One of the problems I've been struggling with is the shift away from cycling advocates accepting that obeying traffic laws and right-of-way assignments is the best course of action for cyclists, and a growing group of cyclists who believe traffic laws that apply to motor vehicles are unwarranted for bicycles.
Whether it's riding the wrong way, ignoring stop signs and signals, or painting DIY traffic markings in streets, there is a growing belief that bicycles are not really vehicles as understood by traffic law, but a special sub-category stuck somewhere in between pedestrians and motorcycles. This use to be called the pedacyclist (kind of like a minotaur), and still is in crash reporting data, even though cyclists have been classified as the operators of vehicles for the last three decades.
This desire for recognition as a vehicle when it suits us causes a lot of ill will to be directed towards cyclists, even the innocent. Stories of vehicular cyclists who seldom experience harassment, but who are subjected to harassment when they are riding with non-vehicular cyclists, are common now. The cyclist who stops at a stop sign goes unacknowledged, while the scofflaw cyclists becomes the icon for all cyclists.
I try to ride in such a way that motorists (and other cyclists) will know what I am about to do. I communicate by lane position, hand signals, eye contact, body language, and lane position (again). At a stop sign, I come to a full stop if the intersection is occupied by another vehicle or pedestrian. If there is no one in sight, I'll roll through at a low speed (below 5 mph), after looking in all directions, so I am not guilt free.
So how about you? What do you do at a stop sign?
Austin, Texas, the city that pushes for bicycles to be recognized as semi-vehicles (hybrid-pedestrians?), and the city many cycling advocates in Texas want to model, is experiencing a rising level of anger directed towards cyclists. This stems from the demand to remove on-street parking for the creation of more (crap) bike lanes, for the demand for laws that place cyclists in a special "protected" category as a "vulnerable road user" (along with people in wheelchairs), and a growing demand for stop signs to not apply to bicyclists.
Here is a report on the stop sign problem in Austin, and a follow-up report.
22 comments:
I selected "always stop" because I've made the decision to treat stop signs as I would driving a motor vehicle. My logic is that the police officers in my area do not need a legitimate reason to write me a citation and I don't care to provide one. It's the cop you don't see that gets you!
That's not my primary motivation, though. I will continue to operate within the law, even though others around me do not. My videos would be meaningless if I did not obey the laws that are broken by those I criticize in the videos.
Whether it's riding the wrong way, ignoring stop signs and signals, or painting DIY traffic markings in streets, there is a growing belief that bicycles are not really vehicles
This isn't a growing trend, PM. It's always been like that. 99% of cyclists just plain don't even come close to VC. It's been that way for a long time.
"I am perfectly willing to post photos of stupid stop signs I, and every motorist I've ever seen, ignore."
Really? I've come to a FULL STOP at stop signs in West Texas... in my car and on my bike. To do otherwise is ill advised.
When citizens would complain to me about scofflaw cyclists, I'd first ask them if they wanted zero tolerance. If they said "yes", I'd ask them is zero tolerance should apply to everyone. If they again answered "yes", I'd ask them if tickets should be issued for going even 2 miles over the speed limit. "NO!" was the anguished cry. Zero tolerance means different things to different people.
Now, there is a quantum difference between ignoring a stop sign (even an ill placed one), and exceeding the speed limit by two miles per hour, because right-of-way assignment is the single most critical element in traffic safety.
Unless you are a licensed traffic engineer, I'd suggest you withhold judgment as to which stop signs you obey, and which you choose to ignore.
A: Whether it's riding the wrong way, ignoring stop signs and signals, or painting DIY traffic markings in streets, there is a growing belief that bicycles are not really vehicles.
B: This isn't a growing trend, PM. It's always been like that. 99% of cyclists just plain don't even come close to VC. It's been that way for a long time.
Then they have no basis for complaint for how they are treated.
Steve & PM,
Regarding traffic lights in inane locations, you probably mean something like this...
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5c/SecretBallot1.jpg
I pulled this from an indy flick I saw many moons ago, but the film is a LOT more timely, especially after this week's 'elections' and the aftermath in Iran.
I hate to be a Dudley Do-Right, but seriously - the more we act like The Utmost and Responsible Citizens of our Communities, the more respect we'll get. I just don't want us to suffer the consequences of marginalization.
Before I had numerous stop signs on my route, I came to a full stop at all stop signs no matter who was around. Now I come to a full stop if others are present and do the slow roll if there is no one in sight (a pretty typical scenario on the quiet roads I'm using).
I never violate right of way and typically slow well in advance of a 4-way and wave to make sure the motorist arrives first and knows I'm giving way. That's easier - no confusion and I don't have to put a foot down when I do stop. It also results in a friendly interaction and one more motorist who cannot say all cyclists run stop signs.
I do think stop signs are gratuitous in residential neighborhoods. They are overused as traffic calming devices and devalued because of it.
"Cyclists fare best when they act, and are treated, as the drivers of other vehicles."
So, that means cyclists should ignore laws they don't like the same way "drivers of other vehicles" do, right?
BTW, everyone knows paint isn't magic enough which is why we need... frickn' laser beams!
Dooh: This isn't a growing trend, PM. It's always been like that. 99% of cyclists just plain don't even come close to VC. It's been that way for a long time.
PM: Then they have no basis for complaint for how they are treated.
Actually, the 1% that come close to following the laws and embrace VC are the ones that seem to do all the complaining about how they are treated.
I never violate right of way and typically slow well in advance of a 4-way and wave to make sure the motorist arrives first and knows I'm giving way.
The best sign I know is to take one foot off my pedal and plant it firmly on the ground. Then motorists truly believe that I'm stopping. When I try to slowly roll/do the trackstand thing, motorists are suspicious that I might dart out in front of them, even if I wave them through. The firmly planted foot is unambiguous.
PM, my wife wants you to know you ruined our getaway to Austin last weekend. I couldn't help but critique every 'crap' bike lane I saw...and the majority were just that, btw!
I was surprised at the number of people I saw riding vehicularly (is that a word?) though, when the aforementioned crap lanes weren't present. It was good to see the lanes hadn't conditioned all of them to hugging the gutters or riding on the sidewalks. Except for that one fixed-gear hipster that almost t-boned me going the wrong way down the sidewalk on S. Congress. He got a honk and the stinkeye though, so he'll know better next time!
No comments on those videos?
The best sign I know is to take one foot off my pedal and plant it firmly on the ground. Then motorists truly believe that I'm stopping. When I try to slowly roll/do the trackstand thing, motorists are suspicious that I might dart out in front of them, even if I wave them through. The firmly planted foot is unambiguous.
That used to be my policy, too. For exactly the same reason.
Then I discovered the wave-on-approach technique. It works like a charm 95% of the time. And it keeps me from having to put my foot down. It's not quite as effective when there is traffic from multiple directions at a 4-way, so I still use the dropped foot to communicate my intention to stop.
The "stopping" hand signal is also a good communication tool.
He said: "PM, my wife wants you to know you ruined our getaway to Austin last weekend. I couldn't help but critique every 'crap' bike lane I saw...and the majority were just that, btw!"
On a trip to visit my daughters last year, my wife and one daughter pleaded with me to quit taking pictures of 3' bike lanes with "stuff" in them. "Quit making fun of their bike lanes! You'll get arrested!"
I want the police to ensure that I am not a victim of murder. Of course I am free to kill as I choose. Doesn't really work that way, does it?
Statements like that are inflammatory because people recognize that implicit is a double standard, a bias, a prejudice. The responses to the Austin news story demonstrate this.
In my opinion, stopping at a stop sign is a small price to pay for the protections that recognition as a vehicle and the broader traffic codes afford. I sure don't want to be one of those guys I see crossing intersections riding against the flow in a crosswalk.
Rarely do we get to have our cake and eat it too.
Oh, and Steve A, while I don't completely disagree, its not just the minority status that is the catalyst to retribution, but also the sense of blatant defiance. As you note, the real enemy is abandoning the rule of law and I think that notion is what get folks agitated.
If the video featured motorists who didn't stop at stop signs and then bragged, "My name's Joe Blow and I drive a Bentley. People driving Bentleys don't need to stop at stop signs!" I suspect you'd see a similar level of angry responses.
I think you are spot on when you say, "As a member of a minority, I take special care not to ignore the worthless signs where doing so may provide a majority member with another excuse supporting his/her prejudice..." This is a trigger issue that is almost sure to piss people off, and as you note, make rational discourse and cycling advocacy/equality more difficult.
I wish they had given a car count and stop percentage in the video too.
"I wish they had given a car count and stop percentage in the video too."
In case you haven't seen this before.
In those videos from Austin, four things need to be recognized.
The first is that the reporter counts cyclists who respond to the stop sign by slowing and scanning, affording them the benefit of doubt that they were prepared to come to a full stop. This action (as I have demonstrated to police officers) is analogous to the "rolling stop" that many motorists perform, that while illegal, is often overlooked as being faithful to the intent of the law if not the letter. It seems that about 30% of the cyclists dealt with the stop signs that way.
The second thing to note was the attitude of the cyclists interviewed, and not just Mr. Riley, but also the more "responsible" representative of the Austin cycling community. Complete lack of recognition that there was good reason for the law to be obeyed, but an insistence that bicycles deserved special legal accommodations.
Third, the fact that the majority of serious injuries (and deaths) suffered by cyclists that involve a collision are a result of failure to yield right of way... usually on the part of the cyclist. This isn't really about irritating motorists, it's about condoning an very dangerous behavior because its "just bicycles".
Finally worth noting is the recorded percentage of cyclists who made no effort to slow down at the intersection. 60%, wasn't it?
Make all the excuses you want, but that far and away exceeds the number of cars that totally ignore stop signs, perhaps by a 60:1 ratio, or higher.
This isn't really about irritating motorists, it's about condoning an very dangerous behavior because its "just bicycles".
Conditioning...
The slippery slope to complacency is a short, steep one.
Several years ago a prominent roadie was killed during an organized ride because he ran a 2-way stop sign and was hit by a pick-up truck.
Roadies here are in the habit of virtually ignoring stop signs. They often violate right of way because they can get away with it as a pack. This group behavior has never resulted in a group crash, locally. However, the mentality infects the individual riders and they do it when they are riding alone. I have had numerous solo roadies violate my right of way at 4-way stops. They behave exactly the same as the pack. The behavior becomes a groove. At some point they have so tuned out the significance of the stop sign that they make a mistake and get nailed.
In may of last year, a woman was killed on a local trail because she ran a stop sign.
Our trails often cut through residential areas, creating frequent crossings with stop signs. The trail users become fatigued and impatient with the constant stopping, so they begin to cheat. The woman who was killed, rode that trail for exercise every day.
Keri's comment prompts me to note an odd occurrence of mine yesterday afternoon. Due to freight train schedules, I happened to be on the Keller MUP (it has an underpass under the train tracks). Coming upon Elm Street, I stopped to let the collector road traffic pass. They, in turn, all stopped to let me pass.
I unclipped and put my foot down, prepared to wait as long as necessary. Thankfully, the motorists then proceeded gracefully. I've been so conditioned to seeing MUPs with missing stop signs, I didn't realize I was on a rare one with the right of way - those drivers all had a yield (not a stop) sign and I didn't. I just ASSUMED that the MUP was supposed to give way.
It seems dangerous to give some second-rate MUP the right of way over a collector road, and I've not seen this elsewhere, but it's a reminder of what "ASS U ME" stands for.
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