Bicycles are a perennial source of angst in most large cities. Bicycling has become more popular in the District over the last several years, and bicycle rules and infrastructure have become important public policy areas. They are also rife with unnecessary histrionics.
Cyclists’ and drivers’ behaviors are extremely similar. Because commuters are often in bad moods before heading out the door, interactions that result in a slight inconvenience are often blown out of proportion. Mix that with confirmation bias, and every minor incident turns into empirical evidence that drivers or cyclists (whichever one the observer is not) are terrible people who should be banned from the roads.
Attend a public hearing about a bike lane or check the comment section anytime someone writes about bicycles, bike lanes, or cyclists and you’re sure to hear several of the following:
1. Cyclists are scofflaws.
2. Drivers want to kill cyclists.
3. Claims of moral superiority based on mode of transportation.
4. Bike lanes make traffic worse.
5. Drivers are rude.
6. Cyclists are rude.
At a recent meeting to discuss a possible bike lane on 11th Street NW between Florida and U Streets, ANC 1B02 Commissioner Jeremy Leffler took umbrage to the idea that a bike lane was needed to increase safety on the three block route. “The problem is not ANC 1B people, it’s the people coming out of Columbia Heights, going 40mph, joyriding into our community and not stopping,” he said. Based on my experience at 1B meetings, Commissioner Leffler is a reasonable and polite person, so this quote merely demonstrates that misconceptions are widespread.
The following day, police were positioned on the southwest corner of 11th Street and Fairmont in Columbia Heights,
ticketing cyclists for rolling through the stop sign. It’s worth noting that southbound cyclists are pedaling uphill at this point, and moving quite slowly. Luckily for the cyclists, tickets did not come with a penalty but had “warning” written into the fine section of the tickets.
It’s true that cyclists rarely come to a complete stop at stop signs unless there is cross traffic that requires the cyclist to yield. Cyclists usually slow to a speed that allows them to ascertain whether or not the intersection is clear, and then proceed forward if it is. This is called an
Idaho Stop.
The Idaho stop is not new, novel, or even controversial in practice (though some cyclists prefer a
different approach). It’s what nearly every single person on the road does nearly all the time. By not stopping, cyclists are behaving exactly like cars and simultaneously making commuting safer and more convenient for everyone involved.
During that time, approximately 57 cars traveled through. Around 35 of those cars did not have to yield to cross traffic. Of those 35, only two cars–less than 6%–came to a complete stop.
Aside from one driver, none who rolled through the intersection put anyone else in danger. Their actions do not make them scofflaws or renegades. They do not lack the moral authority to have input on traffic laws, nor should they have received a fine. They simply behaved in the standard, accepted fashion as appropriate for that intersection.
Similar results are found in
empirical studies, though they often show lower stop sign compliance.
When cyclists treat stop signs like everyone else, they better blend with traffic and lower the inconvenience to drivers. There isn’t enough room for cars to pass cyclists on 11th Street between Florida and U Streets, which means that drivers would be considerably inconvenienced by cyclists slowing to a complete stop and then slowly accelerating at the stop signs.
That stretch of 11th Street
may or may not be a great place for a bike lane (I’d suggest that they remove 11th Street’s stop signs at W and V Streets instead), but that’s a separate issue unrelated to “scofflaw” behavior. Until it is decided, drivers and cyclists should travel safely and courteously, which means not coming to a complete stop at stop signs.
The other thing people don’t realize is that on a bike you can see and hear whether there’s other traffic much better than in a car. Cars have blind spots caused by the windshield pilars and drivers can’t hear another car approaching with the windows up. Plus they approach much faster so there’s less time for the brain to process what the eyes see.
This old true except for electric cars, which at low speeds, can go almost undetected. They are scary…. (but a good thing of course).
I do ‘behave exactly like drivers at stop signs’, I treat them as yield signs and roll through them.
I agree. There are all sorts of laws and guidelines when it comes to driving, but everyone’s interpretations are different. For example (and I see this ALL the time), when merging onto the freeway, you’re supposed to move into the lane as soon as a space opens up. Anyone’s who’s spent more than 10 minutes in DC area traffic knows that the majority of drivers are selfish jerks and instead zoom to the end of the merge lane, stop, and make the rest of traffic stop for them so they can merge to the left… thus backing up traffic.
Similarly, cyclists have the same sort of morals. I go on a group ride every week, and 80% of the riders blow through stop signs without even slowing down. Better yet, they ride in the middle of the road as a group, forcing cars to stack up behind them. I’ve admonished riders before for unsafe riding, and they look at me like I have three heads.
(And don’t think pedestrians are any better. Time and time again, I see people who dart across the street in front of traffic rather than wait the 4 remaining seconds for the walk sign to light up.)
There seems to be a large void of people who care what their actions have on others, and it doesn’t seem to matter what mode of transportation they’re utilizing.
The issue with bicycles is that it takes energy to get started and coming to a complete stop every time would use up tremendous energy, plus considerably slow you down, especially on a really long commute of 45min or more. Rolling through the city where you have these horrible bike lanes between parked cars and moving cars and buses and trucks (often too wide for the lane) take a tremendous amount of attention and skill to prevent being killed.
Until the city gives us real bike lanes or cycle tracks protecting cyclists 100%, I will use the sidewalks, thank you very much. Of course, I will do so with utmost respect for pedestrians, and slow down when required.
Great article and good video. Very much telling of the situation out there; it is a complete and total free for all. If you want to see something, sit at an intersection at 5am. drivers run lights, speed, its crazy.
actually, the right thing is for EVERYONE to actually, fully stop, like they are supposed to. first of all, you missed an important group in this piece – pedestrians. one expereince counting traffic on one intersection doesn’t give you a true appreciation of this. i walk home from work every day. i see cars and drivers and drivers turn into pedestrians every single day and intimidate them while they cross, if they even look out to begin with. i also see pedestrians abuse their right of way and walk out into the street regardless of whether a car or bike is already halfway though the intersection. the only way to make this work is for everyone to do what they were taught as a child. come to a full stop, look both ways, and ONLY THEN continue on.
As a slow-moving (I walk with a cane) pedestrian, I fear bikes far more than cars. Cars at least are on the road. Bikes are on the road and the sidewalk, and come from both directions.