Cyclists protesting strict red light enforcement follow law & shut down San Francisco traffic, legally.

Can we adopt Idaho stop for cars too? It’s freaking stupid to come to a complete stop if there is no cross traffic.

We should just go the Belgian route with unsigned intersections.

The other day power was out during my commute home and all the stop lights were out. Holy crap, it was sooo much faster. Everyone slowed down, did the right thing and rotated right-of-way when there was traffic. It was awesome. More signage and rules creates more problems.

I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen drivers approach a right turn at a stop sign or red light at speed with their head craned left intending to blow through if there is no cross traffic and nearly take out a pedestrian.

So an Idaho stop for cars would not be a good idea. But by my estimate 90% or more drivers do it anyway, yet somehow are hypocritically irate when cyclists do the same at a lower speed.

Traffic signs are a remnant of the past. Driverless bikes will ease congestion and increase safety.

Roundabouts would be a nice middleground. They take a little getting used to, and yes, people do sometimes violate their yields in the one near my house, but they’ve been shown to be faster and safer for cars (and not just by Mythbusters). I imagine the same would be true for cyclists, especially since there’s usually a fair bit of room to dodge into the inside of the lane. They’re also a fair bit prettier than a 4-way, too!

To make this worthwhile, they’re going to need to sustain this protest. One day of this isn’t going to work. They will need to be persistent until something gets done.

Car drivers in SF are used to cyclists not stopping completely at stop signs and it makes traffic flow a lot better, especially in places like the Mission district where almost every intersection has a 4-way stop sign. It’s funny how all of the sudden it’s a problem and cops need to start handing out tickets (which by the way don’t make any distinction between cyclists and car drivers and are outrageously expensive). I can tell you from experience that the SF police aren’t much good for investigating real crimes like assault or theft so it’s pretty sad to see what they are wasting their time on these days.

@Mirwin: As much as I like roundabouts/traffic circles, they aren’t a one-size-fits-all solution. There’s a threshold where traffic volume is better served by lights… though there’s places (IE: Dubai?) with multiple linked roundabouts that works just fine, so the issue initially seems to be space. The roundabout needs to be wide/big enough for large vehicles like buses or fire trucks to get through. Don’t laugh, word is some areas of Calgary, AB, Canada learnt this the hard way. The other benefit I’ve experienced about roundabouts is there’s no need for power/electricity for the lights.

As Mythbusters confirmed, roundabouts are superior to a 4-way stop (and that was specifically excluding the U turn aspect).

@Dominicadl: Your supposition is reinforced when you know more about the US prison system.

@matt, our traffic laws aren’t designed to keep cyclists safe. They’re designed to keep cars from murdering everyone else. Ride in a city long enough, and you’ll understand that following the law is often very dangerous.

@Dominicadl, there is one other thing cops do, but we don’t want to incite a riot in this thread.

Agree with James S, most drivers expect a particular behavior from other cars, and bikes. I actually hate it when cars *insist* I go, even though they were clearly there first. If I decidedly get there first, I’m rolling through, it’s much safer, and I think most drivers like that, because it clears out the “slower” cyclists from the intersection. But if the car gets there first, JUST GO! Stop trying to be nice and wave me through, it screws up the entire flow, especially if it’s a 4-way.

roundabouts Merica, roundabouts

I like to see them keep the protest up which means they are obeying the law. Is it really that hard to stop at a stop sign? Most of these people are normally holding a cell phone and not even slowing down to see if there are cars already in the intersection. They deserve to get ticketed.

I spent about 15 years living in Davis, California, aka bike capital of the world. They do ticket you if you don’t put your foot down at a stop sign. Everyone will stop at a stop sign and then proceed through as a group if there are a bunch of cyclists together.

@duder, they’re called roundabouts and are better in pretty much every way for most intersections.

I agree with the article. The Idaho plan is the way to go.