Rep. Patterson wants to know your stop-sign horror stories
As part of his effort to pass his bill to enable cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs, Rep. Daniel Patterson is asking local cyclists to send him their stories of getting ticketed at stop signs. If you were stopped and ticketed because you failed to put your foot down at a stop sign or in some other safe circumstance, please send your story to him at dpatterson@azleg.gov with “stop sign ticket” in the subject heading. Thank you!
–Erik Ryberg
March 1st, 2009 at 12:32 pm
Red Star supports the bill.
But Red Star notes that the bill hasn’t, in these pages, been placed in any kind of larger and perhaps truer context. Perhaps that failure is caused by the episodic nature of lawyers and their education, training, and experience.
It may well be that incrementalism is the only way to go, but how about some context and strategy?
March 1st, 2009 at 6:42 pm
Hi Red Star,
I am not sure what “larger and truer context” you are looking for. I don’t think I know what you mean by “the episodic nature of lawyers and their education, training, and experience,” either.
As for strategy, I don’t have one. I am just trying to do whatever I can to reduce the number of calls I get from people who have to pay $200 tickets for riding their bikes in a safe fashion.
-EBR
March 1st, 2009 at 7:47 pm
Since I heard about this bill I have been making some observations.
My biggest problem with the stop signs is my speed. When I roll up slowly, motor vehicles have a good chance to catch me and then we both arrive at the same time. This happens alot. This leaves some huge ackwardness. ( I am rather slow for the most part)
1. This causes confusion because it seems they expect the bicyclist to roll through or blow it and want to let me go first. They sit there when I am trying to let them go first. I have to wave them through. I do this for reason # 2
2. This causes them to roll through the stop sign themselves to get ahead of me as I come to my complete stop.
3. If I do arrive at the stop sign first and come to a complete stop. The auto arrives a few seconds latter and then rolls through the stop sign rather than comming to a complete stop and letting me go.
4. When I come to an intersection at a slow speed demenstrate that I am looking both ways several times and noone was at or arriving at the intersection, the cop understood it was safe if I rolled thorugh it at a safe speed.
number 4. was rare but it just happened so I thought to include it. He was at a 3 way stop doing what TPD does.
March 2nd, 2009 at 2:51 pm
“I am just trying to do whatever I can to reduce the number of calls I get from people who have to pay $200 tickets for riding their bikes in a safe fashion.”
-EBR
What’s next?
March 3rd, 2009 at 1:24 am
What’s next, indeed, Erik? Trying to make bicycling in Tucson relevant, affordable and doable? WTF?
March 3rd, 2009 at 8:40 am
This morning there were 2 motor cycle cops hiding on Sixth Ave pulling over bike on University, I assume for not stopping at the 3 way stop there.
March 3rd, 2009 at 11:39 am
Erik,
Heads Up! Police have been hanging out at 6th and University for a couple of days now. I saw a cyclist getting a ticket yesterday. This is a revenue issue, the budget is tight and we are easy targets.
Lori
March 4th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Here’s a sob* -err “horror” story at http://media.wildcat.arizona.edu/media/storage/paper997/news/2009/03/04/News/Police.Beat-3658701.shtml – second story down.
You can tell yourselves that it’s a revenue issue all you want, but if we actually took ourselves seriously as vehicles and obeyed the vehicle laws, there would be no revenue in it, and they wouldn’t be doing it.
March 4th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
That’s exactly it , Scott.
Cyclists are the enablers…
LEOs become the abusers,
as to the intent of the rule.
March 4th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
The bill failed at committee hearing today.
http://azbikelaw.org/blog/bicycle-legistation-introduced/
“if we actually took ourselves seriously as vehicles and obeyed the vehicle laws”
One of the reasons I support this bill is that most cars do not stop either.
http://azbikelaw.org/blog/why-i-support-bikes-safe-at-stop-signs/
So the question in my mind is; is this law being selectively enforced? My experience in the Phoenix area is it is *not*, and only becomes an issue in the event of a collision (this goes for both motorists and cyclists).
March 4th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/Sunday-Streets-expands-routes-40697407.html
Erik,
What do we need to do to bring this to the attention of the powers that be? I think this would be a lovely thing for downtown.
-Charlotte
March 5th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Times like these, it’s good to have a strategy to fall back on…
Oh yes, “no strategy” is a kind of strategy…
March 5th, 2009 at 2:47 pm
My strategy is to do my work. If you have other, superior suggestions, there are a lot of places to make them, including this comment section.