The Idaho stop: a step forward for safety
WHY isn’t the Idaho stop legal in Manitoba?
That’s not the latest TikTok dance trend, it’s a rule that allows cyclists to “roll” through stop signs when safe to do so and research indicates it saves lives. The Idaho stop, named after the state that first made it legal in 1982, isn’t allowed anywhere in Canada, but is slowly becoming part of the legal landscape in the United States.
Here’s how it works. When a cyclist comes to an intersection in states with stop-as-yield laws, they must reduce their speed, ensure that there is no traffic coming and proceed carefully. It also means stopping at red lights, but only for as long as needed for the intersection to be safe to ride through. It doesn’t mean blast through all the stop signs, red lights and any other traffic measures. It does mean that the rider doesn’t have to stop the bike, put their foot down and stop their momentum if it’s safe to continue to ride.
As Bike Winnipeg’s Patty Wiens explains: “Stop signs are for controlling speeds and making sure that cars aren’t treating every street like a highway. Bikes aren’t high-speed vehicles, with even e-bikes being speed controlled at a maximum of 32 km/h, having the Idaho stop become legal, would just help to keep traffic moving.”
Obviously then, this treats cyclists differently than vehicles. And that’s not a bad thing. Research conducted suggests that allowing cyclists the opportunity to maintain their momentum and get “in front of traffic” at intersections is safer.
According to Manitoba Public Insurance, there are on average four cyclists killed and 78 injured annually in collisions with vehicles. Intersections are the most dangerous place for cyclists. Interestingly, a 2007 study indicated that women cyclists are more likely to be killed than men by large transport trucks, largely because women are more likely to obey signage and stop, and as a result, are hit by trucks who don’t see them in their blind spot.
Here’s why the Idaho stop should be implemented in Manitoba.
First as stated, research suggests it saves lives because it allows cyclists to get out ahead of traffic and away from blind spots. According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, after Idaho adopted the law, cyclist injuries from traffic crashes declined by 14.5 per cent in 1983. When Delaware adopted a similar stop law in 2017, crashes involving cyclists at stop sign intersections fell by 23 per cent.
Second, while building more bike paths should still be the goal for city planners, stop-as-yield laws may divert cyclists off of main thoroughfares and onto side streets which have more stop signs. If cyclists don’t have to slow down their momentum and aren’t going to be ticketed by police for Idaho stops, this may be a safer response to trying to cycle on Kenaston at Corydon in the middle of rush hour in Winnipeg. (No, I am not letting city hall off the hook about bike paths, but this feels like a reasonable compromise until something is finally done.)
Third, it decriminalizes cycling behaviour and it may actually encourage more people to become cyclists. With more people riding bikes, there’s more visibility and there’s more safety. Research indicates that there is safety in numbers for cyclists and accidents are reduced when there are more riders on the streets.
Finally, it also may reduce the opportunity to harass cyclists. It’s perhaps one of the most annoying habit Winnipeggers seem to engage in and it’s something I have never experienced as an avid rider who has biked in Cuba, North and South Dakota, Minnesota, Quebec, Alberta and New York City. People (very often, driving large trucks) will scream at you while waiting at the intersection. The Idaho stop means cyclists could ride away from that kind of vitriol. (Seriously, what is wrong with you?)
As Wiens says, cycling is more than just a leisure activity and we should normalize it as another form of active transportation. For many who live on a lower income, cycling is the only form of transportation that is affordable and reliable. As well, Wiens says: “due to the rising price of gas, insurance and car ownership, there are more and more people commuting on their bikes in Winnipeg, including in winter.” Making cycling safe for everyone should be a priority that has to be promoted by the government from the top down.
And in the winter, a stop-as-yield law will be even more important. Wiens says cyclists end up sharing the road even more because there are many times where the snow gets cleared onto the bike lane and the separated bike paths don’t get the priority snow clearing that roads get.
It’s time to do the Idaho stop Manitoba. Let’s save some lives.
Shannon Sampert is a communications consultant, freelance editor for
Policy Options and former politics and perspectives editor at the Free
Press. She teaches part time at the University of Manitoba.