Dear Fellow Bike Commuters,

This morning I just about got plowed over by someone on a nice
internal geared fendered commuter bike at a 4 way stop.

Way back in the dark ages of bike commuting around here, there were
never any other bikes, or so few that you would never see them, and
thus all you had to worry about when coming to a 4 way stop was
something with a big bumper.

I had come to stop, checked, no cars, no bikes, started going and boom
zipp here comes someone going so fast that if there was a car in the
intersection they would have had a hard time stopping.

It is tempting to run stop signs.  Esp 4 way stop signs.

Please don't.  Don't be that jerk.  As more and more cyclists come out
and start riding in (yeah!) it is all of our responsibility to ride
appropriately.  Stop signs aren't suggestions. Do a rolling stop if
you want but you should always be able and prepared to stop when you
have a sign.  Always.

Obeying the rules of the road also reduce your exposure and chances of
getting nailed by a car.

If this was the first time I've almost been creamed by another bike
flying through stop signs, maybe I wouldn't be so bothered by it.  But
it wasn't.  Sadly it might not be the last.  I'd hate to see two bikes
get destroyed and people sent to the ER because someone in the cycling
commuter community felt that stop signs only apply to cars.

Be safe out there and keep your heads up.

Geoff Williams
Leduc Bioimaging Facility Manager
Brown University

http://www.brown.edu/Facilities/Leduc_Bioimaging_Facility/

Bike to Brown discussion list:
http://listserv.brown.edu/archives/bike-to-brown.html

Bike to Brown website:
http://biketobrown.brown.edu/