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Cycle safely and don’t worry about the cops
OK, so there’s been a lot of consternation over the KVUE stories about the perception that cops are cracking down on cyclists who run stop signs and red lights. I know many of us do it. I understand the reasons why. But here’s the thing, if we as cyclists want to have rights and respect as vehicles that belong on the road, then we must accept the consequences of breaking the law. Just like drivers who run red lights and stop signs, we should also be subject to tickets.
There’s really no debate here. Just because we don’t want to lose momentum or feel like nobody is around doesn’t give us the right to disregard the law. Since we share the road with cars, then we should also share the laws. I’ve seen plenty of cyclists and motorists making outlandish maneuvers during my time here. It’s bothersome and annoying, and with cyclists’ struggles to gain more road and respect in the world of cars, we need to be more diligent about riding safely.
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By noah
June 24, 2009 8:39 PM | Link to this
I don’t blow through stops, but I don’t think I usually stop completely either, unless there is traffic at the intersection. Sometimes it’s safer to slow down to 4-5mph and get through while you can than to stop and wait for a big enough gap that may never appear.
We will never have the respect of cars because there will always be cyclists who don’t follow the rules. Because most people will see, at most, a few dozen cyclists in a week, one of them braking the law is going to taint the perception of all cyclists.
If the situation were reversed, the general perception would be that cars never obey the law because there would always be a few drivers who just don’t care. My route is relatively low traffic and my general feeling towards cars is that nobody is paying attention or cares about the law.
Before we start spending anymore money to help cars, I want them to show us that they can follow the law.