The Arcata Bike Rally & a tale of bicycle traffic laws

I didn’t take many photos at our local bike rally yesterday, and I was really kicking myself for not getting a portrait of this darling elderly woman with her gorgeous orange-umber road bike, really an elegant lady and elegant bike. But — it was a small rally on our plaza, and everyone who ventured out into the glorious warm and sunny day on their bikes with their helmets got some snacks, a free pin, and a raffle ticket. Everyone won the raffle! Greg chose a much-needed tail light for his bike, and I chose this awesome Allen wrench tool that comes equipped with screwdrivers as well — an essential bike tool!

When we got home from the rally, we chided our friend for not showing up, only to learn that an hour before the rally he had received a ticket for failing to stop completely at a stop sign on his bike. The cop had followed him through three stop signs. Our friend had stopped to the officer’s satisfaction at the first two signs, but failed to stop at the third. His ticket? $211!!

sharing the road according to the nature of the vehicle

Now, the organization we had just rallied with is all about following the laws of the road, sharing the road with cars and not being controversial. So, not much sympathy there. But our friend, Greg, and myself find this ticket to be outrageous for a couple of reasons.

The ticket is the same fee as a car-driver would be ticketed were they to fail to stop at a stop sign. Can we really equate a bicyclist with a car? I’ve seen bicyclists blow through stop signs at very fast speeds, and I don’t condone this kind of road behavior, but if a bicyclist slows to a roll, a “California roll,” and proceeds through the intersection with caution, how can the law dictate that this is the same as a two-ton vehicle failing to stop? As the cop told our friend, the reason for the ticket was that he was “endangering himself.” But if a bicyclist is certain he or she is not endangering him or herself, and they certainly aren’t endangering anyone else, then what is the point of the ticket? Should we also give tickets to pedestrians at stop signs?

Sometimes it is more practical for a bicycle to yield at a stop sign than to stop. I can’t count the number of times that I’ve approached a four-way stop sign, only to meet up with a car at my left that has just made the stop and is proceeding to cross the intersection. As I slow down to evaluate the intersection, my speed and the car’s are in tune. We can both clear the intersection safely at the same time. Also, we live in a small town. It is not uncommon for me to approach a four-way stop sign that is totally deserted and will continue to be deserted for the next 5 or 10 minutes.

Yielding at a stop sign as opposed to stopping completely is especially practical in a hilly area. I can think of several stop signs in our small town that are situated in such a way that were I to stop completely, I would have to get my momentum going from a stand-still. I am human-powered– this is hard! And it also puts me in the middle of the intersection going about Zero miles per hour when other cars approach.

alternative bicycle laws

Greg did some research and found that Idaho has adapted their laws to treat bicyclists just a little bit differently than cars, while still expecting them to obey traffic laws.

Every person operating a vehicle propelled by human power or riding a bicycle shall have all of the rights and all of the duties applicable to the driver of any other vehicle … except as otherwise provided in this chapter and except as to those provisions which by their nature can have no application.

They delineate the expectations of a bicyclist at a stop sign as such:

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.

A full list of Idaho’s bicycle laws can be found here, and an interesting article discussing this issue can be found at bicyclelaw.com.

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Comments About The Arcata Bike Rally & a tale of bicycle traffic laws

// 3 comments so far.

Greg // May 21st 2010

A “stop as yield” law for bicyclists would bring bike law on par with actual practices by cyclists. An unenforced law creates a situation where police officers are encouraged to discriminate against people because they end up enforcing the law when they need a tool to harass the homeless or disadvantaged.

While serious or hardcore cyclists may know it’s a 200 dollar fine to roll through a stop sign at less than 2 MPH, casual bicyclists really don’t think about it. Many people are shocked when they realize how strict bike laws are in California.

Committed cyclists and environmentalists want bicycling to gain a more favorable image with the public. Creating bicycling laws that don’t make the majority of bike riders criminals every time they cross an intersection might do a lot to change the way people think about bicycles as transportation.
Charlie Hand // May 21st 2010

Alas, I hear in this blog an assumption that legislators seek some sort of good. Legislators in 21st century America seek only to maximize the profit of their corporate owners.
Les // May 21st 2010

Thanks for the post. I’m still feeling let down by the lawman today. I thought about this as I almost got hit by a cyclist that blew through a stop while i was walking in a cross walk (he was turning the corner). wish the cops would ticket that behavior and demonstrate that they can discern it from safely managing a stop (i.e. a crawl – especially at a clear intersection like the one I was cited for yesterday).

I went back to the intersection today on my bike (9th/F) where the bus station drive meets the firehouse. It’s a place without obstruction and a one-way street meeting a two-way. Like yesterday there was no traffic, and no pedestrians. I really had to MAKE myself come to a complete stop. It’s outrageous. The officer that ticketed me told me he gives out 15-20 such citations to cyclists daily. I wonder what percentage of those are issued to cyclists that behaved as I did at the stop (slow roll) vs. those that blow through and nearly run into people as the cyclist that nearly ran into me today. I guess the point is moot since he told me he sees no difference. A stop is a stop, right? Or is it?

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