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July 16, 2008
Can Bicycles Run Red Lights Legally?
Bicycle advocate Alex Thompson wrote on his blog that he ran various red lights last night in Santa Monica. He explains his actions. "Because the decrepit signals wouldn’t change for me. Every time I visit Santa Monica City Council I run the light in front of the Police Department. I wait and wait and wait before I realize that the signal is not going to change for me. Then I look around, make sure there aren’t any police about, and I run it."
He noted that there was "supposedly" a law allowing people to run a red light if it is not changing. "I’m not looking to have that conversation with a cop," he said.
It's true, the California Vehicle Code does have something for this:
21800 (d) (1) The driver of any vehicle approaching an intersection which has official traffic control signals that are inoperative shall stop at the intersection, and may proceed with caution when it is safe to do so. This subparagraph shall apply to traffic control signals that become inoperative because of battery failure.
Of course, it's very interpretive. How long does one have to wait for it to equal inoperative? How does one know when it is battery failure? If a light changes for a car, but not a bicycle, does that make it inoperative?
Photo by racreations via Flickr
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I have been stuck at lights on a bike that won't change, and I've run those lights. If I feel that it would be safe to cross as a pedestrian, I go for it like I'm crossing on foot at any other intersection.
Blowing through red lights on a bike is still not kosher. It's bikers who do that, and who can't ride single file (I'm talking to you, rich, white guys on the $7000 bikes with matching spandex) who are 90% of the problem bikers in LA.
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Just because a light is red doesn't mean it's inoperable.
That being said there are plenty of chances to safely blow through red lights, for most bikers this is the MO.
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The problem are those are intersections with sensors. I had that problem with both my bicycle and my scooter. I would either sit there for a few minutes and wait for another car to come by and trigger the sensor, or run it when it was safe and not a car in sight. Eventually I avoided those intersections all together.
I posed that question to the Pasadena Star News ask a police column the same thing - what do you do when you're riding something that does not have enough weight to trigger the sensor. Unfortunately, they removed the column the same week I sent my letter.
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Hey, even the Militant has some operatives who are inoperative.
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I'm not a fan of running lights just to keep going. I'm too paranoid of getting hit and I really try to be a good, respectful cyclist. Sometimes I'll start a bit earlier, before my light turns green (and as the other is turning red) just to get out of the way of the car behind me. But, for the vast majority of the time, I really don't like blowing through reds, especially by myself.
I think I posed this question before. I can't find the page on Google anymore, but I swear there's a store that sells tiny magnets that you can put on your bottom bar that trigger the sensors.
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Oooh!!! Running a light IN FRONT OF THE POLICE STATION!!!! What cajones!!! All cyclists are ultra cool rebels!!!
Or maybe some people just take things a little too personally. Impatience is not just for the auto-bound, it seems.
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@gonzoworm.
Patience won't make a traffic signal change.
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times are changing. expect good things to come as times gets worse.
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Huh, I started some googling after panasonicyouth's comment - found this
http://www.wikihow.com/Trigger-Green-Traffic-Lights
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I can understand running the light for that sort of situation... I've had to do it on my motorcycle and in my car over the years.
However... Come to the Belmont Heights neighborhood in Long Beach and watch the bicyclists run every stoplight, stop sign, etc, regardless of traffic. I've had to slam on my brakes in my car (or motorcycle) more than once because of that. That's a major safety risk for everyone involved!
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The problem is lights that operate only based on sensors. No cyclist can set those off, and as stated above, even mopeds and motorcycles may not do the trick either.
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I hate swerving around bicyclists on the road. I think they should have to stop at the red lights and stay there. Forever.
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hey gonzoworm, i think you meant 'cojones' which would be 'balls' instead of drawers (as in furniture) which is what you wrote.
in your quest to be so cool because you don't care about cyclist issues, you ended up sounding like the moron you probably are.
good job!
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touche, Christina.
My bad...if not being a native spanish speaker and a poor typer makes me a moron so be it!
I'm not questing to be cool, but was attempting to be witty. Thanks for the name-calling though!
;-)
I do care about cyclist issues deeply, but I fear those "oppressed" people who see conspiracies behind every little thing that isn't perfect in LA takes the discussion away from the very important issue of how we can better accomodate all modes of personal non-motorized personal transport safely. Complaining about a traffic light just seemed petty because traffic lights aren't discriminitory.
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what i take issue with is taking the attitude that the people complaining about the issues are acting oppressed. i think the vast majority of them are simply bringing these issues to light because they would like to continue their cycling lifestyle and not be so frustrated at living in this culture that does not value modes of transportation that don't involve a car.
i don't think anyone expects things to be perfect, but at the very least it would be nice for our streets to be a bit more non-car friendly.
complaining about traffic lights not changing is not petty when you are faced with that issue often, due to riding a bike or a scooter or other small vehicle that does not trigger sensors. i can imagine that's a royal pain in the ass when you are trying to get where you're going within a reasonable amount of time.
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This wouldn't be such an issue if there were not so many traffic signals that were purely sensor activated. Some lights are mixed, sensor and timer, so even if no sensor is triggered the light will go through a cycle and change. Unfortunately many sensors assume all traffic can trigger the signal which is rarely true for bicycles, and sometimes even motor cycles have issues as noted. This problem is especially glaring on streets with bike lanes, which give one the suggestion bicycle use was anticipated on the road.
If the law expects cyclists to use the road ways as vehicles then the traffic engineering of roadways should consider bicycle use. Bicycles have been using roads since before cars were invented, it's not like this is a new phenomenon.
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@7:
But it does decrease the blood pressure!
Do we know that this was/is a pressure sensor? If not, then the light timer was off or broken. Whatever the case, if there's clearly a timing issue, esp. at night, I'd drive through, too...after coming to a complete stop and checking both way of course!
;-)
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In case anyone made it this far, I'm the author of the original piece. All the lights I ran are sensor operated and will not change late at night without a car over the sensors. I ran each light only after waiting through a cycle and the realizing that the light wasn't going to change.
The rest of the post was just meant to play to stereotypes of cyclists in order to start up this kind of discussion.
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A quick tip: If you're at a light that won't change, look to see if there's a pedestrian crossing button. Hitting that is the same thing as a car crossing the sensor.
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#7 of the Cyclists' Bill of Rights is:
Cyclists have the right to traffic signals, signage and maintenance standards that enable and support safe cycling.
http://www.ibikeu.com/wiki/index.php/The_Cyclists%27_Bill_of_Rights
The issue of signals that respond to the presence of a cyclists is easy to address but requires traffic engineers willing to calibrate the traffic loop detectors to detect cyclists. It's simply an attitude adjustment on the part of the engineers!
http://soapboxla.blogspot.com/2006/10/same-rules-same-rights.html
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Happens on my motorcycle all the time. I'll wait for a minute, and either turn right then pull a U-turn, or go through the intersection cautiously.
Some of my friends that ride buy large, powerful magnets and put them on their center stands (bottom of the motorcycle) to help activate the sensors, but even that doesn't work 100% of the time.
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Jeremy -
I've sat there, in the saddle, slamming a pedestrian crossing button for minutes, and seen no change in the lights. If those things actually work in more than 10% of all intersections then I'm the tooth fairy.
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No
Take my word for it.
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I guess the stop signs in my neighborhood must be inoperative also.
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I bought rare earth magnets to try to make signals change, doesn't work. I still run the red arrow into my street when the coast is clear.
I'll gladly defend myself if I get a ticket. The technology isn't inclusive. And I have a big motorcycle.
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In redondo beach, it is illegal. there are no lights that function that way, and there are huge lit up signs all summer long warning bikers not to run red lights, unless they dont mind huge fines.
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Get off your bike. Walk yourself and your bike to the button. Push the button. Get back on your bike.
A nation of scofflaws is just a third-world country.
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Actually, a nation of failing facilities (dangerous streets, busted streets, loop detectors that are non-operative, infrastructure that fails to accommodate all legal modes, etc) is more likely the sign of a third-world county.
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I hear two things in these comments: complaints about the dangers of riding in LA and the issue of red lights/sensors:
First, you are riding in traffic. Period. It’s dangerous. Competing with a H2, which is being driven by a moron on a cell phone, for road space is dangerous if you are in LA or in some-hick-town, USA. Second, you think riding is bad here? Have any of you ridden in San Francisco or Santa Cruz?? Motorists HATE cyclists up there. I lived in Santa Cruz for 10 years and commuted on my bike during those years. I’ve in Santa Monica for 6 years and have ridden all over SM and even rode into Hollywood when I worked there. In the 6 years I’ve been here I’ve had one (yes, only one) run in with a motorist. He cut me off and it was so close and made me so angry I chased him down. He actually let me catch up to him and he apologized. Yes folks, he apologized. He said he was wrong and wasn’t paying attention. Never, in the 10 years I was in SC did I ever have a motorist apologize for almost killing me…and it happened a lot. Considering how nasty driving is in this town, I have found LA drivers to be quite courteous to me when I’m riding. I had way more problems in SC.
Second, this thing with the lights. Now, I’ll probably get pelted by all of the law abiding cyclists here…but yes, I run red lights. And here’s my justification: I follow all of the rules in heavy traffic. I would never dream of running the light at the intersection of LaBrea and Santa Monica or Westwood and Wilshire. But if I’m commuting on my bike, that means I’m not driving (and thus, not spewing exhaust). So yes, I’m going to take a few liberties. If there is no one coming and I’m not gonna get in anyone’s way – I’m running it. If you’re sitting at an intersection at 9pm and there isn’t a car in sight…are you really going to try to wait for the light??? And no, sorry, I’m not going to clip out and get off my bike to hit the walk button…and yes, I know I could get a ticket, but first they would have to catch me!