's the truly scary part.

You want to make a real difference? Your time would be much better served by promoting cyclists on the roads. That means things like attending city planning meetings to support having bike lanes and bike access on the roads instead of off road bike paths, and getting others to commute or ride on the roads so that they understand the reality of the situation.

 

[majura]

In Germany, you can loose your driving license for riding irresponsibly. I literally mean the police can confiscate your license on the spot. Thankfully I don't have a German license. But it's the law to obey the road rules just like any other road user. Personally if I run a light, I maybe get where I want to be 15sec faster than ususal... take that and weigh it up against meeting a car at 50km/h and I'll wait at the lights any day.

 

[My Own Private Idaho]

BTW, it's not Nazi's, but Nazis. The plural doesn't get the apostrophe, only the possessive. You vill remember this.

Also, while we are picking at nits, its through, not threw.

I rode through the stop sign.

I threw the ball. Got it?

 

[Slim Again Soon]

Common sense and safety

I'm good about obeying traffic laws and about being considerate of motorists in a number of ways.

But I use common sense -- and I think about my safety first.

For example, there is one intersection on my ride home where the road meets another road at an angle.

Drivers routinely slide through as if this were a yield sign, not a stop sign. So do I -- because I'm afraid that if I don't, some yield-thinking driver is going to run me over from behind. I've seen it happen with cars a number of times at this same spot.

I also get nervous when I am the only one stopped a major intersection with a stoplight. Will the first driver coming up behind me see me -- I don't take up a lot of the field of view in a four-lane setup -- or will the driver, looking only for cars, trucks or buses, plow me over?

Under those conditions I'd like to be able to slip across, legally, if it is prudent to do so. As is, I don't run red lights unless the signal refuses to recognize me.

 

[MR_GRUMPY]

Next time I'm bicycling "threw" Minnesota, I'll give the cops your name.

 

[OldRoadGuy]

Stop with this sense of entitlement. You want to share the road, obey the laws…

yup. +1
If we expect to be treated as a vehicle would we need to follow the same laws and rules of the road (doesn't mean I always do)

 

[jupiterrn]

Grammer Nazis

 

[russotto]

In Philadelphia, no one stops at stop signs and many (both bicyclists and motorist) run red lights. Not to mention ride/drive the wrong way down one way streets. Dangerous, I suppose, but I prefer it to the death by a thousand cuts that strict enforcement entails.

I know the law, but after having worked to develop all that momentum I'll be damned if I'm going to throw it away for a red octagon when traffic is absent. Especially when the stop sign is in a valley between two hills.