i’m on the fence about whether cars should stop for bicyclers at intersections without traffic signals.
before being a bike commuter, i was just a casual biker… sometimes to the grocery store, mostly to the pub or downtown for dinner. during these rides, we would consistently refuse cars that stopped for us.
“go ahead! we’re already stopped.” which translates to, “i’d really rather be behind a 3 to 4-ton, motorized death machine than in front of it.”
now that i’m commuting a lot farther than a mile and a half, and passing many more uncontrolled intersections, and kind of in a hurry to get to work, it’s nice when cars stop for me; i don’t immediately get that feeling of disdain.
except.
when one car stops and there are no other cars anywhere nearby.
the first thing you learn in driver’s ed about braking is to glance in your rear view mirror so you’re informed about what is behind you while you slow down. with this logic, a driver that stops to allow bikes to cross, but has no one behind them is wasting everyone’s time.