Running Red Lights & Pedestrian Cross Walks

I am a casual commuter bicyclist. I ride to work down Milwaukee via my bike or the 56 bus. (Bucktown to West Loop)

One thing I notice during my commutes is that at certain "T" intersections 19 out of 20 bicyclists will not stop at the red light and pass through it. It doesn't matter if there are pedestrians at cross-walks or incoming traffic. Some will not even slow down.

Personally, it drives me crazy. I find it to be completely irresponsible, dangerous and discourteous at these times of day. It wouldn't concern me as much if it was not during rush hour. However, we are talking about people trying to use the crosswalks and cars attempting to drive normally and merge onto busy roads.

Example: Milwaukee & Wabansia - This intersection has 2 crosswalks across Milwaukee. It has a day care & public library. Foot traffic is high with parents/kids/strollers and commuters. Bicyclists do not stop even if there are people crossing or traffic coming onto Milwaukee. I have seen them swerve around strollers and disregard any safety concerns. Personally I have almost been hit once, saw 2 near collisions with strollers and people held up from crossing because of a stream of unconcerned bicyclists.

Example: Milwaukee & Noble - This intersection has one highly used crosswalk across Milwaukee. It is by a school with a lot of student pedestrians (with a crossing guard) and a good amount of senior citizens. Again, Bicyclist run this red all of the time even if there are people crossing. Personally, I have seen near collisions with groups of students, 3 seniors and cars making left turns.

If this was a rare occurrence I wouldn't be posting. In fact, this issue alone prompted me to create an account and post at Chainlink.

I want to understand WHY people think this is okay and don't think it is a danger to themselves and others?

Why can't they stop?

Why do they not care about the safety of others?

Why do they not care about the rules of the road?

The mindset is what I'm looking to understand. Right now I just think they are selfish a-holes who value their time/safety/space more than others. On days with near collisions I even get angry to the point of yelling. (I saw an old woman missed by nearly 3 inches. [http://abcnews.go.com/US/bicyclist-us-guilty-vehicular-homicide/sto...])

I want to be proven wrong and have an understanding of why this happens.

Thanks,

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by daWillinChi on August 6, 2013 at 11:14am

Everyday on Clark, I face an onslaught of pedestrians crossing Clark on Jackson, when the light clearly is still red for them. They just do it because they don't see anymore cars and think that a bicycle will not hurt as much as cars would be.

I have a video of this somewhere on my phone

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Permalink Reply by Tricolor on August 6, 2013 at 11:58am

Wabash and Jackson is like that, and all the salmons heading north make it even more dangerous.

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Permalink Reply by igz on August 6, 2013 at 12:12pm

i would love to see a cop task force at milwaukee/ogden/chicago and milwaukee/elston. its a miracle those intersections are not yet covered in blood.

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Permalink Reply by Duppie on August 6, 2013 at 12:21pm

I don't think anybody disagrees with you on the issue of pedestrians crossing against the light and ignoring bicyclists, but that doesn't give bicyclists the right to retaliate by cutting off pedestrians (or cars) when they have the right of way. Which is what the original discussion was about.

J.A.W. said:

Everyday on Clark, I face an onslaught of pedestrians crossing Clark on Jackson, when the light clearly is still red for them. They just do it because they don't see anymore cars and think that a bicycle will not hurt as much as cars would be.

I have a video of this somewhere on my phone

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Permalink Reply by daWillinChi on August 6, 2013 at 12:28pm

Wasn't meant to be a retaliation.

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Permalink Reply by Jared Karczek on August 7, 2013 at 11:44am

Personally, I NEVER run a red light with the exception of "T" intersections in light traffic. Even then I stop if a car is approaching the intersecting turn lane. When I have the right of way at major intersections, I am still super careful, mainly because of cars that like to turn from my blind spot as the light is changing against them.

On the other hand, at stop-sign regulated intersections, if I know I'm going to reach the intersection before a car that's approaching from any direction, I don't come to a complete stop unless the car doesn't seem to be slowing down. I slow way down, but I don't stop because I can't count the number of times I've reached an intersection first, stopped completely, and had a car zoom in front of me (or the driver honks, yells or revs their engines aggressively). They seem to think they shouldn't have to wait for you to get through the intersection, even though you have the legal right of way.

Generally, I just try to follow the rules, be as predictable as possible, and overall, calm. As much as I hate to sometimes be treated as a second class citizen by drivers, this is not an issue worth martyrdom. I can be right all day long, and still dead for an eternity.

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Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on August 7, 2013 at 12:03pm

I will admit to being a fairly habitual stop sign coaster. It all depends on circumstances though. When I ride the LFT my usual path to the northern entrance at Ardmore takes me through residential neighborhoods in Evanston, Rogers Park and Edgewater. One day I counted the number of stop signs and lights I failed to stop for. I think it was 31 stop signs and one stop light (probably Glenwood and Granville, by St. Gertrude's). Had my route been on more major arteries (Clark, Milwaukee, etc), the odds of me rolling through stop signs would have been much lower. Even so, I don't blow through stops. I look before rolling, as it were. I'm amazed at the people who pass me on Elston or Milwaukee without apparently slowing down at all. That's just a death wish.

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Permalink Reply by David P. on August 7, 2013 at 12:17pm

I ride down Cortland in Bucktown on the way to/from work, and often find myself slowing at a 4-way stop to do a quasi-trackstand, Cali stop, etc. to account for and yield to traffic that has the right of way, only to have the ninja that I didn't know was behind me blast on through at full speed. I find this irksome.