Stop! Braking News!
How the coolest thing to hit two wheels is likely already at your finger tips.
Don't make this guy angry. Stop for stop signs.
National Champion Pete Billington of San Rafael, shown here at the Hellyer Velodrome in San Jose, credits much of his fast twitch muscle response to stopping at stop signs.
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It's a growing cycling fashion statement, a training tool, and an indicator of riding prowess.
No, it's not the latest GPS device or power meter. It's stopping for red lights and stop signs.
It's all the rage, and all the cool kids are doing it, from national championship winning bike racers to downhillers to commuters. What may have started as a countywide crackdown against red light runners is evolving into a habit that quickly differentiates between Marin locals and those passing through, the experienced and those trying to show off. The difference? The experienced, skilled crowd stops for stop signs.
And it's not just cops sending the message.
"I confess, I used to do it," says Sean Fekete, of San Rafael, of yesterday's trend of rolling through stop signs. "I'm cruising along, don't want to stop and then start again."
Today, whether riding after work on a fixed gear or blazing down a mountain on his downhill bike, stopping for stop signs has become part of Fekete's regular riding style.
Why the change?
"I was riding a lot with a bike racer, and she was stopping at all the signs, so I just did it because she was," says Fekete. "Later, I was working with a local coach, and his rule was that if you ran stop signs or red lights, he wouldn't work with you."
Fekete is just one of a growing number of Marin locals who feel intense annoyance at those who don't stop.
"It's lazy and disrespectful," he says. "If you want to ride without having to stop, enter a race. Why give pedestrians and motorists even more reason to hate us?"
"I see people blowing stops signs so often now," says says multi-masters track national champion Pete Billington, also of San Rafael. "It is really frustrating when the same people complain about cars not respecting bicyclists."
What sign running cyclists don't realize is that not only do they stand out to the crowd as either inexperienced or dangerous, they're missing out on a valuable muscle defining training tool.
"Stopping at stop signs really is a good opportunity to develop strong core muscles and even sprinting technique," says Billington. "The tendency to swing the bike from side to side during a sprint is just wasted energy and practicing hip drive and forward acceleration is critical to developing top speed."
Throw that at the next newbie who screams "On your left!" at the next stop sign.
How to Stop for Stop Signs
We asked Officer Paul Stromoski of the Ross Police Department what exactly cops are looking for when it it comes to stopping for stop signs. You may find yourself surprised at how easy it is.
1. You don't have to put a foot down. Come to a complete stop, yes, but it's okay to stop for a split second, and then continue on. "Nowhere in the California Vehicle Code does it say cyclists have to put a foot down," says Stromoski. But if you're unable to maintain a track stand (balancing your bike at a complete stop), then obviously, you should, especially in a situation as described in Tip #2.
2. Give motorists and pedestrians who were at the intersection before you the right of way. This is Driver's Ed 101, and yes, it applies to cyclists. Yield the right of way to those who rightfully have it and you may suddenly find yourself within an intersection of allies. Who wouldn't want that?
3. Cops want to see you physically turning your head to look in all directions. "You might think a peripheral look from the corner of an eye is enough," says Officer Stromoski. "But we're looking to see your helmet actually moving. It's the only way we know you're really looking."
These are three tips that can spare you from expensive traffic fines or from drawing attention to yourself as an absolute novice. They could even save your life. And who knows? They may even help you get to the podium.
Do you stop for stop signs? If not, tell us why, so we can make fun of you.
Tell us in the comments.
Lorri Lee Lown
1:01 pm on Friday, August 19, 2011
Hooray, Katie Kelly! Great article. I DO stop at all stop signs and red lights. The only piece of advice I might disagree with is turning your HEAD to see if you have the right of way as you approach an intersection. As we all know, the bike will go where you look, so I typically recommend looking with your eyeballs to prevent swerving into traffic or off the side of the road. Experienced cyclists can roll at low speed, turn their head, and isolate the bike's movement to hold their line, but less experienced cyclists might have a challenge with this.
Katie Kelly
1:50 pm on Friday, August 19, 2011
Thank you, Lorri!
I think you're right, that less experienced cyclists might be challenged. In that case, . they should put a foot down. The turning of the head isn't even advice; it's more like a heads up. That is exactly what cops are looking for.
Personally, I at least unclick my foot, because I'm lousy at doing that quickly.
John Ferguson
5:01 pm on Friday, August 19, 2011
Certainly ignoring stop signs and stop lights is dangerous and rude, but I'm not convinced that always stopping at signs (and lights) is safer than observing the Idaho stop as yield law: http://bicycling.com/blogs/roadrights/2009/07/28/a-stop-sign-solution/. I'm very aware of traffic and if there is none and it's a three or four way stop I slow to about 3 mph and after verifying no traffic I continue. The presence of pedestrians in the intersection always prompts a full stop.
On my regular commute there are several stop lights that have no cyclist controls, so they are essentially stop signs for those not encased in 2000+ lbs of metal. No, I'm not going to ride up on the sidewalk and activate the pedestrian crossing control, sorry. The current signalling system in Marin is designed for cars, not bikes. Once we have verifiable bike recognition at the untimed lights along my route I'll wait for the light. Until then, if no motor vehicle is in a lane headed where I'm going, I will continue to treat the lights controlling low traffic intersections as signs.
Shields up..
Lou Judson
6:39 am on Saturday, August 20, 2011
Yes! Bycycles are required to obey traffic laws, and running lights and stop signs is one reason they lose respect with people who do follow the proper law, no matter what the form of transportation. Pedestrians wait for the light, cars stop for you, it is only smart to stop when you are supposed to.
Emily
6:39 pm on Sunday, August 21, 2011
Great article Katie! Thanks for encouraging more cyclists to follow the rules of the road. I find it extremely annoying when cyclists blow through stop signs. They are giving motorists and pedestrians more reasons to hate cyclists. I actually had a cop in Ross thank me on his bullhorn for stopping last week. Maybe Marin needs an awareness week with volunteers out on the street reinforcing the message that stopping is not a choice, it's the law.
Mark Walsh
10:08 pm on Sunday, August 21, 2011
Katie, thanks for the great article! I strongly agree with writer Lou Judson. If we don't treat the folks in cars with some respect, then we won't ever get respect in return. And regarding the law in Idaho, well, the last time that I checked, Marin County isn't in Idaho, where the rules are different.
A friend who drives a truck for a living said, "Imagine if I drove my gravel truck down the wrong side of the road, and blew through every red light. I would have the book thrown at me, and rightfully so, but there are people out there on bikes for whom that is their normal mode of operation, and it is up to me to read their minds so that I don't end up killing them."
Kelly Dunleavy O'Mara
10:17 pm on Sunday, August 21, 2011
I actually agree with John, that there are instances were full stop is not only not necessary but unsafe. And it's irrational to condemn cyclists for not following road rules when there are lights that don't change for cyclists. Essentially those very rules cyclists are supposed to follow, don't work for them -- the roads and the system don't treat cars and cyclists the same and it's unsafe for everyone to simply continue to demand that they must act the same.
I understand there are cyclists who act completely crazy (going the wrong direction or running busy intersections is a death-wish), just as there are drivers who act crazy, just as there are people who act crazy, but the whole issue of complete stop at stop signs is a bit of a red herring. Most cyclists (most people) don't just run intersections, because most people don't want to get hit. There have been studies that show that most cycling-car accidents don't happen because cyclists run stop signs or red lights; right turns and left turns, and sudden stops cause the most accidents.
Katie Kelly
10:21 am on Monday, August 22, 2011
Actually, what John describes was given the a-okay by Officer Stromoski, who told me he just wants it to look like the cyclists are at least "trying." So many don't.
As for dangerous drivers, do not get me started. And pedestrians on cell phones on busy multi-use paths? Have you no compassion nor common sense?
The craziness is everywhere.
John Ferguson
11:10 am on Monday, August 22, 2011
The key for me is respect and attention. Others are trying to get somewhere too, so let them pass when it's their turn. You also have to pay attention - navigating the roadways requires our full attention while we're doing it. Usually, a lack of safety follows from either a lack of attention or a lack of respect.
Jordan Koch
7:37 pm on Monday, August 22, 2011
Lame! There are times when it's important to stop and observe the right-of-way, but there are other times when there are no cars or pedestrians around and it doesn't make any sense to disturb a peaceful bike ride just because some bureaucrat city planner wanted to control auto traffic fifty years ago.
Your bike is not going to cause the same kinds of damage/injuries that a car will cause when it plows in to another vehicle/person. It's not the same.
If you are in a car and you can't wait two seconds for a bicycle to pass, then you need patience training, not a police officer.
Dave
5:35 pm on Thursday, August 25, 2011
Good to have a police officer clarify the alleged “put your foot down” rule here. I know several cyclists in Marin who have actually been ticketed and paid fines for failing to obey this non-existent law.
Katie Kelly
4:23 pm on Friday, August 26, 2011
It's a non-existent law. So is riding single file not a law. There are lots of made up laws being enforced out there, if not by cops, then crazy drivers. Do not get me started.
Sierra Salin
6:57 pm on Thursday, August 25, 2011
Hmm, dogma and adherence to any laws or rules, which have little to do with the laws of nature or sanity do not serve anyone. There is the spirit of any law, there is the letter of any law, and then there is the enforcement. Unfortunately much of modern day enforcement has little to do with justice or restitution, or the spirit of any particular laws, and more to do with making money, fining, and preservation of empire and profit. Most laws and rules may have good spirits, and the enactment of many of them leaves much to be desired.
We seem to be a punitive society, more than a rehabilitating one, and the real criminals, such as the ones who bring us continual wars over healthcare or education, or infrastructure, or that raid our economy, etc, are never brought to justice.
Sierra Salin
7:02 pm on Thursday, August 25, 2011
O.K. back to bikes. I go when it is my turn, and try to cause the least disruption of traffic flow. More often than not, it is cars stopping, when it is clearly their turn, and waving me on, that hinders the flow of traffic. Or cars with drivers that do not know how to drive around or past a bicycle. I find it irritating and frustrating that motorists seem to expect me to go, no matter who may be the next in line at an intersection.
On the other hand, each bike, represents 2 to 4000 pounds of lifeless and spewing toxic auto which is not on the road, and bicyclists in general should be thanked for conserving rather than consuming.
There are idiots on bikes as well as idiots in cars, and a bike running into someone or something, is orders of magnitude lower on any scale you choose to look at. Have you ever heard of mass fatalities from someone driving a bicycle while drunk for example?
In general, I would suggest that most bicyclists are more aware of their surroundings than most drivers, and, it is always the biker who loses in a mashup.