[*BCM*] Just got "pulled over" for running a red on Mass. Ave.

[Hiroyuki Yamada]

Including, I might add, sarcastic comments about the discussion, which 
in and of themselves, contribute little to the debate?

I've never been pulled over for rolling through a red light in MA, but 
in NJ an officer flagged me down after going through a red light before, 
not to ticket me, but to say I could have been hit -- I pointed out that 
it was a red/green intersection, but a red/red/with walk signal, and 
that with no pedestrians, I was safe and so was everyone else. He let me 
go but said to be careful (the cops in my town are notoriously paternal 
in their enforcement of the law and always try to justify ticketing with 
the "it's for your own sake" line), so I guess it depends on the 
specific officer.

Someone mentioned hopping off the bike and walking -- the other 
alternative, at least at the 77 Mass ave "intersection" (really just the 
crosswalk there) is to roll up onto the sidewalk as you go through the 
intersection and then back down off the curb as you pass through it -- 
I've had to do that on numerous occasions to avoid the buses (MBTA, LMA, 
Welleseley Peter Pan, MIT shuttle, there are often more than one right 
there) that clog up that intersection and (justifiably) are pulled into 
the right lane.

Sort of off topic, but another beef with that intersection is the fact 
that when they added the two bike lanes, they nixed one of the lanes of 
traffic, leading to a *three* lane road, both sides (i.e. northbound has 
2 lanes, southbound 1). Has anyone else run into problems where both 
leading up to the corsswalk (basically starting at around vassar) all 
the way through to that next light (amherst alley) that motorists ignore 
the fact that there's 1 less lane? Thereby occupying the bike lane and 
forcing cyclists closer into the dooring zone/basically off the road? 
(I've needled in between the lines of cars or even had to swing out onto 
the left hand side (basically on the oncoming lane side) to avoid the 
clogging)

--Yuki

Jym Dyer wrote:
>> 2 wrongs don't make a right.
>>     
>
> =v= Ain't it wonderful how this particular topic always brings
> out fresh, invigorating new insights?
>     <_Jym_>
>
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