Last night in San Francisco cars lined up for blocks behind hundreds of protesting cyclists at the intersection of Waller and Steiner at rush hour. Other than the intermittent honking of outraged motorists, conversation and the tinkling of bicycle bells were the only sounds filling the busy streets.
The traffic jam was an effort by the Wigg Party, a cycling advocacy group, to let police and neighbors know that asking bicycles to come to a full and complete stop at each stop sign does more to interrupt the flow of traffic than it does to promote safety.
SFPD Park Station is cracking down on cyclists who don't come to a complete stop at stop signs after a spate of complaints from residents along the Wiggle, a bicycle thoroughfare. The display annoyed neighbors who fear for their safety when crossing the street.
SFPD said that though enforcement is at officer discretion, they would rather cite and individual than later file an accident report. Until the law changes, enforcement will continue as usual.
Local District Supervisor London Breed says that bicycles are not cars and should be treated differently. She supports introducing the Idaho rolling stop for cyclists and admitted that when on a bicycle, that's what she does.