Seeing the number of other cyclists that just blow through lights and stop signs, I'm pretty sure that the majority of them must not even know that they're supposed to stop.
There are a few bike specific lights on my route to work and the number of cyclists that stop at these intersections is astronomically higher than at other, equally busy intersections.
>Seeing the number of other cyclists that just blow through lights and stop signs, I'm pretty sure that the majority of them must not even know that they're supposed to stop.
As a biker, I think we need to educate others on this. If we bikers want respect, we need to be willing to share the road sensibly. I have a bit of strong feelings towards drivers, but I also disdain bikers who don't follow the rules and just make it harder for the rest of us to garner the respect we badly need on the road.
Do schools I the US teach children how to safely ride a bike? When I went to primary school in Germany we had a cop cone by several times and we went to a parking lot that had fake roads painted on it and he taught us about traffic rules and we ride bikes around the lot while he gave us feedback. We learned about right of way, arm signals etc.
Another good idea (seen in the Netherlands) is to give red lights a countdown [0]. In my limited, anecdotal experience, people are more willing to wait when it's clear how long it'll take. Of course, this should be done in combination with bike-specific traffic lights, of which i am an advocate.
There are a few bike specific lights on my route to work and the number of cyclists that stop at these intersections is astronomically higher than at other, equally busy intersections.