8 replies to this topic

[Jeff A]

Got stopped at 6 a.m. by Creve Coeur PD the other day on my way to work for going through a red light on Mason crossing Hwy 40.  Cop firmly but politely made sure I understood that bicyclists are obliged to obey signals as well as motorists.  He then said that if he continued to see this happen he would "start writing tickets" and admonished me to "make it known".  I've now done this the best I know how.

Any anonymous would-be proselytizers can save it, the officer covered it.

[billh]

Jeff, thanks for posting, and you still might get hammered when the stoplight nazis read this thread.  It's worthwhile for all cyclists to remind ourselves how we are viewed by the general public, namely as scofflaws . . .

http://www.websterki...ing-Ground.html

Quote

Cyclists Ignoring Traffic Laws?

Mary Carver of Kirkwood said she witnesses cyclists ignoring traffic laws on a regular basis. Carver had a recent close call with a cyclist who she said ran a stop sign at Essex and Geyer roads, stopping only when he ran into her vehicle.

"I have talked to a lot of people who live here, and they feel the same way I do. It is getting out of hand. We need to make people aware that a potential tragedy could occur," Carver said.

As more cyclists take to the road, Carver said there seems to be less of a willingness to obey traffic laws.

"To go along with their right to ride on the streets, they have the same responsibility as drivers do to obey the traffic laws," Carver said. "I'm all for the right to cycle in the streets, and I applaud people who want to save energy and help the environment. But, at the same time, I'm for safety."

The cyclist who struck Carver's car brushed himself off, said his brakes had failed, apologized and then pedaled off.

Personally, I think we are being held to a higher standard than regular motorists, but that's the way it is with all "unusual" vehicles on the road, according to popular perception in US suburbia.  With more cyclists on the road hopefully, that perception is changing.  I like to think when I obey the letter of the law while cycling that I am suprising the average suburban motorist, and to take pleasure in that surprise . . .

[Dave F]

Were you wearing your Iron Maiden jersey?  Could have been a profiling stop.

[JC McB]

An alternate opinion:

http://www.nytimes.c...1&smid=fb-share

This only works when you are alone (and frequently riding at 6 am and 10 pm).  Then the STL world is much more like Idaho.

Edited by JC McB, 06 August 2012 - 03:08 PM.

[cleeland]

Hey, Mary Carver...I had an encounter with a motorist yesterday at Geyer and Adams who didn't bother to stop and wait his turn going east on Adams after I had waited to turn left from westbound Adams onto southbound Geyer.  The guy looked straight at me and just continued straight at me.  Older (50-60) man driving an older white sports coupe (Toyota Celica?).

"...It is getting out of hand. We need to make people aware that a potential tragedy could occur,"

...there seems to be less of a willingness to obey traffic laws.

"they have the ... responsibility [...] to obey the traffic laws,"

[billh]

cleeland, on 07 August 2012 - 07:25 AM, said:

Hey, Mary Carver...I had an encounter with a motorist yesterday at Geyer and Adams who didn't bother to stop and wait his turn going east on Adams after I had waited to turn left from westbound Adams onto southbound Geyer.  The guy looked straight at me and just continued straight at me.  Older (50-60) man driving an older white sports coupe (Toyota Celica?).

"...It is getting out of hand. We need to make people aware that a potential tragedy could occur,"

when motorists start talking about "safety" and "potential tragedy", it sounds like a veiled threat to me . . . as in "get out of my way, or I'll run you down".  In a car vs bike collision, it's the cyclist that will take the worst hit, yet motorists are able to convince themselves that the cyclist is the threat to THEIR safety.  Like the St Charles parents whose teen daughter was driving (we don't know how fast) and swerved off the road into a tree to avoid a cyclist riding legally on the road.  A father associated with that group concluded that he would start teaching his children to simply run over cyclists, like deer, rather than warn them to drive at a lower speeds, where they could actually see other vehicles on the road in time to slow down.  "Better them than us", I guess, is the moral.  Nice people.  Seemingly mild-mannered suburban moms turn into rabid killers when they convince themselves safety of their children is at stake.

Terrible things have been done and continue to be done in the name of "safety" and "security".

[digyourownwhole]

I had a mom in a Lexus SUV tell me that her running me off the road to avoid her t-boning me was fine because technically, she stopped at the Stop sign.  She simply proceeded through it while I was crossing (State Rd @ whatever State Rd turns into at Cherry Hills) and she was on State Rd coming from Eureka turning onto the Cherry Hills street.  Her daughter in the back of the SUV looked terrified that she was going to hit me; her eyes were huge.  I got "lucky" when Mom got lost in Cherry Hills and we had an opportunity to talk about what I believed was a "teachable moment".  That is when she told me that she HAD stopped/paused/farted and it was therefor my fault for not riding on the sidewalk.  I can still feel the ginormous sigh within my soul.  :-/

[ssalmons]

All of the discussions on bike safety confirms my suspicions I have had for years: Missouri's driver education requirements are absolutely terrible.  Motorists don't know what rights cyclists have, cyclists don't know what responsibilities they have, all in all a bunch of uneducated people out driving our roads.  Education and training is key to making our roads safer, not internet message board complaining.  Does anyone know the governor?  Maybe we can increase the requirements for getting and keeping a license.

[cleeland]

ssalmons, on 07 August 2012 - 07:49 PM, said:

Does anyone know the governor?  Maybe we can increase the requirements for getting and keeping a license.

Governor won't have much sway; you need a legislator, preferably an influential one.  Doubt you'll find that, because they're all too busy amending the MO constitution to insure that we have "rights" that we're already guaranteed by the US Constitution.