FLCC> [BHV] beware the "rules of the road"

[Peter Ozolins]

you have to look at "the spirit of the law" though. Laws are made for 
cars to fill a need - preserve order and create safety through 
predictable situations in a world with millions of cars zooming around 
driven mostly by people of little competence.

If you look at bicycles, they don't abide by the same "natural laws" and 
don't need the same laws on the road. If bikes don't stop for red lights 
they don't collide and kill people, therefore there's no need for red 
lights for bikes. If you're riding and you know cars will stop for red 
lights and cars will kill you if they hit you, then you have a pretty 
good idea of when you need to stop for a red light.

It's an economy of scale that governs when traffic laws are required. 
few little things going slow are not going to cause much trouble, 
therefor not many rules are required. Big things moving fast are going 
to really hurt people so you need a lot of rules. Traffic laws were made 
for cars, and although you are welcome to follow them --they're a good 
guideline any way-- they are not needed for bikes. Laws are not just 
made so you can obey them blindly, they're there to serve a purpose--to 
solve a problem.

If you are worried that a car will fail to stop for a traffic controll 
and hit you when you are crossing an intersection and know they should 
stop... that's a bad argument, because a car can fail to follow the 
rules and run you over any time. it's going to be more likely to happen 
NOT at an intersection because there's more time spent NOT at 
intersections -plus people are more careful at places of 
danger--intersections--and drive safer.
The problems only arise when cars and bikes collide.

Now of course it's important not to throw yourself in front of a car. 
This endangers yourself, the driver, bystanders, paramedics, bystanders 
on their rout, costs money and resources, etc. as well as creating a 
hostile environment. This comes down to the responsibility that cyclists 
have for their own actions (applicable to every one, but different with 
cyclists, given our status and position on the food chain). Sure, you 
have to act predictably, but what about cycling is predictable to most 
drivers? You've got to make it up and make it fit -- or die. Wherever 
you are, and whether it is in accordance with any laws or not, you've 
got a responsibility to ride your bike so you minimize as much as 
reasonably possible the potential for accidents. Stop at a green light 
if you have to, wave your arms, get off the road, or ride in the 
middle... whatever is safest. We're the ones watching our backs, not any 
body else, so above all don't be in the wrong place. What good is a law 
if you're under an suv? you must always act within your ability and 
reasonable certainty that what you're doing is right overall. If you 
know bikes and you know traffic and you know cars, then you know when to 
stop for lights. If you're new to the subjects, then you should be 
stopping wherever you don't know what you're doing... and learning.

I know you might argue that you should work with the system and change 
it if it is wrong, rather than working around it. On the other hand, 
though if you know you can't change the system, you know the system 
wasn't made for you and you're not going to get in any trouble for not 
following the system then should you devote yourself to futility? It 
would make more sense to do something you /can/ do. Ride your bike. Or 
protest real political issues that are killing people.

/peter

 
Andrejs Ozolins wrote:
> William Lodico wrote:
>   
>> I think the real message is that you've got to make your way in  
>> traffic and make sure everyone around you knows that's what you're  
>> doing.
>>   
>>     
> -- all terrific suggestions, pretty exactly what John Forester 
> recommends in his Effective Cycling. But none of it has any bearing on 
> or justification for going through red lights. On the contrary, 
> effective cycling requires close adherence to car-like behavior. I see 
> where you have time to invent excuses for running the light while 
> waiting, but I can come up with just as good excuses for running them in 
> a car. Not a good idea.
>
> Andrejs (of the pulled chain)
>
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