Guys, stop and think about how these things actually work. What is the difference between a stop sign, and a traffic light? Well, a stop sign is placed at an intersection so that one direction allows traffic to continue at normal speed, whilst the other direction foces the traffic to stop, look, then go again when it is safe to do so. Now, a traffic light get's placed at that intersection when the traffic volume becomes too great for the vehicles that stop at the stop sign to get a chance to go through. All that it does is follow some arbitrary timer that switches on a red light, then a green light, then an orange light. So, I come along at 5 in the morning, when traffic volumes are very low, and instead of waiting for a timed light that has absolutely no idea as to whether it is safe to proceed or not, I choose to treat the traffic light as a stop sign. I stop, look, then proceed when it is safe to do so. Usually this is quick enough to prevent me from having to unclip, clip in, and move through a potentially dangerous intersection very slowly. The most dangerous situation on a bicycle is when there is a big speed differential between the bicycle and the cars around it. Stopping and unclipping makes this situation worse, not better. We can shout as much as we like about rules etc, but at the end of the day, common sense must prevail. Traffic control signals are not designed for bicycles riding at 5:00am in the morning. They are designed for peak traffic loads during rush hour. Making your safetly the responsibility of some red light blinking on an arbitrary timer is about as ridiculous as putting your pet inside the microwave to dry it off, because the manual doesn't specifically say you shouldn't. I'm sure I'll get flamed for this, but this is how I ride, and I usually ride alone or in a small group. Nobody here has convinced me to ride any differently.
