Sidestepper.
There have been some instances recently, in which, has been quite late in the evening and I get pretty upset at my fellow riders near me, because they decide to jump the red lights and back to back - they almost got hit. These two instances happened near the Divisadero/Laurel heights area, and I was a tad sad when I got home because the thought of witnessing something gone wrong, just because the impatience bug wins, would have been just terrible.
I even came up with a new word, while trying to explain it to one of my friends.
Safter (Safer+Faster)
That it is safer to wait for the red light to turn and to make sure that everybody sees the same traffic flow. Of course same goes to cars, I have seen (most recent criminal) at Market near Church a car plain out ran the red light. It is an intersection full of all kinds of traffic and luckily no one got hurt.
Be careful out there. Have your lights and batteries at their fullest.
And remember, we are camouflaged bici angels in this beautiful city. Life is too short.
Mucho love. ♥xxo.m
I see this a fai bit as well, or at least where I'm on 'normal' roads.
ReplyDeleteThe last person I saw do it had just given me a lecture on not wearing a helmet. There were people without a lid jumping the light as well, I just found the irony a bit funny
Amen, Meli. Life's too short to be impatient. Val
ReplyDeleteandy/ that is very ironic -pay attention to that car instead of criticiaing me over here ;-)
ReplyDeleteval/ <3
I have a little game I play every time I ride my bike down the length of Market Street: stopping and waiting at every red light I make a mental note of every cyclist that just blows through the intersection against the light, and almost always, when I arrive at the Ferry Building I arrive only about, at most, half a block behind any of the scofflaws who have also gone the whole distance.
ReplyDeleteIs it really worth risking your safety and the safety of others, not to mention the bad image being presented to non-cyclists, just to gain half a block?
Chill out folks, and enjoy the ride!
I always stop a red lights, and will always wait for green if I'm not completely alone at an intersection, but:
ReplyDelete"For example, while there may be a perception that many cyclists
recklessly disobey stop-signs and traffic signals, our analysis shows that less than 3% of
collisions involve a cyclist failing to stop at a controlled intersection. Targeted stop-sign
enforcement campaigns along busy cycling routes may result in large numbers of tickets being
issued, but their effectiveness in improving traffic safety is questionable."
-Toronto Bicycle/Motor Vehicle Collision Study
Simply put, bicycles running reds is not directly a safety issue, it is a diplomacy issue. Cyclists who follow traffic signals infuriate drivers less, and consequently are less often the target of driver hostility. With that said just relaxing, I find being chill and using red lights as an opportunity to catch my breath to be a much more enjoyable cycling experience.
Boy, I really buggered up the structure of that last sentence, but you get the point.
ReplyDeleteWell said. I see too many people put themselves at risk by running red lights. Even people covered in neon with helmets jump reds recklessly. And it makes us all look bad.
ReplyDeleteAdam,
ReplyDeleteI'm so with you on the diplomacy thought.
Jon C