Hot tipper Cienna fed us this story… Apparently several European cities are revising their laws to actually allow bicyclists to run red lights (yielding to oncoming traffic of course), and here’s their reasoning:
In Paris, where bike share began and cycling is rampant, the municipal government decreed it legal for cyclists to flat out run red lights, according to The Telegraph. Several reasons were cited. According to officials and public documents about the law, the goal is to reduce bike backups clogging intersections. Cyclists are slower with less control as they accelerate from a stop, making them more likely to swerve or fall into a car lane.
Likewise, a crowded gaggle of them waiting for a green light means they will pack closer up against cars in more dangerous proximity once everyone starts moving at different speeds. Plus, drivers of cars densely packed together waiting for a light may have lower visibility of a cyclist up ahead in a lane over. In all, when there are too many cyclists waiting at a red it becomes a danger.
The rules are set to take effect on 1,700 Paris intersections, and this is an important note in this story:
Cyclists who grill red lights, as the previously-ticketable act is known in French, will have to yield to any oncoming traffic and, of course, pedestrians. They also must make room for entering traffic turning. Any accidents occurring while they are crossing will be deemed their fault.
I realize this is like dangling fresh meat over a lion’s cage, but….
If “any accidents occurring while they are crossing will be deemed their fault,” doesn’t it just seem like it’d be open season? How many fatal accidents do you think we’d have every month?
Well, at least they don’t have to surrender to the red light
hey oh!
Bikes!
Cars! Everywhere! Moving people through intersections in the least efficient way!
You know Idaho has had a law allowing cyclists to stop at red lights, then proceed through when they deem it is clear while yielding to anyone who has the right of way for more than 6 years now. It has not caused an increase in accidents, these laws are just common sense.
As long as people in bikes actually stop at red lights first, I don’t have a problem with it. That’s really the issues though, is the not stopping initially. Watch the intersection of Williams and Killigsworth during peak hours and you’ll likely see a quarter of the people commuting by bike blowing through the light. The people who stop first aren’t the problem.
Thing is, what’s the argument for not doing the same for cars? If there’s no one coming in either direction, why not treat it like a flashing red?
En tant que végétalien I. ..
As a resident of the Illuminated City for a year (and an ex-Portlander), I can tell you that riding a bicycle in Paris is a bit crazy. There are a lot of ancient Roman 3-way intersections here and cruising through them at a moderate speed is what EVERYONE does.
BTW, someone didn’t pass their advanced french grammar course in the Poll section of this article.
How’s about we make the choices:
NON, NON, NON! JE CONDAMNE CETTE NOUVELLE LOI!
Et
Oui, oui oui! Je permettrai cette nouvelle loi.
I got the impression that the cars in Paris already did this anyway.
Baise toi vegetalien!
@b-lo dave
That would be making the assumption I even took high school French. Why learn a different language when you have Google Translator?
Thinning the herd….
I DON’T KNOW FRENCH SO I PICKED AN ANSWER AT RANDOM
It’s hard to believe there is a whole country full of french people.