Post in Bike Fun

May 01 16:58 UTC

So, I just got done watching the KSTP bit on law breaking bicyclists.

http://kstp.com/article/stories/S428329.shtml?cat=1

It doesn't change the legality, but the intersection they chose to
focus on in the video was interesting - except for the idiot turning
left in front of the car - the only way a bike riding through that
stop sign would get in a car's way is if the car went across the T on
a vector to jump the curb.  Its a stop sign that would be run by many
bicyclists who would stop at 4 ways or stop lights.

It was also interesting to watch the guy who "changed his ways" get
passed by a car rolling the stop sign.

In any case, one one of the bicycle forums I read, someone brought up
Idaho's law regarding stop signs and stop lights.  They're a lot more
rational as far as I can tell.  They're also what a number of
bicyclists on this list were more or less describing during the last
round of this discussion.

As far as I'm concerned, anyone violating Minnesota laws but following
Idaho's version of the laws is riding (currently) illegally but
safely.  Anyone violating the Idaho laws is probably putting
themselves and others at risk.  So, the question I have is, in the
interest of bringing laws and rationality closer together, is there
any way that the city of Minneapolis can adopt these rules or does it
have to be done at the state level?:

49-720. STOPPING -- TURN AND STOP SIGNALS. (1) A person operating a
bicycle or human-powered vehicle approaching a stop sign shall slow down and,
if required for safety, stop before entering the intersection. After slowing
to a reasonable speed or stopping, the person shall yield the right-of-way to
any vehicle in the intersection or approaching on another highway so closely
as to constitute an immediate hazard during the time the person is moving
across or within the intersection or junction of highways, except that a
person after slowing to a reasonable speed and yielding the right-of-way if
required, may cautiously make a turn or proceed through the intersection
without stopping.

(2) A person operating a bicycle or human-powered vehicle approaching a
steady red traffic control light shall stop before entering the intersection
and shall yield to all other traffic. Once the person has yielded, he may
proceed through the steady red light with caution. Provided however, that a
person after slowing to a reasonable speed and yielding the right-of-way if
required, may cautiously make a right-hand turn. A left-hand turn onto a
one-way highway may be made on a red light after stopping and yielding to
other traffic.

http://www3.state.id.us/cgi-bin/newidst?sctid=490070020.K

If our law was similar, I think we'd have a lot more bicyclists
working harder to advocate legal riding.

Btw, congratulations to Donald Pflaum for doing a good job of
addressing the valid points of the story (some bicyclists do ride
unsafely and learn lessons the hard way) without supporting the
sensationalistically presented premise the story seemed to be pushing
that car drivers are all well behaved and innocent towards those of us
on two wheels.  We really are lucky to have him - he works hard and I
suspect gets a lot hassle from bicyclists for not being able to move
mountains with one hand.  When it comes down to it, it is a great city
to be a bicyclist in and from what I can tell, he's done a lot to make
that happen.

Oh, since the last time we went over all of this, I've been in another
accident with a car.   I didn't have my armored jacket that day so I
was not only riding completely legally, I was also riding slower than
normal which probably helped save me from being hurt as much upon my
first experience with being doored.  I haven't gotten the wheel onto a
truing stand to see how it fared yet.

Good fun.  The driver was lucky I wasn't moving faster or operating a
heavier vehicle.

- phaedrus (jason.goray), 3-6, minneapolis, minnesota, usa, earth.