.jpg "Law Would Let S.F. Cyclists Blow Stop Signs")
The city of
"Bicycles would still have to yield if there was a car at a stop sign. They would still have to stop for that car and let them go through," Rachel Kraai of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition told CBS News. "At a stop light they would still have to stop and look both ways, but then they could go through."
Umm, correct me if I’m mistaken, but isn’t that the same as the current law, if they still have to stop?
Certainly, I’m in support of a law that empowers cyclists, but, c’mon—can’t they come up with something better? Like a law that might actually raise awareness of cyclists or protect them on the mean streets of SF? A law that would truly make it easier and more enjoyable for people to ride their bikes?
Most bicyclists already take liberties with stop signs—and rightly so. Technically, they’re pedestrians. In cities like
Resident David Lee shares my concerns. "It’s what they’re doing already," he told CBS. "I never see, rarely see, a bicyclist stop at a stop sign completely or a red light. So I’d rather have a law that’s more practical, one that might actually be enforced. So I would tend to be for it."
If anyone looks like a fool, however, it’s SF’s CBS news. To sensationalize this simple story, the local reporter followed a cyclist through town, then accosted him when he arrived at his destination. The reported shouted accusatory words at the innocent cyclist from the window of his S.U.V., brandished a hot mic in his face, and demanded to know why he hadn’t stopped at several stop signs on his route. The cyclist deflected the harsh attack like a gentleman, though the reporter continued to shout as though he were confronting a child molester on the Montel Williams show. The newscast provided no better proof that cyclists need real support, not some flimsy caveat.
Photo via flickr by BikePortland.org
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