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Originally Posted by squiggs96
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.
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Noooooooooo, I don't think it's okay to run red lights. I think it's okay to go through a yellow light when it's a toss up between stopping and going so long as it won't affect anybody else such as somebody turning left in front of you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by squiggs96
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.
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Cool story, bro. Running that yellow light affected somebody else so he probably shouldn't have done it, although it's often legal to go through a yellow so I'm just taking your word for it here. I've said in basically every post on this topic that you shouldn't run a yellow if it will negatively affect somebody else.