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Department of Mind-splattering Hypocrisy: What is a full stop anyway?
The Web site for the award-winning alternative weekly, the Philadelphia City Paper.
Department of Mind-splattering Hypocrisy: What is a full stop anyway?
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My friend Chris McKenna just sent this video shot by bike evangelist Michael McGettigan of University City's Trophy Bikes. McGettigan set up a camera at Rittenhouse Square — it appears to be the east intersection with Locust — to see if anybody at all comes to a full stop (that's his red folding bike in the foreground). There are, count 'em, three stop signs and a flashing red light which means, as McGettigan explains in the video, that drivers must come to a complete stop and then proceed when it's safe. The coming to a stop issue is one that's always brought up by people on the "cyclists are scofflaws" side of the urban biking argument whenever these things are hollered about.
What did McGettigan find? Hardly anyone — cars, trucks, vans, SUVs, SEPTA buses, school buses (and, okay, cyclists, but we already knew that, right?) — comes to anything even resembling a complete stop unless there is a pedestrian directly in front of them. Most drivers roll right through. Some come to a stop only once they've entered the intersection to find a pedestrian already in the crosswalk.
What other intersections could use the McGetti-cam treatment?
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This video is useful. As I debated the crackdown on cyclist with friends via Facebook, one of them actually said that she believes most cars stop at stop signs. Perhaps her rhetoric was simply an attempt to shout me down but maybe there are a lot of people out there who generally believe that they are most other car drivers are good, safe drivers. Witness the guy who commented on this video on Youtube implying that because there is no car traffic coming from the left, it doesn't matter if cars fail to stop at this intersection. Never mind the people who are walking across Locust or 19th! The fact is that cops stopped enforcing almost all traffic violations decades ago. A crackdown on all forms of transit is needed, including buses and 2000 pound cars.
How about some balance and take a video half a block south at 19th & Spruce? That intersection is controlled by a real redlight and green light. I will bet the video will show cars completely stopped at the redlight waiting for it to turn green. I will also bet that at least half of the bicyclists will come to that same redlight and proceed to go if they do not see traffic coming, especially those in the new bike lane. As noted before, in this video two bicyclists blew through the stop sign and did not even try to slow down. Much commentary about the motorists breaking the law but not a peep about the two-wheelers.
There most certainly was a "peep" about the first cyclist who blew the stop sign. McGettigan definitely does mention the transgression.
@Philly Chit Chat: I think it's called the South Philly Slide or something like that.
Regarding the comment above implying that we have been censoring comments, here's a little behind-the-curtain look at how our comment system works: Most comments are published immediately with no moderation process. Some comments, especially those that contain links or potentially objectionable/inflammatory language, are flagged by our spam filter and must be be approved by the web master, web editor or me. Flagged comments left on the evening before a major holiday sometimes are not acted upon in as timely a manner as we would hope.
Don't they call this the South Philly Stop Sign stop. I think a little brake light is a good thing. Of course if a cop was behind me I would over stop and look both ways just in case.
I am all for positive change and the defense of cyclists because they are widely discriminated group... but this video does nothing to aid our cause, and everything to add more fuel to the fire against us. The two cyclists in the video just BLOW right through the stop sign while the commentator mentions, "ohh will he cut off the cyclist? nooooo". The moron cyclist blew through the stop sign! We need to keep the level headed discussions going, and cease to make videos like this that come off as whiney and self-deserving.
Upon official review: I stand corrected :)!
This is a weird "intersection" to choose because there is no cross traffic. So cars are literally only stopping for pedestrians. But you do have to note that almost every car at least paused while NONE of the cyclists even considered touching their brakes.
Mithras, we publish all comments. Yours just came in at the beginning of the holiday.
I see you still haven't published my comment from Wednesday night. How many others are being held in moderation? I bet you caught a ton more grief than you're willing to show.
Way to egg on the whole car/bike war. You bikers and your whining has become tedious and juvenile. Move to fucking Beijing if you want the streets for yourselves. Cars will always win.
I was hit by a bike heading down a one-way street the wrong way. I'd stepped off the curb to see whether my bus was coming, not expecting that a bike would approach from the opposite direction. Naive of me, I know.... More recently, I was about to start across Market Street near 30th Street Station--on a walk signal--when a cyclist went through the light, almost hitting me, and almost himself being hit by a car. And, yes, as a pedestrian, I've had near misses with cars, drivers whipping around corners while talking on cell phones and the like... or blocking the cross-walk. But shouldn't we hold drivers AND cyclists accountable for unsafe practices? More surprising than the accidents of the past couple of months is that there aren't more accidents.
I seem to recall being accused of using a straw man and red herring tactic when I took note of any number of bicyclists rolling through redlights and riding on sidewalks after I left the Pilot Bike Lane meeting in August. Would this video be a straw man or red herring? And really what is the point? Except to prove that unless the police enforce the laws equally across the board then nothing will change. But does that make the recent argument for bicyclists to obey traffic laws any less valid because of this video?
I think a whopping 98% of drivers actually never come to a full stop at a stop sign unless there's any actual reason to. To a large degree, I actually can understand that. Some people almost came to a full stop but fell short, and I think that's a fairly-decent way to go about it. The best, of course, is to come to a complete stop. This study really doesn't prove much. The cyclist didn't even come close to a full stop, he just flew by like there was nothing there. On top of that, this isn't a 4-way intersection, which would be the single best way to test it.
it really servse no point other than to show no one really obeys the laws as they should however they get across this city. should cyclists suddenly be targeted because a politicians need their names in the paper? no, but the city council should required their original law to be inforced. if the crackdown stops this stupid back and forth banter then it will do some good but everyone really needs to keep track of what they are doing instead of watching everyone else. let the police enforce what they want and live with it.
The more I see bullshit like this from bicyclists, the less sympathy I have for them.
21st and Hamilton. You'll see cop cars blowing through the intersection day and night.
Please take this study to 21st and Cherry. I'm going to die at that intersection. Thank you.
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