Do you CN Forum members stop at stop lights/signs?

[ElChingon]

To go along with Zam's thread of the UK cyclist poll (thread lacks a poll) of if riders stop at stop signs/lights.

Sorry all, forgot to click the poll button on the other one, please delete. Thanks.

 

[ElChingon]

Only one choice and vote is hidden.

 

[Nick C.]

What about roll up and go thru if there is no oncoming traffic.

 

[Fetisoff]

Voted for "I stop at a red light only if there are no cops".
If there's cops, I usually go right through them

 

[BroDeal]

I try to never put my foot down.

 

[royalpig180]

I stop if there are any cars or caps lurking. If it's just me there, then i'll slow a touch to make sure there are no cars coming, then roll through.

 

[RedheadDane]

As a general rule I stop.

 

[ElChingon]

As a general rule I stop.

I read that as the political answer for you never stop

 

[ElChingon]

I voted for "No Cars, No Cops, No Stop", but do push the limits especially when confronted with un-decisive drivers, if they hesitate a millisecond after making eye contact, I go. I've seen cops at intersections staring at me as I ride though obvious red/stop sign situations but never inching to even say anything, then again its safe to do so and in everyone's best interest, not all stop lights trigger for bikes and if you stop/hesitate and then roll most sane people don't mind, even cops.

 

[biokemguy]

be the change

I try and be a good example on the bike, so if anyone can see me, I stop.

Drivers don't need any reason to resent cyclists, so I don't give them one.

And almost everyone is a driver at some point.

The exception that I struggle with is when riding with others. Most cyclists expect you to roll through stop signs, so it's often unsafe to stop in a pack that contains riders you don't regularly ride with.

 

[The Hitch]

I always stop. Even if its deserted. Such a high cycling death rate in this city, Ill just leave it to the lights to decide.

When i went on a 150k cycle or so with my friend who thinks its cool to cycle past red lights, he ended up having to wait for me what by the end of the day must have been a cumulitive total of at least 70 minutes.

 

[Christian]

When i went on a 150k cycle or so with my friend

Damn you are serious hitch mad respect bro

 

[elapid]

I'm with The Hitch and biokemguy - I stop so there is one less cause for a motorist to be resentful of a cyclist. The rules are in place for a reason and, although I break more rules as a motorist, we cyclists are just more obvious and vulnerable than the vast majority of motorists.

 

[DominicDecoco]

I still stand by my comment in the other thread. Stopping for red light when turning right - and that would be a left turn in UK, Australia, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Bangladesh, Barbados, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bophuthatswana, Botswana, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Cayman Islands, Channel Islands, Ciskei, Cyprus, Dominica, Falkland Islands, Fiji, Grenada, Guyana, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Lesotho, Macau, Malawi, Malaysia, Mala, Mauritius, Montserrat, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, ****stan, PapuaNew Guinea, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Seychelles, Sikkim, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, St Kitts and NevisSt., HelenaSt. Lucia, Surinam, Swaziland, Tanzania, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, US Virgin Islands, Venda, Zambia and Zimbabwe - is like eating oatmeal with water instead of milk.

You know the reference makes sense so don't even bother.

 

[Cancellator]

I always stop if it is a red light at an intersection. I do it because it's club policy and I also don't want to give motorists any reason to complain - they sure love to! And there's the obvious reason of staying alive.

The only time I consider doing it is when there are those red lights with no proper intersection, just a pedestrian crossing. If there are no pedestrians in sight to cross, waiting seems a bit pointless. I still do it most of the time though, just out of principle.

 

[mewmewmew13]

I'm with The Hitch and biokemguy - I stop so there is one less cause for a motorist to be resentful of a cyclist. The rules are in place for a reason and, although I break more rules as a motorist, we cyclists are just more obvious and vulnerable than the vast majority of motorists.

This.

For the reason that the town that I live in has a huge amount of friction between motorists and cyclists, and I am not going to give them one bit of ammo.

Most of the time drivers are aware of us on the highways as this is a cycling-mad destination...


But things have gotten very serious on the roads north of here and in the next county (even involving an unfriendly law enforcement official)...a lot of cyclists getting hit/ killed/ purposely run off the road etc....also things thrown at cyclists and road rage incidents.

Although these are most of the time accidental, I refuse to run a light or stop just on principle.

well, if I am out in the middle of nowhere and there is a stop SIGN and no one around I'll slow and roll...if it's a light and bigger intersection I still stop even if no human life around

 

[ustabe]

It's complicated. Out in the countryside, if no one's around, I tend to roll'em. In town I stop unless no one's looking and I'm turning right.

 

[Caruut]

Depends so much on where it is. For example, at a pedestrian crossing on a straight road, I will go after the last pedestrian has gone, usually. Most other situations I tend to wait. Even if I know I can go, I don't want to make motorists angry for no reason.

 

[Maxiton]

I rely on common sense:

At a stop sign I slow, slightly, look both ways, and then if there are no cars I go; if there are cars, I stop.

At a red light pedestrian crossing, or with traffic that enters from only one side, I stop or slow down, depending; then, if nothing is coming, I go.

At a four-way intersection on arterial roads, I stop at red lights, and stay stopped until the light turns green, unless I'm in the right lane turning right (left lane turning left to you Brits and Aussies).

In some situations, such as on a four lane highway, into which, just past the light, traffic merges from the left off an exit ramp, and on the right from a busy roadway, and then everything splits off in several directions again a few meters later, you're much better off in terms of safety to jump the light and get to your preferred spot before all that traffic engulfs you -- especially if you must cut across one or more lanes of traffic in order to get where you need to be. (Some complicated intersections, usually around interstate highways, were clearly not designed with bikes in mind, but sometimes you have no choice.)

 

[MarkvW]

Lights--almost always, with very rare exceptions for screwed-up intersections.
Signs--lots of "rolling stops."

 

[RedheadDane]

I read that as the political answer for you never stop

You silly! My pretty much only exception is if it would be totally impossible for me to brake in time. The amazing split second decision; do I try to brake or do I speed up to get through in time? Yes I even stop when I have to turn right and there are no pedestrians around.

The exception that I struggle with is when riding with others. Most cyclists expect you to roll through stop signs, so it's often unsafe to stop in a pack that contains riders you don't regularly ride with.

Really a shame it is like that...

 

[Roude Leiw]

I am impressed by the level of ignoring traffic signs in this forum. More or less half just ignore them

Voted no cars, no cops, no stop btw

 

[greenedge]

I did the first option though the wording makes it seem like i would be considered a goody two shoes. I would be nervous of Australian road rage, crazy drivers speeding though lights and just overall my safety.

 

[Zam_Olyas]

 

[slartiblartfast]

Fortunately there aren't too many traffic lights in my area. Even so I stop at red lights/stop signs even when it isn't necessary from a safety point of view so as not to provoke our bike hostile car driving population even further. Occasionally I proceed through a red light if I have failed to trigger the light to change and there are no cars about - this could be a point in favour of steel bikes!