Quote:
Originally Posted by Sliver
It's not about needing to be somewhere five minutes earlier. It's about not needing to wait an extra five minutes for no reason. When you could opt to go through the yellow light without endangering anybody else or affecting anybody else in any way shape or form, why wouldn't you do it?
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So if no one is looking, it's okay to blow through a red light? Laws are only applicable if no one else is around? Part of being a productive member of society is adhering to laws and rules. This is one that is for everyone's safety. You may think you aren't endangering anyone, but what if you aren't seeing all that is happening though the intersection? The reason you need to wait five minutes (which is likely closer to 1 or 2) is because it's the law, and everyone else should be abiding by it as well. Laws aren't applicable only when you feel like it.
One of the routes I bike on has an intersection where right turns are not permitted on red lights, even though the turn is onto a one way street. This is because there is a bike lane that goes both ways, and you don't see it until you are past the crosswalk. Cars just see the traffic flowing from their left, see the light go yellow or red and continue on, thinking they haven't affected anyone. Meanwhile there are cyclists coming from the car's right that they don't see until it's too late. The car broke the law by not stopping at the yellow, and didn't think he was hurting anyone. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to see all the moving parts. If he had just followed the law and stopped, no one would be in danger. It's not fun thinking you are about to be hit, and it's not fun seeing the panic on the drivers' faces when they hit the brakes and think they are going to hit you. I always wait for the light to turn green before proceeding, and I shouldn't have to wait additional time to make sure all the cars running the yellows and reds are through the intersection as well.