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IDAHO_RULES

                                             July 5, 2013


 Cyclists in the San Francisco Bay Area
 frequently recommend riding according
 to the "Idaho Rules", rather than the
 official bike laws in California which             BIKE_SAFELY
 often seem excessively restrictive.

 California law largely just treats
 bicycles as vehicles, and insist they
 follow the same rules.  Idaho law on the
 other hand, allows cyclists treat red
 lights as stop signs, and stop signs as
 yield signs.

    Cyclists argue that these are more appropriate
    because cyclists are in a different position
    than drivers: bikes are smaller, slower
    vehicles that are less of a threat to others,
    and in many respects more maneuverable than
    cars, and additionally cyclists typically have
    unimpeded vision and hearing compared to car
    drivers.

    The Damn Crazy Cyclists that anti-bike
    people like to complain about, typically
    are not riding according to the Idaho
    Rules.

    Since the official rules seem kind of
    crazy for cyclists to follow, many
    rely entirely on their own judgement,
    and adopt a "whatever I can get away
    with" style.


       If you do try to ride that way,
       however, the odds are good you're       UNINTENDED
       going to eventually screw-up,
       perhaps screw-up badly.


           And that, I think is an
           important meta-rule:
                                                        TO_SAIL_BEYOND
           There's a need to adopt some "rules",
           some limitations, even when the
           official ones are too restrictive
           to take seriously in the absence
           of draconian enforcement.

                 A need for guidelines
                 irrespective of law.



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