4 ms·

Lots of people are going to be tempted to rant about seeing bicyclists run stop signs and red lights, just like the last time an article got posted about this s

Lots of people are going to be tempted to rant about seeing bicyclists run stop signs and red lights, just like the last time an article got posted about this subject. That has nothing to do with this law, which applies only when there is no interaction with cars anyway. What you are seeing is still just as illegal as before.

snewk 11y ago
running down pedestrians is still illegal as well, no matter what vehicle you're operating.
- amadeusw 11y ago
  exactly! And so is reckless driving. I'm looking forward to this law being passed in more jurisdictions.
flomo 11y ago
I live a few blocks away from the Wiggle intersection pictured in the Times, and have been following the online flamewars (which primarily stem from conflicts between bicyclists and pedestrians, not cars). The issue I see is that even the proponents of the Idaho Stop often don't seem to understand what an Idaho Stop actually is. An accident happens and people (including Morgan Fitzgibbons) immediately jump in and say "This is why we need the Idaho Stop!", even though it actually has no relevance to the situation. So the risk I see is that average every day person who isn't imbued with traffic laws will interpret this as "I don't have to stop." Which is how a lot of bicyclists currently behave.
- schlumpf 11y ago
  As you say, many cyclists fail to stop at signed intersections. Clearly the knowledge that "I have to stop" isn't having its desired effect. So who exactly are you worried about not complying with a relaxed standard? Surely not the cautious people who stop at the Muni tracks on Church and Duboce while a torrent of riders streams past them across the middle of the intersection. The cautious ones already have enough common sense to observe the laws of physics. Surely not the people whose goal is never to dab (put a foot down) between SoMa and Outer Richmond. They don't care much for stop signs -- or red lights, or lanes, or the product of mass times velocity. So is there really a constituency of borderline nut jobs who currently observe stop signs but would suddenly turn into reckless maniacs on two wheels if yielding were "legalized"? I'm probably in this camp and I can tell you that I already roll through the Wiggle when the coast is clear...and assuming a car hasn't already waved me through. Sorry but it's hard to believe that allowing bikes to yield would turn me into a social menace.

snewk 11y ago

running down pedestrians is still illegal as well, no matter what vehicle you're operating.

amadeusw 11y ago
exactly! And so is reckless driving. I'm looking forward to this law being passed in more jurisdictions.

flomo 11y ago

I live a few blocks away from the Wiggle intersection pictured in the Times, and have been following the online flamewars (which primarily stem from conflicts between bicyclists and pedestrians, not cars). The issue I see is that even the proponents of the Idaho Stop often don't seem to understand what an Idaho Stop actually is. An accident happens and people (including Morgan Fitzgibbons) immediately jump in and say "This is why we need the Idaho Stop!", even though it actually has no relevance to the situation. So the risk I see is that average every day person who isn't imbued with traffic laws will interpret this as "I don't have to stop." Which is how a lot of bicyclists currently behave.

schlumpf 11y ago
As you say, many cyclists fail to stop at signed intersections. Clearly the knowledge that "I have to stop" isn't having its desired effect. So who exactly are you worried about not complying with a relaxed standard? Surely not the cautious people who stop at the Muni tracks on Church and Duboce while a torrent of riders streams past them across the middle of the intersection. The cautious ones already have enough common sense to observe the laws of physics. Surely not the people whose goal is never to dab (put a foot down) between SoMa and Outer Richmond. They don't care much for stop signs -- or red lights, or lanes, or the product of mass times velocity. So is there really a constituency of borderline nut jobs who currently observe stop signs but would suddenly turn into reckless maniacs on two wheels if yielding were "legalized"? I'm probably in this camp and I can tell you that I already roll through the Wiggle when the coast is clear...and assuming a car hasn't already waved me through. Sorry but it's hard to believe that allowing bikes to yield would turn me into a social menace.