Most students can relate to this story: You’re crossing the street, perhaps on your way to Neuberger or Smith, when you come an inch from being run down by a cyclist. Bewildered, you glance upward to confirm that the signal says to walk. Sure enough, there it is. You had the right of way. And yet you’ve just narrowly avoided a collision with a cyclist who decided to run the red light.
It’s a common occurrence, to say the least, and now there’s some data to back it up. Four students in the Natural Science Inquiry class at Portland State decided to look at how many cyclists ran red lights at intersections on campus, as opposed to other motorists.
Their observations—taken from three intersections at random times over the week—were both surprising and unsurprising. Of those observed, almost 60 percent of cyclists ran red lights, whereas only 7 percent of motor vehicles did so.
While far from scientific, these results still speak volumes about how motorists and cyclists view the rules of the road.
According to studies conducted by the city of Portland, motorists obey stop signals for the most part, perhaps because the consequences are more concrete for someone in a car or motorcycle. Cyclists are not as likely to be pulled over or ticketed for traffic offenses; if anything, a cyclist is more likely to be ignored or sworn at.
Considering the many accommodations Portland makes for those who commute by bike, shouldn’t cyclists at least try to adhere to basic traffic laws?
A big part of the problem is that there is little accountability for cyclists who break laws. Unless they are witnessed by an officer who has the time to talk to them, they are largely left on their own.
Bicycles are not registered, nor are they licensed. A red light camera can identify a car, but a bicycle is another story. There is no surefire way of ensuring that the bicycle in question can be identified.
Another part of the problem is that cyclists think that they are not dangerous. While it is true that a majority of accidents involving bicycles result in minimal injury or injury only to the cyclist, the potential for danger is still there. In August, for example, an older woman in San Francisco was killed after she was struck by a bicycle.
And for those who run lights in four-way intersections, there is the added danger of being hit by cross-traffic. It is not merely dangerous for pedestrians; cyclists can be hit, too—by cars, motorcycles, or other bicycles.
To be fair, a majority of cyclists who run reds are careful about it. Most of them slow down or check to see if there are any pedestrians in their paths or oncoming traffic facing them. Only a small number charge through without looking.
But cyclists are still required by law to stop at red lights and stop signs, and it seems that the majority of them are not doing so. This should be more strictly monitored so that both cyclists and pedestrians can be safe.
A cyclist who runs a red is as much a danger to himself and pedestrians as a motorist who does the same.