By: Diane Benjamin
Watch this video, you don’t need the sound to realize what is going on:
The video was filmed by Normal resident Doug Fansler. The Town of Normal must think bikers and pedestrians have no responsibility to “cross when clear”. Normal expects vehicles where the speed limit is 30 MPH to notice somebody ready to cross and automatically stop because they set up a gizmo in the road.
Personal responsibility isn’t required!
Does Normal realize all the stopping and starting by vehicles contributes to pollution? Vehicles aren’t efficient when they suddenly have to stop. The chances of getting rear- ended stopping in the middle of the street increases too. People unfamiliar with this road will never see the required stop or know why vehicles stopped in front of them.
On the video at 45 seconds a large delivery truck is visible, it likely couldn’t make an instant stop because somebody suddenly appears on a bike. At 2:05 a cyclist appears and doesn’t even stop before crossing.
People in the area know it is only a matter of time before somebody gets killed. Of course the vehicle driver will be blamed and maybe prosecuted for not obeying Normal’s short in the middle of the road stop sign. (Ask for a jury trial!)
This is currently an issue on Next Door, the poll will continue to run this week. Obviously people forced to drive on roads where they could accidentally kill someone want them gone:
How many lives is Normal going to sacrifice? People must take responsibility for their own safety instead of pretending government edicts will keep them safe.
Right now Normal is giving cyclists and pedestrians a false sense of security.
To be fair, what I saw in this video shows everyone “watching”…..the bikers and the drivers. I am assuming, what isnt visible, is the ability of riders and drivers to see for the necessary distance, whether there is a traffic concern requiring a stop. Bikers can see road traffic and drivers can see approaching bikers. BN needs to be concerned with roadway surface repairs first and foremost! Fuel taxes anyone?
Not everyone, the truck didn’t slow down at all. Area residents know about the potential stop, other people don’t.
There is a stop sign on the trail at both ends of the crossing that hardly NO ONE obeys. I got nasty responses from two geriatric riders after I blew the horn at them for riding straight out into the crossing without stopping and I had to lock up my brakes. People assume because that stupid sign is there that vehicles on the roadway MUST stop for them regardless of how close they are to the crossing, how fast the vehicle on the road is going (lots of speeding there too), or how large the vehicle is. I even see vehicles stop for pedestrians waiting.
My understanding of the law is that they have to be IN the crossing before a vehicle is required to stop. If they are on the side waiting, you have no obligation to stop otherwise. If you did, you would be stopping at every street corner where there is a pedestrian crossing the street to allow them to cross before you continue your trip.
And just from experiencing bicycle riders in Madison, Wisconsin, not even a death will get these people to obey crossings. There was a fatality from a vehicle/bicycle accident there caused by the rider not obeying a stop sign for bicycles, and people still insisted there needed to be another sign, or even a traffic control device (speed bump) on a main road near downtown.
Bicycles do not belong on roadways, period.
Bicyclists have every right to the road. Vehicles must give 3 feet when passing. Bike lanes are unnecessary. Bicyclists do not belong on the sidewalk (while riding)
I agree. But bicyclists must obey the rules of the road as well. Not all do!
I have seen bikers and runners pull right out in front of cars here. Bikes think cars have to stop and drivers think the pedestrians have to stop. The confusion is the root of the problem. When the confusion leads to an accident, regardless of fault, the biker/pedestrian will be the most hurt if not killed. It creates an unsafe situation to have the sign there.
The conspiracy theorist in me says the confusion is intentional. The town bike advocates are waiting for a fatality to use as justification to build an overpass.
Watch the video, look clear to the left and you will see that a stop sign is posted on post facing the trail. Trail users are to STOP. There is a sign on every trail at crossing. The trail users atleast a good percentage of them just keep on going and do not stop or even yield to the roadway. One night as I was driving on Shelbourne at the trail crossing I came close to hitting a trail runner. A large bus going opposite direction as myself passed over the crossing as I approached the crossing. The runner came out from behind the bus…into my lane….I came so close to hitting a person wearing headphone and no regard for traffic. I say a signal that must be pushed when getting close to crossing which in turn causes yellow cation lights to the drivers on roadway….
At this intersection the vehicles have the right away unless a pedestrian is entering or within. The crosswalk. Bicyclists should stop and cross when clear. I cross there frequently on my bike. Many vehicles will stop for me when they should not. I’m waiting for them. Take the signs down asap. You can’t read them from an adequate distance. Creates unnecessary confusion.
Technically, bicycles are not supposed to be ridden on the sidewalk, but I often do so, usually with my kids, because it is safer. But part of that ‘safer’ is knowing that pedestrians have the right of way, which we strictly observe. We gladly and courteously have stopped, ridden in the grass, or moved to the street to allow for pedestrians, depending on the specific circumstances.
Whether it’s path/street intersections, biking on sidewalks, or most any other interaction in life, we would all be better served if society, especially our schools, taught that not everything is about you. (As a general statement, not aimed at anyone in particular.) Not only does that selfish attitude lead to greater conflict, it hinders people from realizing that usually the most fulfilling experiences in life are ones that involve helping others.
You can choose to drive below the speed limit, or not; signage makes it clear that you’re approaching an area of greater risk. I’d assume that if you’ve recognized this Raab Road issue you know the areas of risk. Normal is a shared world, e.g. a community. I toot my horn/ flash my brights to signal, and always share a smile with anyone who might be around- I made their day safer instead of acted like a hot head.