cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/54045255

I have adopted the habit of ignoring red lights.

Rationale: If cars did not exist, cyclists would never have to stop. Every time I must stop at a traffic signal it is to cator for motorists who are mostly a self-serving detriment to public health and safety. #FuckCars.

I used to obey all the traffic rules but after coming to the realisation that much of my time is wasted and my journey is downgraded so copious lazy people can exploit a luxury (some demographics aside). Fuck that. I now run red lights like crazy.

Now I must consider that Tesla may fuck up my lifestyle because Tesla is a moving point of unchecked uncontrolled surveillance. Theoretically, Tesla could be grabbing the faces of cyclists. It could offer to report cyclists who run reds. It could sell that info to law enforcement. Am I overthinking this or is this a problem to watch out for?

OTOH, I am somewhat looking forward to a day when I can spot when a car is self-driving and (if I can ever gain confidence that they won’t mistake me for a tumbleweed) I would happily take liberties – to cut-off the car and force it to slow down and give way. I hope that tactic can go from dream world to real world.

  • evenwichtOPEnglish
    1·
    13 days ago

    What about pedestrians trying to cross these streets you want to blaze along?

    Nothing changes for them. Pedestrians have the right of way on a crosswalk regardless of whether a signal is in play. It’s the cyclists responsibility to avoid the pedestrian which is generally a matter of cycling behind the pedestrian, sometimes slowing down a bit if needed.

    What about bicyclists who need to merge, or perhaps are not as fast as you?

    No need for stopping; just vary speed as needed.

    • alexc@lemmy.worldEnglish
      1·
      12 days ago

      So, same rules as cars, motorcycles, /etc…? It’s a nice idea, but in practice it just takes a few people not paying enough attention to make this fail, no matter how many wheels they have.