Jumping red lights on a bicycle

[CaptainHenreh]

All I know is that I've nearly hit enough bicyclists who decided that a red light didn't apply to them to wish that they would change their mind. (Oh, and gotten the finger for it too!)

[Evan]

(most) people wouldnt even consider running a red light in a car, why do you feel ok to do it on a bike? If you are unconcerned of the saftey, is it because you dont have a license plate and think it is not an enforcable law?

Ive been riding bikes in traffic around town since I was 11, and I have never and will never run red lights, stop signs, lane split or do anything else counter traffic. Why would I?

In DC, which I commute to/in everyday, seeing a cyclist obey a traffic law is a rarity, they rarely even slow at red lights, frequently lane split, ride wrong way down streets etc. Ive even been cussed at and had my side view mirror hit by a cyclist while he was lane splitting because i was apparently too close to the center line for his tastes. That takes incredible arrogance and entitlement.

The "Im responsible for myself and my risks do not affect others" is complete bullshit. Ginger witnessed an accident recently where a cyclist rode right out in front of a car, the driver had almost no time to react and hit the cyclist, but the blame as written up by the attending officer was still 100% drivers fault. If that cyclist died due to her injuries that guy would have been in a world of legal hurt with jail time etc and it is the fault of your bad decisions.
Not to mention, you can still hurt pedestrians pretty bad (ive almost been hit while crossing intersections)

and yeah, a lot of cyclists, especially roadies and commuters are pricks

[Kaan]

I hate pedal bikes. but not for running stop signs and shit... Lord knows i've riden the motorbike through lights that wont change and stuff like that...

just pedal your ass up the hill faster... or get your ass in a line... stop blocking up the damn road!

[.RJ]

All I know is that I've nearly hit enough bicyclists who decided that a red light didn't apply to them to wish that they would change their mind. (Oh, and gotten the finger for it too!)

Those guys are idiots then. End of the story.

Edit for Kaan: Blocking the road 8 wide isnt ok either.

[.RJ]

a
In DC, which I commute to/in everyday, seeing a cyclist obey a traffic law is a rarity, they rarely even slow at red lights, frequently lane split, ride wrong way down streets etc. Ive even been cussed at and had my side view mirror hit by a cyclist while he was lane splitting because i was apparently too close to the center line for his tastes. That takes incredible arrogance and entitlement.

Yep, and when they get hit they dont have any right to cry about it. Ride like an idiot and its going to happen.

That is a far different story than running a red light through an empty intersection.

[Mike]

Those guys are idiots then. End of the story.

yep, i've never seen or had a close call.

[.RJ]

One of these things is not like the other.

[Evan]

lol

[Evan]

Yep, and when they get hit they dont have any right to cry about it. Ride like an idiot and its going to happen.

Thats fine and dandy if thats only how it worked: Cyclists gets hit, its his fault, only cyclist gets hurt/damaged, everyone goes on their merry way and the cyclist has to deal with the damages.

Best case scenario is the drivers car gets damaged. He is then out bodywork costs or deductible + premium hikes + all the time lost.
Worst case scenario is that the law is written such that the driver is blamed for the accident, and must the above plus fines, cyclist lawsuit/damages, or even face criminal charges and jailtime.

[Evan]

That is a far different story than running a red light through an empty intersection.

Why is it then when a cyclist blocks the road in front of me going 3mph up a hill, im being an impatient asshole for not wanting to patiently drive 3mph behind him (note to others: this is reference to previous discussions), but a cyclist cant be inconvenienced enough wait 30 seconds for a green light just like everybody else?

[.RJ]

1 cyclist going up the hill = not anyone's problem. 40 cyclists riding 8 wide up the hill = they're riding like idiots. Share the road goes both ways.

Its not a matter of waiting for a green light, because the bikes wont trigger the light to turn. If the intersection is clear I'm not going to wait for a car to make that happen.

[Evan]

well the blocking the road incidents I have encountered are often one cyclist who blocks the entire lane. some cyclists even move over to the middle once they see/hear me coming. not every cyclist does this of course, and I am as courteous as can be when a cyclists does in fact 'share the road'.

for green lights Ive always just hit the pedestrian crosswalk button.... hrug:

[Sijray21]

for green lights Ive always just hit the pedestrian crosswalk button.... hrug:

not all intersections have this (like the one that was removed at the I-66 off ramp/washington blvd/rt 29 intersection of the wo&d trail). granted a safe situation, i won't hesitate to run the red if i some how need to trigger the light and a car isn't there to do it for me and there isn't a cross-walk button. for typical red-lights that i won't run, i was referring to that of going straight through an intersection or turning left that can be triggered by a car.

[ScottyB]

when i'm on a bike, safety is my biggest concern so i'll ride the roads as if i'm a car while simultaneously staying out of everyone's way as much as physically possible. i'll even jump onto an empty sidewalk if i know i'm holding up a line of cars behind me. that said, if the intersection is empty, i can pass through quickly, and i can't trigger the light i'm going. its rare that i do it though, since i don't urban ride and i never hit intersections riding to classes at JMU.

it needs to be reinforced, however, that the situation below is entirely acceptable:

[mrbaggio]

That hipster deserved it.

I run em. Mostly to keep momentum. I primary do urban/city riding, so the intersections I encounter are almost always short and easy to cross. In addition to keeping momentum, I like having the road beyond the red light to myself for the most part since most of the cars are stopped at the red I just went through.

Regardless of what anyone says it is certainly more dangerous to run lights. Without scrolling, I believe you said you were not worried about the legal consequences. Despite that, I have heard stories of people getting tickets for running reds.

I don't care about the public perception of cyclists. Next time tell that cyclist to suck it and throw a stick in his spokes.

[CaptainHenreh]

1 cyclist going up the hill = not anyone's problem. 40 cyclists riding 8 wide up the hill = they're riding like idiots. Share the road goes both ways.

Its not a matter of waiting for a green light, because the bikes wont trigger the light to turn. If the intersection is clear I'm not going to wait for a car to make that happen.

We're not talking about "running" a light that won't trigger here...I think that's perfectly acceptable as long as you stop, look, listen, and cross and the law is on your side with this. But rolling through a red because you did a quick glance and you think it's OK...different story.

[WRXtranceformed]

I say this with the honest, most heartfelt love for all of you guys in MM, even you guys who are cyclists. So I'm not going to lump you into this category.

But cyclists are such huge faggots. If I notice a cyclist riding the wrong way down a road, or otherwise blatantly breaking road laws that hinder my ability to drive on the road I feel no qualms about blasting by them within 6 inches of their handlebar at 50mph. There is a reason why bike lanes on roads were created, as well as bike trails. Charlotte is a little better than most of the DC area from what I remember because a bunch of our surface roads were designed with bikes in mind. If you feel the need to ride on a road without obeying traffic laws, then I definitely don't feel the need to make you safe on your bike. That's why I laughed earlier at the cyclist talking shit scenario. I would absolutely LOVE for a cyclist to talk shit to me or have the audacity to touch my car in any way when he catches me on the wrong day. I would not hesitate to smash some fag's carbon fiber road bike over his helmet. Some asshole in NoVA punched my car one time and literally the only thing that kept me from bashing his head in a blind rage was the fact that he was really old and it would have been a completely one-sided fight.

ESPECIALLY with the scenario that Ryan pointed out, if I'm on a road and there's a "gang" of cyclists that are riding 8 people deep clogging up the lane in a 45+mph zone I could give a shit if I get flicked off, I'd love to see them all topple over like a bunch of dominoes. Get the fuck on a bike trail, and if you have to be on a road then follow the rules.

As far as blowing red lights or stop signs, I wouldn't stress over it just be prepared to potentially suffer the consequences. It's no different than doing it in a car.

[.RJ]

I ran a red light on my ride after work on my hipster douche fixed gear. It felt so awesome. I win.

[BLINGMW]

I've never really understood why bicycles are treated as cars. It's just unrealistic. They can't keep up at ALL, and of course sharing the road is going to be a problem when you have such a disparity in speed like that. Just let 'em ride on the sidewalks, grass, make bike lanes for them, whatever, give them as much incentive to ride as possible. If it's a big congested city, sure, ride on the road, I don't care when we're all going 10mph, but otherwise I think sharing the road is a dangerous pipe dream. I mean, damn, motorcycles are dangerous enough. I don't have the balls to ride a bicycle around anything but a neighborhood or bike path/sidewalk.
I can't imagine being pissed off at a bike running a red light any more than I would be a mexican running across a four lane road. Scared for his life, sure, but not angry. Godspeed, I hope you make it!

[Mike]

Chan, riding on sidewalks is way more dangerous. You've got pedestrians popping out of nowhere, cars don't see you as your approach crosswalks at decent rates of speed... It just don't work.