Stop sign sting

I saw one of the stop sign stings for bikers this morning on Wells Street.  It was pretty obvious as to what it was, but people were still blowing through the stop sign.

 

Anyone here get caught?  Any thoughts on this?

 

One thing that I thought was funny was this girl who passed me while I was stopping, and then was flagged over and still tried to go.  The police stepped in front of her...it looked like she was going to make a break for it, but she ended up stopping.

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Permalink Reply by millenial removing Bernie tattoo on August 18, 2010 at 5:07am
Sean W. said:
David said:
There's absolutely no safety-related reason for bikes to stop at most three-way corners, that's just stupid.


As a person who lives in front of a three-way stop, I can't count the times I've nearly been Schwinned when trying to cross the street. Many times blatant, more often inadvertent, but it seems most cyclists pay even less attention to pedestrians when cars aren't a threat.

This. As a sometime pedestrian I trust bikes less than cars.
Permalink Reply by Dan Korn on August 18, 2010 at 5:27am
Tank-Ridin' Ryan said:
While this should be enforced for all road users, keep in mind that blowing a stop sign carries graver danger for a cyclist than a motorist.
How do you figure? A car can kill someone much easier than a bicycle can. To me, this is much more about stopping people from hurting others than about stopping them from hurting themselves. And there's absolutely no question that cars pose a greater danger than bicycles.
Tank-Ridin' Ryan said:
Remember - Same Road, Same Rights, Same Rules.
Not exactly. For instance, cars are not allowed to park in bike lanes. I wonder if they're cracking down on that on Wells Street.
Permalink Reply by Melanie K on August 18, 2010 at 5:41am
I usually ride that route around 7:15-7:30 am but didn't get to ride this morning- funny thing is that yesterday after work (around 4:30 p.m.), I was riding alongside a CPD police car all along Lincoln Avenue going north. I was paranoid with the CPD next to me, so I stopped at every light/stop sign- the bicycle riders that were in front or coming up behind me went through all the lights/stop signs right in front of the police car, and the police officer didn't seem to even take a second glance and kept cruising along. Due to my rotten luck with such things, I continued to obey all the signs and lights, as I would probably be the one the police would decide to pull over.
Permalink Reply by Jason W on August 18, 2010 at 5:46am
It is because they have no educational programs for motorists, and no enforcement of laws designed to protect bikers. If they educated and tickets both bikes and cars it would be different.


David said:
If the stop is just for a lecture and they've been having lots of real problems at that particular intersection, then I don't really see it as anti-bike.
Permalink Reply by Amy on August 18, 2010 at 6:27am
Interesting. Had the cops been on Wells at around 4:45pm they would have caught a guy walking (very quickly, westward) with a bike frame (no wheels, etc.) and rolling another bike by his side. I called 911. Did they follow up on that? Who knows...

I really question the priorities here.
Permalink Reply by ad on August 18, 2010 at 6:58am
This type of debate never seems to go anywhere. I'd be lying if I said I stop at every stop sign or red light during my commute. If no one is coming in the opposite direction, I will slow down and then roll right through the stop sign. That's why I would favor an Idaho-stop style of law in Illinois.

As a year-round cyclist, though, I'd also be lying if I said I didn't see other cyclists on numerous occassions completely disregard their own safety and the safety of others (if you cause an accident completely through your own negligence and the driver has to live with the fact that he or she hurt/killed you, that counts in my mind as hurting someone else) when going through intersections. We have all seen other cyclists just completely blow through stop signs and lights whenever they feel like it, irregardless of the risks presented.

As long as cyclists keep up that type of reckless conduct on a regular basis, I personally think the CPD has every right in the world to stop cyclists and lecture them regarding the risks of running a stop. Obviously certain people need the lesson. And if you're not smart enough to stop when you see cops set-up at a stop sign running a sting, you are more than likely one of those people.
Permalink Reply by Pablo on August 18, 2010 at 7:23am
There have been 3 cops murdered in the last year, and 3 cops shot at in the last week. Officers can care less about bicycles blowing stop signs. The word must have come down from an Alderman who received complaints from the people living in the area. Relax, it will be back to normal in a few days.
Permalink Reply by milesperhour on August 18, 2010 at 7:41am
Funny because it's true.

Pablo said:
There have been 3 cops murdered in the last year, and 3 cops shot at in the last week. Officers can care less about bicycles blowing stop signs. The word must have come down from an Alderman who received complaints from the people living in the area. Relax, it will be back to normal in a few days.
Permalink Reply by Primitive Don on August 18, 2010 at 7:55am
+1 There's an article in the Reader this week about the fact that there's a decreasing number of beat officers on the street. On example given was a group of 15-20 so-called 'gangbangers' (a couple blocks from my home) that no longer feel they have to disperse when police officers respond to neighbors' calls. Instead these kids can now taunt police because there are no longer enough officers to deal with situations like these. I really think the police, god help em, are a little more concerned with the murder rate and not being murdered themselves than with encounters between cars and bikes on the street. Deep down, I doubt they care whether or not you actually stop at a stop sign. I know it's cool to hate on the po-pos, but you gotta cut em some slack SOME time.

Pablo said:
There have been 3 cops murdered in the last year, and 3 cops shot at in the last week. Officers can care less about bicycles blowing stop signs. The word must have come down from an Alderman who received complaints from the people living in the area. Relax, it will be back to normal in a few days.
Permalink Reply by Spencer "Thunderball" Thayer! on August 18, 2010 at 8:07am

This is the only sane way for a bicycle to operate and obey the laws.
Permalink Reply by Spencer "Thunderball" Thayer! on August 18, 2010 at 8:08am
What exactly did you tell the police when you called 911?

Amy Abramson said:
Interesting. Had the cops been on Wells at around 4:45pm they would have caught a guy walking (very quickly, westward) with a bike frame (no wheels, etc.) and rolling another bike by his side. I called 911. Did they follow up on that? Who knows...

I really question the priorities here.
Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on August 18, 2010 at 8:54am
Please tell me how this is anti bike and not just apathy or uneven enforcement?

In my opinion I have seen more people in danger from running lights and stop signs then I have because a car was less than 3 feet from the.

Jason W said:
Ridiculous! Why don't they pull over the 10+ cars that pass me within 3 feet every time I ride and lecture them? This is just more evidence that the CPD is anti bike.

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