I am mostly a pretty law-abiding cyclist - I think my major sin is that I tend to do the "Idaho stop" or "rolling stop" at stop signs - i.e., slow way down, but not quite come to a complete stop. Especially when riding on residential streets where there's a stop sign at every single corner - starting up from a dead stop each time is much, much harder on the legs.
I did see a previous article about the cycling enforcement blitz where a cop said they generally wouldn't ticket cyclists who did rolling stops and at least looked carefully to make sure there was no traffic before proceeding - that their priority was cyclists who just blew right through stop signs and red lights, and that sort of thing. So I don't think I'm in too much danger... Still, I'd like it if they'd actually legalize rolling stops for cyclists the way Idaho and various other places do. It would make things a lot easier all around.
I don't know the particulars of Idaho's rolling stop allowance. I hadn't heard of it until now. But legalizing rolling stops would create a much bigger gray area that would be harder to enforce. "Stop" means stop. Period. "Slow down" is open to all sorts of enterpretation, and argument. I think it's better to be aware that you are doing something that's technically wrong, but likely to be overlooked than it is to feel you are being careful enough, only to have an officer tell you otherwise.
I don't do the full-stop at stop signs either, unless of course someone else has right-of-way.
*nods* it's all a matter of degrees, unfortunately - without well defined but fair laws (a slow rolling stop on a bike at a stop sign yeilding right-of-way is, in my opinion, a reasonable and safe way to operate a bicycle, and banning reasonable and safe actions seems odd to me) it leaves a most people technically violating the law at least occassionally, and no easy way to tell the yahoos from the honest joes.
FWIW, I will occassionally get off my bike, get on the sidewalk, walk past an likely-to-be-a-while obstruction, and then remount my bike on the far side - but not often, and not in any unpredicatble way.
IMO, toronto driving would be immeasurably improved for cyclists and moorists alike if everyone signalled reliably - no need to pass a motorist turning right on the right if you know they are turning - lots of time to take over the lane and pass on the left. But only if you know they are turning!
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I did see a previous article about the cycling enforcement blitz where a cop said they generally wouldn't ticket cyclists who did rolling stops and at least looked carefully to make sure there was no traffic before proceeding - that their priority was cyclists who just blew right through stop signs and red lights, and that sort of thing. So I don't think I'm in too much danger... Still, I'd like it if they'd actually legalize rolling stops for cyclists the way Idaho and various other places do. It would make things a lot easier all around.
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I don't do the full-stop at stop signs either, unless of course someone else has right-of-way.
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FWIW, I will occassionally get off my bike, get on the sidewalk, walk past an likely-to-be-a-while obstruction, and then remount my bike on the far side - but not often, and not in any unpredicatble way.
IMO, toronto driving would be immeasurably improved for cyclists and moorists alike if everyone signalled reliably - no need to pass a motorist turning right on the right if you know they are turning - lots of time to take over the lane and pass on the left. But only if you know they are turning!
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