Rules of the Road

While I mainly ride for recreation, I always follow the rules of the road.  Sadly, because I work in the West Loop, I see several, several bicyclists not doing so.  If we want to be treated like we matter, we MUST follow the rules of the road.  Red light, stop just like a car, etc.....  If we don't follow the rules, we don't have a kickstand to stand on.............

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Permalink Reply by Maurice on October 16, 2015 at 5:32am
I follow the rules at least as much as the average car driver. In the West Loop, for example, drivers routinely disregard the law.
Permalink Reply by ad on October 16, 2015 at 5:53am

An "Idaho stop," which allows a cyclist to treat a stop sign and/or a red light as yield sign when it's safe to so so is a rule of the road that is gaining traction in many areas. If an Idaho stop was allowed in Chicago, I'd say half to 2/3 of the conduct drivers feel constitute scofflaw conduct would be eliminated through that law change.  

Hardly anyone would disagree that truly scofflaw cyclists who put themselves and others in danger by blowing stop signs and lights when it's not safe to do so (and they're out there) deserve to be ticketed, but most of us (myself included) have issues being told we have to obey every single law out of some sense of "fairness" to drivers when the infrastructure and rules put in place were not designed to be fair to cyclists in the first place. 

Permalink Reply by Felipe Iniguez on October 16, 2015 at 6:14am
Funny, your post admonishing cyclists comes on the heels of a newsworthy event in the West Loop. Coincidence?

See: what the ChainLink has been talking about the past 2 days.

Perhaps you aren't familliar with the reality of these "Rules of the Road" you speak of because you mainly ride for recreation.
Permalink Reply by Tandemonium on October 16, 2015 at 7:05am

Welcome.

Permalink Reply by Jim Reho on October 16, 2015 at 6:50am

I absolutely agree with your general point.  There is a minority of rude, selfish cyclists who do a lot to make drivers resent all of us.  I do agree with ad's point that the Idaho stop should be legal, and I think that the trend is in that direction.  If I come to a four-way intersection with stop signs and there are no cars around, I slow down, look around again, and ride on through.  Cyclists who run red lights and weave through when there's traffic drive drivers crazy.  The PR damage they they cause is significant.    

Permalink Reply by Jeremy on October 16, 2015 at 9:41am

Most people suffer from confirmation bias.  You may see "several bicyclists" breaking the law, but you see hundreds riding lawfully, you are just choosing to not acknowledge them.

Today, I saw a woman driving south on Wells in the northbound lane.  I also rode past two people who were careless about opening their car doors on Broadway.  But they represent a fraction of one percent of the cars I was near today.

I sometimes see dog poop on the ground.  That doesn't mean every dog owner neglects to pick up after their dog.

Permalink Reply by David P. on October 16, 2015 at 10:28am

"If we want to be treated like we matter, we MUST follow the rules of the road."

Why? People in cars are treated like they matter, despite not always following the "rules of the road." Indeed, people themselves, walking on their own two feet without the assist of a machine, are treated like they matter despite not always follwing the "rules of the road"

People on bicycles are special in that they are their own thing - they are not plain humans, and they are also not cars or other motor vehicles. But people on bicycles are *not* special in the sense that they deserve to be treated like they matter simply because, like everyone else, they are there.

Permalink Reply by PK RPR on October 16, 2015 at 11:19pm
...So, to throw this out there. IMHO the Idaho stop is THE issue on bike commuting safety and driver rage.

Now that bike lanes are in place (not great, not good enough, but in place) in many routes through the city, I think most drivers would concede the right to be on the road.

But as an admitted scofflaw who deep down still believes I am invincible, I have to be honest that almost all of my near misses have been related to loose interpretation of stop signs or lights..:

Enough for it to slowly dawn on me that my kids deserve a change to my opinions. I will still be clear that only 1 near miss was my fault and very dangerous drivers where on the otherside of all of the events.

I guess it would be good to hear some other discussion besides 'help help I'm being oppressed' or 'we all need to get together and show everybody how good we are so we get a gold star'. But these two narratives seem to be the only ones that make it out...

Just saying.,,
Permalink Reply by MagMileMarauder on October 19, 2015 at 8:40am

Troll post

Permalink Reply by PK RPR on October 19, 2015 at 9:07pm
...maybe...but way more civil then most if so

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