A colleague walks in my office to tell me about a road raging BMW he encountered on his bike and starts by noting that he blew through a red light because he didn’t see anyone coming – “Wait, you did what?!” Should bicycles stop at red lights? I go back and forth on this issue, but have come to the conclusion that it hurts us in more ways than one when we break the law.
The major problem with blowing red lights is the reaction it elicits from drivers. The animosity between drivers and riders is real and we do all riders a disservice when we disobey traffic laws. I spoke with the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition today and learned about their “give respect get respect” campaign. If we want to get respect and encourage drivers to share the road, then we need to walk the talk.
Learn about SF Bicycle Coalition’s public service campaign.
Read an article about why we don’t like to stop when we’re on a bike.
