And if you're in a hurry, you don't want to be my passenger. There's a good chance that we will sit at every light between our starting point and destination. Also, my sister-in-law also thinks that I drive like a grandma (simply because I drive the speed limit); but we'll see when our nephews get to be of driving age, she'll hope they drive like me.
But we're getting off topic. Everyone knows that a red light means stop. And that traffic signals are their for our safety, right? So why is it that so many bike riders just cruise on through?
Seriously, just stop not stopping!
I can't say that I'm one hundred percent innocent here. Stop lights are the easy ones to obey. Generally there is enough traffic at a stop light that if you stop, you just have to wait your turn and you will get to go through with the other waiting cars. However, this isn't always the case and unless you live someplace cool like Fort Collins, CO where the bike lane has a sensor to change the light for bikes, you could wind up sitting through several lights. Or if you're like me, you awkwardly hop/roll your ride over to the pedestrian crossing signal to hit the button so the light will change. Thankfully, here in MN, there is a law that says if you have been sitting at a light for an unreasonable length of time (i.e. a full cycle or more) it is okay to go through the red if there is no traffic. This actually applies to motorcycles too as they aren't big enough to set off the car sensors either.
However, there has been many a time when there is no traffic and an impatient cyclist (like myself) can't bear to have the flow of his or her ride interrupted and the red light is treated more like a yellow. Even worse is the number of stop signs that get run by cyclists. Again, I have to admit that I am a culprit at times. There are times when this is safe (like in your neighborhood where there are clearly no cars anywhere), but most of the time rolling through a stop sign is a just another reason for drivers to complain about us. Group rides are the scariest in this respect. It only takes one rider and the next thing you know, 20 bikes just cruised through an intersection. Not cool.
Do your fellow cycling buddies a favor and just stop. Every rider that gets caught riding through a stop light or stop sign when it's not safe or other traffic is waiting its turn just smears the good name of cyclists everywhere. Be mindful for the sake of your safety and your riding buddies. Because if you really want to share the road you have to follow the rules of the road. Just stop. It's worth it.
