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Well, according to field research conducted by the city of Portland, there are indeed a lot of scofflaws blowing through stop signs around town.
We’re talking about commuters who apparently have a total disregard for safety and the law, coming to a full stop at intersections only 22 percent of the time.
See! It’s those dang bicyclists with their neon-colored jackets, self-righteous attitudes and ripped calves, right? Right!? Actually, no. Those were automobile drivers.
"The law says a complete cessation of motion is required," said Greg Raisman, traffic safety specialist for the Portland Bureau of Transportation. "I think a lot of the time, people think they stop. But they were watching the wheels."
"They" were the Bureau of Transportation’s data-collection team, which camped out at various stop-signed intersections in 2006 and 2007. The monitors recorded a "full stop" whenever the wheels on a car, bike, minivan, truck or any other vehicle came to a complete halt, even for just a second.
Although automobile drivers weren’t as dismissive of stop signs as cyclists, who stopped just 7 percent of the time, you’d think the study might erase some of the nasty stereotypes that they have of bike riders.
Don’t count on it, said Randy Blazak, a Portland State University sociologist.
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Of course, there’s also a such thing as "transportation envy," Blazak said.
"Cyclists have a kind of freedom that people in cars don’t have," he explained, "including getting around backed-up traffic, going up on the sidewalk, being out in the elements. It breeds a certain amount of resentment and jealousy when you’re stuck listening to a mattress commercial in a traffic jam."
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https://blog.oregonlive.com/commuting/2009/04/so_you_think_cyclists_are_the.htmloldId.20090409134406504
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