I have to admit that I never really knew what the law was about yellow lights until I began hearing about some riders getting cited for entering an intersection on a yellow. Now I have seen two cases in the metro area. Further, when bicyclists and motor vehicles both enter on a yellow, the bicyclist is frequently not seen by the hurrying motor vehicle driver.
The Oregon vehicle code makes it illegal to enter an intersection on a yellow light; instead, everyone has to stop. The only exception is when there is not enough time and distance to stop safely. Under those circumstances, if a vehicle cannot be safely stopped before entering the intersection, then the driver is given permission to proceed cautiously to the other side. The exact language of the statute, contained in the “Rules of the Road” section of the Oregon Revised Statutes (popularly initialized as ORS) reads as follows:
“811.260(3) Steady circular yellow signal. A driver facing a steady circular yellow signal light is thereby warned that the related right of way is being terminated and that a red or flashing red light will be shown immediately. A driver facing the light shall stop at a clearly marked stop line, but if none, shall stop before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection. If a driver cannot stop in safety, the driver may drive cautiously through the intersection.”
Riders throughout the state will notice that there is currently a crackdown occurring by police against bicycle riders for traffic offenses. This development is due in part to our own successes in getting bicycles recognized as legitimate vehicles on the roadway, and to many people being fed up with our frequent and highly visible disregard of the traffic laws. In at least one case where a very experienced and cautious rider was recently cited, I suspect that the ticket decision was made by a cop who did not understand some of the fundamental physics about bicycles (which I hope I will have an opportunity to point out if the case goes to court).
What may be a safe stopping distance in a car may not be realistic for a bicycle. First, bicycle tires are inflated to approximately double the tire pressure in most motor vehicle tires (some riders may quibble with this but any tire inflated to less than 60 pounds tire pressure doesn’t really have a place on the paved roadway–too inefficient to push all that soft tire around.) The contact patch of a pair of bicycle tires combined is smaller than the size of a dime whereas a contact patch for a standard tire on a passenger car is roughly 20 times that size. Experienced riders know how easily a rear tire will skid when pushed to the limit of traction and, while a properly controlled rapid stop may be a thing of beauty for some of us to watch, the fact is that few riders are able to confidently utilize the full braking potential of their front tire due to fear about locking it up or doing an endo. On the other hand, how many riders can honestly say they are able to prevent the rear wheel from skidding during a sudden stop by slightly lessening the braking force to the front tire and thereby placing more weight to the rear, thus keeping it close to the edge of traction at maximum braking force?
Bicycle brakes are also a limiting factor because all current models require frequent and careful adjustment. Wet steel rims, of which there are thankfully fewer and fewer around, further bugger up the equation by providing little grip for even high quality brake shoes. The end result is that bicyclists deserve some consideration and flexibility in regard to entering intersections on yellow lights.
Now, we all know that, it is sometimes especially satisfying to be able to squeeze through an intersection on a yellow so that a rider does not have to wait in a smoky exhaust haze surrounded by stopped cars until the light changes again–a mitigating factor, (but certainly not a legal defense). Unfortunately, what messes us up is that motorists frequently have the same intentions and seek to blast through on a yellow to avoid stopping too. The worst scenario is when they enter on a yellow to make a quick left turn while we are going straight through the intersection. All too frequently, they fail to recognize us and we get bumped.
I think safety considerations dictate that we should never enter a yellow if there is a possibility that a left turning driver will be simultaneously trying to do the same thing. On the other hand, it sure seems dumb to have to slow down from cruising speed when there are no other cars around in a position to be dangerous to us just because the light turns yellow, particularly when we have plenty of time to get through before it turns red. Keith Lippy from Bend showed me something when I first got one of his tandems and learned to ride it about ten years ago, and that is how precious momentum is to a human powered vehicle. I feel like I earned my speed with my own work, so why should a yellow light take it away from me?
I guess it is inevitable that in those situations when a bicyclist and motorist simultaneously enter an intersection and a collision occurs that the motorist will later argue that the bicyclist, due to his or her lower rolling speed, entered the intersection after the car and, therefore, failed to yield to the motorist. I have already seen this in one case but it settled before we ever got to trial so I never saw how that argument played with a jury, though I would hope that they would be able to see through it. In any event, if the possibility of getting ticketed is not enough to dissuade you from entering on a yellow, be sure to consider the risk of getting bumped by a motorist hurriedly scanning the intersection, and failing to see you.