Traffic laws apply to everyone

[Andy K]

Today I saw a group of 5 cyclists ride right thru a red light while cars were stopped at the light.

I wonder if they realize that traffic laws apply to them and they could be ticketed ?

Or maybe they don't care.

Andy

[DATAKOLL MARINE RESEARCH]

many classic examples...

if savvy road rider then traffic is 'like' football.

if there's a hole in TSD then move across or into that hole.

often into the cementery.

your choice.

[cycl...@gmail.com]

Generally speaking you should not run red lights. But often the front rider will "jump" a yellow light late and as the rest of the group get there it is red and they will follow the leader through.

I personally do not approve of this but it happens.

However, I will run left turn lights if there is no on-coming traffic. I do this for a number of reasons 1. It is safer to proceed if there is no traffic regardless of the left turn light. 2. If I sit at the light I can stop other traffic coming the opposite direction that I didn't need to stop by proceeding when there was no traffic.

I will often run stop signs if there is no traffic because the entire object of a stop sign is to allow a clean flow of traffic. While stop signs do not offer any physical strain to drivers it does for cyclists and if there is no traffic I see no reason to stop. Also a cyclist usually sits much higher and with fewer things to block his vision and can see if there is traffic when a car cannot.

Unfortunately I can see no other way of writing traffic regulation since there are idiots that could not be held accountable for stupidities if they were otherwise.

So when you are driving please remember that idiot cyclists are mostly young and inexperienced.

[Duane]

On 03/10/2016 2:03 PM, cycl...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Sunday, October 2, 2016 at 7:06:46 PM UTC-7, Andy K wrote:
>> Today I saw a group of 5 cyclists ride right thru a red light while cars were stopped at the light.
>>
>> I wonder if they realize that traffic laws apply to them and they could be ticketed ?
>>
>> Or maybe they don't care.
>>
>> Andy
>
> Generally speaking you should not run red lights. But often the front rider will "jump" a yellow light late and as the rest of the group get there it is red and they will follow the leader through.
>
> I personally do not approve of this but it happens.
>

I won't generally run a light even if I'm with my group. One thing that
i see happen, with us and other group riders is when we come to a stop
sign. We mostly yield or stop and go as a group. In other words, the
first one to get there when another car has the right of way will stop.
But once that one gets the right of way, the rest of the group goes. I
think that some drivers expect us to go one by one into the queue. Most
just wave the group through but some drivers don't like waiting 12 seconds.

> However, I will run left turn lights if there is no on-coming traffic. I do this for a number of reasons 1. It is safer to proceed if there is no traffic regardless of the left turn light. 2. If I sit at the light I can stop other traffic coming the opposite direction that I didn't need to stop by proceeding when there was no traffic.
>
> I will often run stop signs if there is no traffic because the entire object of a stop sign is to allow a clean flow of traffic. While stop signs do not offer any physical strain to drivers it does for cyclists and if there is no traffic I see no reason to stop. Also a cyclist usually sits much higher and with fewer things to block his vision and can see if there is traffic when a car cannot.
>
> Unfortunately I can see no other way of writing traffic regulation since there are idiots that could not be held accountable for stupidities if they were otherwise.
>

Here in Montreal, they are considering making that behavior legal for
cyclists, basically treating the stop sign as a yield. There's some
opposition to this though.

> So when you are driving please remember that idiot cyclists are mostly young and inexperienced.
>

Maybe mostly but not exclusively. Same goes for motorists.

[W. Wesley Groleau]

On 10-03-2016 13:03, cycl...@gmail.com wrote:
> I will often run stop signs if there is no traffic

I slow down at a stop sign as much as I can without losing balance.
Rationale: minimize the excuses motorists might have for hating bicyclists.

--
Wes Groleau

[Doug Landau]

>Traffic laws apply to everyone

Incorrect! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idaho_stop

[Frank Krygowski]

I'm going to admit to running a red light about three days ago.

Scenario: A tandem tour with my wife. We'd ridden roughly 50 miles
that day on a bike carrying too much stuff in its panniers. We were
heading up a hill in an unfamiliar city with not a car in sight, when
the light just ahead of us turned red. I snarled a quick expletive,
thinking about the difficulty of getting the tandem re-started on that
hill, then said "Heck with it; I'm going." No complaints at all from
the stoker as I rolled on through the empty intersection.

I felt a little bad because just as we rode through the intersection,
some cars crested a hill behind us. I'm sure the drivers saw what we
did, and I hate to make that bad impression.

OTOH, within about three blocks, when we were stopped at another light,
a guy in the passenger seat of the car next to us rolled down his window
and said how nice we looked riding along. That was kind of him, and
welcome.

--
- Frank Krygowski

[W. Wesley Groleau]

On 10-08-2016 14:19, Frank Krygowski wrote:
> Scenario: A tandem tour with my wife. We'd ridden roughly 50 miles
> that day on a bike carrying too much stuff in its panniers. We were
> heading up a hill in an unfamiliar city with not a car in sight, when
> the light just ahead of us turned red. I snarled a quick expletive,
> thinking about the difficulty of getting the tandem re-started on that
> hill, then said "Heck with it; I'm going." No complaints at all from
> the stoker as I rolled on through the empty intersection.

Understandable. I have succumbed to that temptation under a few
particularly onerous terrains, and when I was sure there were no witnesses.

There are a few particularly irritating places in Spain where the
terrain and/or vegetation prevents one from determining in advance
whether there are approaching hazards/witnesses. Get up some nice speed
downhill and have to shift to low while going downhill in order to be
able to get started up-hill the other side of the intersection.

--
Wes Groleau

[Andrew Chaplin]

"W. Wesley Groleau" <Grolea...@FreeShell.org> wrote in
news:ntbhg3$pjq$1...@dont-email.me:

> On 10-08-2016 14:19, Frank Krygowski wrote:
>> Scenario: A tandem tour with my wife. We'd ridden roughly 50 miles
>> that day on a bike carrying too much stuff in its panniers. We were
>> heading up a hill in an unfamiliar city with not a car in sight, when
>> the light just ahead of us turned red. I snarled a quick expletive,
>> thinking about the difficulty of getting the tandem re-started on that
>> hill, then said "Heck with it; I'm going." No complaints at all from
>> the stoker as I rolled on through the empty intersection.
>
> Understandable. I have succumbed to that temptation under a few
> particularly onerous terrains, and when I was sure there were no
> witnesses.

So it's not just me.
--
Andrew Chaplin
SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO
(If you're going to e-mail me, you'll have to get "yourfinger." out.)

[cycl...@gmail.com]

The trouble with this is that motorists are afraid you're going to then cut them off. But I can come to a complete stop and balance for a couple of seconds. Funny since after the concussion I had I can't walk in a straight line and often lose by balance and stagger when walking. This is why I have a handicap marker to show cops that I couldn't possibly pass a drunk test.

[Doug Landau]

Hey... ...47 Million Spaniards can't be wrong...

[W. Wesley Groleau]

Yes, I've noticed that a few of them irritatingly wait when they have
the right-of-way, when if they had noticed I was stopping, they could
have gone by before I even got all the way to the intersection.

Others who have a stop sign and get their first and sit there until I
get there, where if they had exercised their right, they would have been
long gone before I got there. Then I have to decide whether they're
being excessively timid/nice or whether they're going to take off right
when I get there.

But it seems (without actually counting) that the majority apply the
rules of the road properly. which i better for both of us.


--
Wes Groleau

[Frank Krygowski]

On 10/14/2016 11:31 PM, W. Wesley Groleau wrote:
> On 10-14-2016 16:20, cycl...@gmail.com wrote:
>>
>>
>> The trouble with this is that motorists are afraid you're going to
>> then cut them off. But I can come to a complete stop and balance for a
>> couple of seconds. Funny since after the concussion I had I can't walk
>> in a straight line and often lose by balance and stagger when walking.
>> This is why I have a handicap marker to show cops that I couldn't
>> possibly pass a drunk test.
>
> Yes, I've noticed that a few of them irritatingly wait when they have
> the right-of-way, when if they had noticed I was stopping, they could
> have gone by before I even got all the way to the intersection.
>
> Others who have a stop sign and get their first and sit there until I
> get there, where if they had exercised their right, they would have been
> long gone before I got there. Then I have to decide whether they're
> being excessively timid/nice or whether they're going to take off right
> when I get there.

I frequently give hand signals to motorists at 4-way stop signs. I wave
them out as I'm coming to a stop. It saves a fair amount of time. My
waves are nothing but confirming the legal order of right-of-way.

Incidentally, for a couple years now we've had a new roundabout on what
was my pre-retirement route to work. I've heard other cyclists complain
about a close call or two, but I've never had one. A possible reason is
that if a motorist is approaching a bit too fast for my liking while I'm
in the circle, I put my hand up as a "Stop!" signal. It's worked
perfectly every time.


--
- Frank Krygowski

[Andrew Chaplin]

Frank Krygowski <frkr...@sbcglobal.net> wrote in news:ntu52g$ori$1@dont-
email.me:

> I frequently give hand signals to motorists at 4-way stop signs. I wave
> them out as I'm coming to a stop. It saves a fair amount of time. My
> waves are nothing but confirming the legal order of right-of-way.

I find that if I make the standard arm signal for "I intend to stop" seems
to motivate people to take their right-of-way. I too do it as I approach the
intersection. I find it annoying when people wave me through but from the
interior of their car with reflections off the windscreen and windows so I
cannot see their signal.

> Incidentally, for a couple years now we've had a new roundabout on what
> was my pre-retirement route to work. I've heard other cyclists complain
> about a close call or two, but I've never had one. A possible reason is
> that if a motorist is approaching a bit too fast for my liking while I'm
> in the circle, I put my hand up as a "Stop!" signal. It's worked
> perfectly every time.

I wear bright cycling gloves for most of the season for similar situations:
https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5049-943/Cyclone-Gel-Gloves and
https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5035-219/Select-Cycling-Glove.
Only now that I am encoutering below-freezing temperatures in the morning am
I using heavier, insulated gloves that are not available in bright colours.

[Radey Shouman]

I like these for colder weather (fortunately not here yet):

http://www.kinco.com/product/1939/

Not marketed for cycling, but I don't see that as a problem.

--

[Joy Beeson]

On Sun, 16 Oct 2016 16:20:10 -0000 (UTC), Andrew Chaplin
<ab.ch...@yourfinger.rogers.com> wrote:

> Only now that I am encoutering below-freezing temperatures in the morning am
> I using heavier, insulated gloves that are not available in bright colours.

I sewed yellow two-inch reflective tape to the backs of my insulated
gloves:

http://wlweather.net/PAGESEW/BLOG4XVI/GLOVE_6h.JPG

The tape is wrinkled because it's sewn to fit when the gloves are
curled.

Unfortunately, I haven't seen reflective tape of any sort for sale in
ages.

I just Froogled. Silver tape is available, and yellow and orange
non-reflective tapes that have a narrow silver reflective stripe.

The RainShed Inc. was my best bet -- they have both reflective tape
and reflective fabric, but no bright colors that I could find. They
do have non-reflective fabrics and ribbons in bright colors. If I
needed to replace my tape, I think I'd sew some of their narrow Nomex
ribbon edge-to-edge; I'm pretty sure it would turn the wind.

The gloves in the picture are worn over bright-yellow mystery-fiber
gloves -- and it's time I started looking around for more, since cheap
gloves are available only in the fall. I have two pairs, one of them
not much worn, but I need to buy now to have some for *next* winter.
They aren't found in clothing stores, but in groceries, dollar stores,
and the like. It's been a while since I didn't have to pay extra to
get decidedly-unwanted conductive fingertips. They sometimes come
only in children's sizes, but some children's sizes are large enough
for my small hands.

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at comcast dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/

[John B.]

Or Google for "Traffic Gloves" :-)
--
cheers,

John B.

[W. Wesley Groleau]

On 10-16-2016 18:12, Radey Shouman wrote:
> I like these for colder weather (fortunately not here yet):
>
> http://www.kinco.com/product/1939/
>
> Not marketed for cycling, but I don't see that as a problem.

I saw an advert the other day for gloves, each having a bright blinking
LED arrow on the back of the hand, pointing toward the knuckles.

Hold either hand out for a turn signal. Not sure what drivers will
think when both hands are on the handlebars.

Not sure where the batteries are.

--
Wes Groleau

[cycl...@gmail.com]

This is one of the most irritating things. And then you have people pulling out of parking lots, across the sidewalk, across the parking lane and blocking the bike lane and looking the wrong way.

[W. Wesley Groleau]

On 10-19-2016 11:09, cycl...@gmail.com wrote:
> This is one of the most irritating things. And then you have people pulling out of parking lots, across the sidewalk, across the parking lane and blocking the bike lane and looking the wrong way.

I nearly caved in the side of a minivan driven by someone who dove onto
the bikelane and THEN looked for oncoming traffic.

--
Wes Groleau

[cycl...@gmail.com]

This is something that is bothering me more and more. A car leaving a parking lot will pull across the limit line, across the sidewalk blocking pedestrians, across the parking lane and across the bike lane very often while looking to the RIGHT! And this invariably seems to always be women though men are also guilty of this.