Boston, rules of the road

Submitted by PedXing23 t3_zquhfx in boston

In the spirit of the poster who asked, "how many cars are allowed to go through after the red light?," I ask the following questions about Boston traffic rules:

How much do we need to slow down for a stop sign or blinking red light?

How careful should we be going through an intersection when there are people in the crosswalk?

If the car in front of us is stopped at a crosswalk, should we honk first to let them know we are going to drive around them?

How much can we speed up if we are approaching a yellow light?

If other cars honk at us when we are stuck in the box at an intersection because of cars ahead of us aren't moving, should we honk back, give them the finger or both?

Which traffic signs are suggestions and which ones can we totally ignore?

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Comments

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FoodGuy44 t1_j0zyvuc wrote

-2.5 over under on Cars through a Red Light

-Don’t slow down, they’ll smell your weakness

-Alert enough to not spill your Yeti of Wine

-Minimum of 3 Honks

-Pin it like Walker

-Double Bird at the least with a some side eye

-All of the above, especially before 10am

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Nopantman1707 t1_j113uwh wrote

If you block the box you deserve to stub your toe on multiple items all day

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PedXing23 OP t1_j10psxz wrote

Well played!. I initially got bombed for Karma points and down votes, which is almost reassuring, but I hope you come out ahead.

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FoodGuy44 t1_j10q306 wrote

Likewise my Friend. Anybody that down votes you for this Post hasn’t driven in Boston or own their own Car. Stay safe!

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GM_Pax t1_j1041ga wrote

Look, I know you meant this as a joke, but ... as someone who doesn't drive, who walks or bicycles everywhere ... this kind of stuff is infuriating AND ACTUALLY DOES HAPPEN. Behavior like that has directly threatened my life more than a handful of times.

So, please. Not even in jest.

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PedXing23 OP t1_j1084f0 wrote

I have seen it all happen, and it aggravates me, too. Especially when I fear that I am going to get someone killed by stopping for them at a cross walk. I now position myself so it is harder for the car behind me to zip around and hit the pedestrian.We could make a similar rule for bikes. The closest I've come to being hit by someone at full speed, it was by someone on a bicycle going against the light while I was on a cross walk with the walk sign on. I pretty much had to dive out of the way.

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GM_Pax t1_j10hm9t wrote

As a cyclist by preference (I have no car, no license, and no desire for either) ... cyclists who behave that way immensely infuriate me. Because: they give the majority of us who obey traffic laws a bad name as a group.

...

As for making a similar rule: there is no need. A bicycle on the road is subject to all of the same rules as a car or truck. No exceptions, no excuses. So the rule that says a motorist has to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk? Also says a bicycle rider has to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk.

We are supposed to obey every light, every sign, every road marking, every last niggling little rule, the same as motorists are supposed ro.

And most of us do, at least as much as car and truck drivers do. :)

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Opposite_Match5303 t1_j10p7f9 wrote

Bikes are not subject to the same rules at all? Can use bike lanes, can ride against traffic on many one-way streets, should skip the line at a red light to use the 'bike box', should use right-most lane if not in bike lane or turning, not allowed on highways etc.

More, mindlessly following car rules on a bike is a good way to get flattened by a driver blindly turning right without looking (or caring that bikes "subject to the same rules as cars" have the right of way over cars turning).

I understand that your intent is good, but treating bikes exactly like cars is a good way to put bikes in danger. Bikes shouldn't have to be exactly like cars to use the road. Roads are not for cars: bikes, horses, scooters and everyone else have exactly the same legitimacy.

As for rules of the road -- are you as upset by drivers speeding?

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GM_Pax t1_j1111oy wrote

>Bikes are not subject to the same rules at all?

Yes, bicycles ARE subject to the same rules in general.

​

>Can use bike lanes, can ride against traffic on many one-way streets, should skip the line at a red light to use the 'bike box', should use right-most lane if not in bike lane or turning, not allowed on highways etc.

There are some bicycle-specific elements to the law, but otherwise yes we do have to follow the same rules.

Use of a bicycle lane is no different in concept from use of an HOV lane, or a Bus-only lane, for example. Use of a bicycle-specific marking (e.g. a bicycle box) is the same sort of thing; you're still obeying traffic control markings - in this case, the paint on the street.

​

>I understand that your intent is good, but treating bikes exactly like cars is a good way to put bikes in danger. Bikes shouldn't have to be exactly like cars to use the road.

Tell it to the Massachusetts Legislature. They make the laws, not I.

​

​

>As for rules of the road -- are you as upset by drivers speeding?

FUCK, YES!!

And running red lights and stop signs, too.

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Opposite_Match5303 t1_j11c4sc wrote

"Subject to the same rules in general" is dramatically moving the goalposts from your original comment, which stated verbatim that bikes are subject to the same rules as cars without exception.

The Massachusetts legislature makes lots of bad laws, especially about bikes: if law was automatically aligned with good policy we'd have the Idaho Stop here, since it's been shown to substantially reduce accidents.

If you want to be upset at 99% of road users across all categories, live your life I guess?

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zed42 t1_j1i6dq4 wrote

about a year ago, a pair of high schoolers were run in front of NEEDHAM high school over because someone decided to go around a car that had stopped (because they had already hit one because they were speeding). The entire accident was a royal $hitshow and very sad. Both drivers were convicted, the second of some form of homicide

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PedXing23 OP t1_j1iw98m wrote

I remember that. It hit home because it has long been my fear that when I stop for someone in a crosswalk that I will actually be getting them killed. It has happened few times that some very annoyed driver has zipped around me when I stop for a pedestrian at a crosswalk.

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zed42 t1_j1jf9at wrote

Someone did that to the permanent roommate yesterday! She stopped to let someone cross (the street she was about to turn on) before taking the turn and some jackhole zipped around her! If that person had been crossing the street she was on, they'd have been run over!

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Darklighter10 t1_j13r5hw wrote

I feel like everyone could co exist if people stopped being so anal about the exact way traffic rules are written, instead of the spirit. The main rules I follow above anything else is, don’t do anything unexpected, whether it’s legal or not, and always anticipate the other person is about to do something unexpected.

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GM_Pax t1_j13w35c wrote

I disagree. Motorists operate that way, with the expectation that everyone else is wrapped in the same multiple tons of metal, plastic, and glass with a hundred "spare" horsepower in their back pocket to help get out of the way.

Bicyclists have none of that.

Pedestrians have even less.

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Darklighter10 t1_j141pl1 wrote

I think we are agreeing though? I’m not saying break traffic rules of course, I’m saying expect people to

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TheGlassBetweenUs t1_j103nb8 wrote

I will make a complete stop at a stop sign or blinking red, idc who honks

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TurnsOutImAScientist t1_j0zyguk wrote

The answer to every single one of these is: if it didn't cause an accident, you're almost certainly getting away with it.

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analogscientist t1_j10byux wrote

Friend of mine has been harassed by the police when walking, cycling, and even riding a scooter. When driving 93 on 93? Never

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-Im-A-Little-Teapot_ t1_j10dubg wrote

What do you mean by "harassed"? Were they legitimately doing something wrong? You make it sound like the cop had nothing better to do and stopped your friend for no reason whatsoever.

On the subject of scooters, some of those pinheads need to be stopped and cited. I've seen them do more stupid shit and stunts that make drivers and cyclists seem like exemplary citizens.

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analogscientist t1_j10ecxo wrote

Yeah actually it was straight up harassment. And my friend is not shy about admitting when he himself was in the wrong.

Edit: it wasn’t one of those app scooters, my friend would never lol. I don’t even think it was motorized

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PedXing23 OP t1_j108eol wrote

Sadly, it seems true. In decades of area driving, I have yet to see an offender get stopped, let along ticketed.

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NoMoLerking t1_j109kc2 wrote

It does happen, but rarely. Almost seems like it would be a money maker for the city to hand out tickets. Maybe we need to adopt the red light camera model and just give cops a bounty for every ticket they write.

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IDCFFSGTFO t1_j10xzsu wrote

If anyone yells at you to say "You almost hit me!", yell back and say "Well then I'm almost sorry!".

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VicVinegar88 t1_j10aaha wrote

Today I had a green light and was entering the intersection when this woman who wasn't paying attention starts walking across the road. So I stop in the middle of the intersection and honk at her mostly just to tell her she's an idiot for not looking when crossing the street on a red and she turns to me looking all pissed off and then starts pointing down at the crosswalk. Yes, I know cars must yield the right of way to pedestrians but that doesn't mean pedestrians have carte blanche to just walk into the road without paying attention.

Drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists are all fucking idiots in this city.

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nhsgary t1_j10nxl7 wrote

Actually at a "regulated intersection" (i.e. one with stop lights), pedestrians in a crosswalk do NOT have the right of way. The ped in your case was out of line.

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Liqmadique t1_j12b9rj wrote

Maybe but because you always have to yield to the pedestrian you lose regardless. You can't run them over so there aren't many options.

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anubus72 t1_j16mqxo wrote

Sure they can’t legally enter but once they’re in the street you can’t just run them down bud

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PedXing23 OP t1_j10c7az wrote

Indeed, we could do list of questions like the ones above for pedestrians and cyclists.

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Chappy_Sinclair_ t1_j10fpfo wrote

>t a crosswalk, should we honk first to let them know we are going to drive around them?

If you do one for cyclists you'll need to explain what a stop sign and crosswalk are.

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sihtydaernacuoytihsy t1_j10pngt wrote

If we drive into a commercial building at 50 mph (at, say, 8 am on a Sunday), knock down a structural support and half the facade, and thereby force the closure of multiple businesses, will we get a ticket?

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PedXing23 OP t1_j10qguu wrote

I can imagine that as a Quora question. I drove into a commercial building at 50 mph at 8 am on a Sunday, knocked down a structural support and half the facade, and thereby forced the closure of multiple businesses, how do I appeal the ticket?

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LoFiPanda14 t1_j0zym4j wrote

I'm assuming this post is meant to be sarcastic, but for what it's worth we wouldn't have these questions lingering in the back of our minds if people learned how to drive and not be maniacs on the road. Had a truck almost cause an accident with me twice by blatantly cutting me off mind you they weren't even ahead of me. It's baffling how unaware people are on the road, real horror story type stuff.

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-Im-A-Little-Teapot_ t1_j10ea9m wrote

How much can we speed up if we are approaching a yellow light?

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SinibusUSG t1_j13y6p8 wrote

I'm just watching this wondering who the fuck is the truck driver hurtling towards what must necessarily still be a red light at full speed trying to perfectly anticipate the green?

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becausefrog t1_j110aim wrote

I think of this scene every time I go through a yellow!

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Windarizona t1_j1004i3 wrote

if you closed my eyes during red light, whats means where was no red light (please dont use it)

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devious_cruising t1_j118nsr wrote

How many pedestrians are you allowed to hit? Is it okay to open your car door as a bicyclist goes by in the bike lane? If you drive a large SUV, can you do pretty much whatever you want at intersections?

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RogueInteger t1_j10b3np wrote

You're asking about intuition. You gotta have it. Not learn it.

Stop at stop signs jerks.

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HelicopterThink9958 t1_j10n7o6 wrote

I think it depends on what suburb. I live in Dorchester and if you stop, or even slow down, for a stop sign people will just honk and fly around you into the intersection.

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popornrm t1_j11zx4p wrote

How many cars? Depends on what number I am in the post red line and how quickly I need to be where I’m going 😂

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ferg1235 t1_j1212mu wrote

Rules of the road in Boston... red lights mean nothing and stop signs mean even less...

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stargrown t1_j14or8a wrote

I was OP of the other post and I will admit if no one is around to see, I ignore traffic signals.

I also ignore the No right on reds I disagree with, specifically queensberry and park towards Agassiz, and Schiller and Heath.

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