Stop signs weren’t designed for cyclists. In fact, very little of our built environment was designed with cyclists in mind. What we have done – as I pointed out way back with the video on the diverging diamond – is developed a tolerance for cyclists, and that only with some heroic effort. Engineers now generally accept cyclists and have even created checklists to help us accommodate them – at least the skilled ones – at a minimal level in our current transportation system. Tolerating cyclists, and sometimes even attempting to accommodate them, is a far cry from designing systems based on their needs.

So should stop signs and all the other traffic controls devices outlined in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices apply equally to cyclists? Apparently some of you think they should. Here is a smattering of the feedback on that post:

NO! If cyclists want legitimacy, they should obey the rules of the road...just like other road users. The best example of this is Holland, where cyclists, motorists and pedestrians rely on each other to create a safe environment for all road users...by obeying the rules and laws that apply to them. This is just an example of cyclists feeling that they somehow deserve special treatment...and will be the cause of much friction and uncertainty in an already uncertain road environment. --- I HAVE TO DISAGREE. Those who use the roads need to be held to the same standard --- Horse pucky. If you want to live in a civilized world then there needs to be rules to protect EVERYBODY from morons. I can't tell you how many times I witnessed a bicyclist being hit or, at very least, almost hit because the cyclist cruised through an intersection or stop sign. If you don't like the stopping and going on your bike then take public transit or a car. --- Disagree, especially because of things like heavy traffic.

For those of you that believe automobile traffic laws should apply to cyclists, my first reaction is (and please don’t be offended because, granted, this is a broad brush): do you ever bike? Do you bike in traffic? In the United States? Perhaps you do. I admit that I didn’t until the last few years, but doing so opened up my eyes to a new set of challenges and changed a lot of my beliefs on cycling in urban areas.

Here in my hometown, cycling is looked at as a recreational activity, not as transportation. As such, we do a fairly decent job with things like rails-to-trails and other recreational improvements outside of our urban and suburban areas. Our trails often don’t go anywhere – they won’t get you to any of the grocery stores, for example – and my family often finds ourselves loading our bikes on the bike rack and driving to a parking lot so we can get on the trail. #failure

As an engineer and a planner, I had designed a number of cycling facilities, but I really hadn’t used them. At least not regularly. So, a few years ago I decided to start biking to work. I couldn’t do it during the school year or when I needed to pick up my kids, but on the days that I could, I would bike the 12 miles each way to and from the office. I could take back roads for the first eight miles or so, but the last bit was on nasty stroads in high traffic areas where I experienced a rational human response: fear.