BIKE: How to break the law?

[Mike Dahmus]

Patrick Goetz wrote:

> Mike Dahmus wrote:
>
>>>
>>> This is probably the biggest straw man argument I've ever seen in my 
>>> life.  Who exactly is it who's advocating that cyclists run stop 
>>> signs when it's not safe to do so?
>>
>>
>>
>> It's never safe to do so. But since you disagree, then I trust you'll 
>> be with Patrick in pushing for removing the legal requirement to stop 
>> at all stop signs in the city for motorists as well as cyclists. 
>> Ready to put your body where your mouth is? Ready to assume that the 
>> motorist coming up to the stop sign at the cross street is going to 
>> see you and decide to stop this time?
>>
>
> Mike D., that's just plain silly (and I can't believe I'm letting 
> myself get sucked into this goofy debate again).  First of all, you're 
> absolutely wrong.  For the last 10 years, roughly 50 (sometimes 100) 
> times a week, I slow down as I approach a stop sign until I'm 
> absolutely sure there is no car coming from either side of the 
> intersection, then I continue through the intersection without coming 
> to a complete stop behind the sign.  This action is legally defined as 
> "running a stop sign", and on one occasion I was ticketed $120 or so 
> when a motorcycle cop having a bad day saw me doing exactly this.  On 
> the other hand, this is a completely safe thing to do.  Yes, it would 
> be safer to come to a complete stop behind the red sign before 
> proceeding, but then it would also be safer to just stay home and 
> never leave the house.  The ordinary (i.e. non-dysfunctionally 
> neurotic) life consists of taking reasonable risks (e.g. leaving the 
> house in the morning) on a regular basis.

The college student (I presume) who nearly made me wreck my car near UT 
thought he was in the clear too.

As, I'm sure, did some of the motorists who ran red lights and/or stop 
signs and actually killed cyclists.

You're asking us to trust you. You may even be worthy of our trust. But 
that's not the way the law works; nor should it. What you're asking for 
is anarchy.

Consider the recent stories about the competence problem (one of many 
links to study available here: 
http://www.apa.org/monitor/feb03/overestimate.html). Most people who are 
actually good at something merely consider themselves to be adequate, 
but rarely overrate themselves. However, a substantial majority of 
people who are actually quite bad at a task will rate themselves very 
highly.


> (Now it's time to deliver the Mike Dahmus smackdown, in case anyone 
> was wondering.)  

I gave Patrick a chance to retract this. He did not. Now, it's time to 
talk about credibility.

Credibility is not earned by being a foaming-at-the-mouth zealot who 
thinks that the only people on the road are exactly like him - 
bicyclists who have good reflexes, know their limitations, and can be 
trusted not to exceed them.

Credibility is not earned by being experienced with only one mode of 
transportation.

Credibility is not earned by being experienced only with conditions in 
the center city, and not with conditions in suburban Austin and even its 
bedroom communities.

Credibility is not earned by "smacking down" people by name.

Credibility is not earned by failing to account for the needs of all 
other road users, including the 99% who do not ride bikes.

Credibility is not earned by failing to understand that those 99% of 
people do, in fact vote, and that 100% of the current City Council drives.

I'll ask everyone in this discussion to consider this fact: as far as I 
know, the following people (like me) use both their bike and their car 
frequently: Bob Farr, Lane Wimberley.

The following people use their bike 100% of the time, or close to it: 
Patrick, Michael Bluejay.

Who is more qualified to comment on interactions between the modes? 
Whose comments have shown actual experience avoiding accidents and 
citations in both modes?

Oh, I forgot one more: credibility is earned through a combination of 
pragmatism and idealism - not all one or the other. Patrick, how many 
things have you accomplished at the UTC with your brand of firebreathing 
radicalism?

- MD