There's a bike path I use to commute that has several breaks in the medians to allow for U-Turns. On the bike path, there are these mini stop signs for the bikes with green paint in the crossing but drivers also have a stop sign and bike crossing signs. These sections often get busy in the afternoon but what's interesting is that Ive went back and forth between doing a full stop if there are any cars waiting or slowing down and doing a rolling stop to get out of the way faster. In both scenarios, Ive had people either yell or honk at me because I do a full stop and take too long to cross or that I blew the stop sign.
Im curious how many of you guys have a similar bike path in your city and how you'd typically treat this sort of condition.
by Future_Honeydew5768
23 Comments
I would stop, because that’s how traffic control devices and a shared rule system work. Ignore anyone that yells at you for taking too long, LOL that’s ridiculous.
I’d follow the local law with respect to bikes and stop signs and then either ignore or educate drivers who get bothered by that.
I really need a shirt or something that says “CAUTION: I BIKE LIKE DRIVERS DRIVE”
speaking only for the small part of northern colorado that I am very familiar with – I haven’t seen shit like that and I am very thankful. I would complain a whole bunch about it, but I would also stop at the stop sign unless there was absolutely no cars, and wear a helmet cam and report people. I view cars, all cars, as a threat.
I complained about an uneven mixed use path 2 weeks ago and today my normal route was blocked, they were re-pouring the concrete to fix the uneven section. Had to backtrack to a different path bridge about 500 feet away, and they are about to start construction on an underpass on the only over 30 mph road I come across in my commutes. It isn’t exactly bliss here, but it makes me really feel for those of you in much worse situations.
Hey we’re slow learners here.
We have two versions of this in my city.
One has a stop sign at a pedestrian path that is sometimes used by cyclists and which cost crosses car traffic like the one you show. I am usually in a car for that one. Cars have a four-way stop at the same intersection.
At that intersection I have almost never seen a cyclist or jogger or pedestrian. Stop for car traffic. Motorists treat that intersection like a normal four-way stop. Pedestrians and cyclists treated as an intersection where they have absolute right way as normal. It is the stupidest stop sign ever for cyclists and pedestrians. It’s confusing and it just doesn’t work.
The other place where we have some stop signs is on an intersection where there are no cars allowed. It is a place where two bicycle paths meet. pedestrians are also expected to use the space. Again it is confusing and so far as I have seen ignored. A better approach would be to tell which direction of traffic should yield to oncoming traffic. And that’s how I treat it. I yield to cross traffic when I approach one of these stop signs, but I do not stop. It’s actually dangerous in my situation to stop.
So that’s how it is where I live. My recommendation for you is to study how your community handles this intersection by observing other users. You might also bring it to the attention of your local political representatives or traffic planning commission. There might be a more sensible way to accomplish whatever goal they’re trying to accomplish here.
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Is that a stop sign for the bike lane to stop or the left turn car lane to stop?
If it’s for bikes, it’s stupid and should be ignored if safe.
If it’s for the left turn lane, that should be a yield to bike lane sign.
Edit:
There is a “yield to bicycles” sign further behind the screenshot. So since turning vehicles must yield to bicycles, that stop sign seems null and void. Or, at the very least, contradictory to the yield sign for the cars.
Honestly do what feels safest for you, if you go to a slow roll and can keep going then do it. If you slow roll then you can always stop if it feels unsafe
This is totally the case where I will get off the path and ride the road.
Does the road give you right of way here if you’re traveling straight? Or does the road also have stops for straight through traffic?
If you can just ride the road and have no stop signs that is faster and safer than this mess since every one of these intersections is an interaction that can go wrong.
This kind of bike path design infuriates me. Bikes going straight should not have stops if vehicles going straight don’t.
It does depend on the distance between stops on the bike lane. But I’ve seen them where the bike lane has ten stops in a quarter mile and the adjacent street has zero.
I think what you are noticing is that many drivers don’t care how you operate your bike, they would prefer it if you didn’t exist.
I get most of my road rage experiences from drivers when following the regional laws like stopping at stop signs.
Further back there’s a yield to bicycles sign. How do you yield when the bikes have a stop? One does not yield to stopped traffic. The signage is contradictory.
https://preview.redd.it/ms47tcx3xlof1.jpeg?width=2360&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=04d00fb5bddf7f4fd279801b5d5c9f304469cc62
Where I live it’s fairly normal for people to treat the curb as the stop line—or the white line separating the shoulder from the travel lane or the far side of the crosswalk marking. The only two ways I see of addressing this are rigorous enforcement of existing laws or concerted collective political action. And I don’t see how you get the former without the latter.
What I’m saying is I think their objection is having to stop at all at the stop line I can clearly see before the bike lane.
WAIT I KNOW THAT BIKE PATH! I almost commented “yeah we have a bike path EXACTLY like that.” Haha.
I am sure we have passed each other, hello fellow 315er
If there’s no car there, or about to be there, I’m not stopping.
You might take this up with your local Public Works Department. At best they may fix this confusion and at worst they will have an infuriatingly nonsensical explanation as to why they insist on doing it this way. (Bonus if they reference MUTCD.)
Cyclists should not have to Stop from A to B as it will break momentum. Fuel efficiency
Yeah we have a lot of those. My understanding is that there technically is no such thing as a “bike crossing”, and by using a stop sign at these locations they eliminate the potential for lawsuits over collisions.
And yeah no one is ever happy with what you do on a bike. Just smile and wave.
1. ride safe 2. ride fast 3. (optional) don’t create havoc.
Stopping is more dangerous. You have a worse perspective and no momentum. that’s 5-10 seconds of vulnerability, vs 1 second of coasting through.
Simple. I tap the brakes, prepare to stop, and if there’s traffic, I stop. No traffic, I keep moving. Nothing too complicated.
People usually (not always, but usually) get mad not because you’re there, but because they don’t expect you to be there and they get surprised and don’t know how to actually process their emotions lie mature adults.
Feedbag on the handlebars. Air horn in the feed bag. DOOT DOOT as you roll through.
I knocked on two trunks today for blocking the sidewalk/crossing path like this. Probably not the best thing to do but idc..
I have similar crossings on my commute. MUP with a stop sign and a crosswalk, but no stop sign for cars. I proceed with caution and yield/stop if necessary. If I come to a complete stop many drivers won’t stop for me. My state has Idaho stop laws though. Almost no cyclists come to a full stop at these stop signs.
So what is the culture or law in your area? Personally I would slow all the way down where you can stop if needed. Look directly at the driver. If they clearly see you and plan to let you go then don’t stop. If they don’t see you or you aren’t completely sure they are going to let you go then come to a complete stop. If they are blocking the crossing like in the picture either come to a complete stop or cross behind them with extreme caution; drivers turning left from the road parallel to the path won’t be able to see you.