Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Andy Kerr, Colorado, Denver Post, Greg Brophy, Idaho stop, The Dumb is Strong
That was quick.
http://www.denverpost.com/2017/02/07/colorado-cyclists-stop-signs-bill-dies/
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: All Hail Kerr, Andy Kerr, Bicycle Colorado, bicycling, bike, bike law, BikeDenver, bikers, Colorado, Idaho stop, law and order
http://www.denverpost.com/2017/01/26/senate-bill-bicyclists-stop-signs/
Idaho Stop is something I’ve been promoting for many years—in Denver, a place where most riders already practice the technique, it makes even more sense than it does in Idaho—but to say my pleas fell on deaf ears is a bit of an understatement. The advocacy orgs like Bicycle Colorado and BikeDenver were big on the law-and-order stuff.
To hear the local advocacy groups now getting behind Kerr’s bill is extremely heartening. Extremely surprising and somewhat weird. But I’ll take it.
Idaho Stop. There is no fact-based opposition to it. It is proven to work, with decades of data. It makes life better for bicyclists, and so makes life better for all. But that doesn’t mean this will become law. Most people are still idiots about bikes, and even a substantial portion of cyclists are reflexively opposed to the idea, although that portion is clearly getting smaller and smaller all the time. If you’re still in that portion, get on out of it and into the other one.
ALL HAIL ANDY KERR! ALL HAIL ANDY KERR! VIVA LA KERR! AN-DY! AN-DY! AN-DY!
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bicycling, Boise, Idaho stop, stop as yield, urban cycling
The City of Boise Cycling Safety Task Force, 2009, composed mostly of law enforcement officials:
…Moreover, the Task Force largely agrees that bicycles, by nature of their mass, speed, maneuverability and lack of protection for the rider, are sufficiently different from automobiles to deserve separate treatment under the law.
CITY OF BOISE CYCLING SAFETY TASK FORCE FINAL REPORT 2009 (pdf).
Thanks to Rick Price for showing me this.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bicycling, biking, cycling, Fort Collins, Idaho stop, Rick Price, stop as yield, urban biking, urban cycling
But I think it’s time we talked about the feasibility of allowing cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs. This would solve a lot of problems and create some opportunities.
via Price: Do cyclists really need to stop at stop signs? | The Coloradoan | coloradoan.com.
It would probably cause some problems too, but would be an overall positive.
Deliberate signal infractions by bicyclists aren’t nearly as dangerous as people think, or as dangerous as people would like. The evidence is overwhelming.
Right on, Rick.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bicycle traffic laws, bicycling, cycling laws, Idaho stop, jaywalking, makes too much sense, stop as yield, urban cycling
The Denver Post editorial board (which has not always projected clear-headedness on bike issues) looks kindly at Aspen stop-as-yield, while not exactly embracing it for Denver. Notes that widespread jaywalking hasn’t caused any catastrophic rips to be torn in the space-time continuum:
Certainly there are busy intersections where the stop-as-yield rule won’t work. But the same can be said for jaywalking.
As much as you might argue that pedestrians should obey signs in crosswalks, the truth is there are many times where it’s simply unnecessary or impractical. (Denver’s 16th Street Mall and its numerous cross streets during non-rush periods come to mind.)
We’ve long supported a share-the-road philosophy when it comes to cars and bikes. But that doesn’t mean automobiles and bicycles have to share the same traffic laws if more sensible alternatives exist.
via Let bicyclists in Aspen treat stop signs as yields – The Denver Post.
Why would it make any difference if an intersection is busy or if it’s deserted? The same principle applies regardless. If there is cross traffic, stop and wait. If it’s clear enough to ride across without violating another road user’s right-of-way, go.
A huge majority of Denver’s cyclists ride this way already.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Aspen, bicycling in Aspen, Idaho stop, ski town cycling, urban cycling
Some officials are recommending that Aspen adopt the Idaho stop.
Aspen Assistant Police Chief Bill Linn said the “stop-as-yield approach” has proven to work in states such as Idaho, which changed its law allowing cyclists the option to yield some 30 years ago. A 2008 study by a University of California at Berkeley researcher showed that in Idaho, police and motorists have accepted the measure as public policy that makes sense. Boise, which has a large percentage of regular bicyclists compared with motorists, has become safer as a result of the change, the study concluded.
via Cyclists might be allowed to yield instead of stopping in Aspen | AspenTimes.com.
Inexplicable burst of rationality.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: bicycle, bicycling, bikes and red lights, cycling, France, Idaho stop, red lights, traffic law, transportation, urban cycling
France gets all reasonable about bicycles and red lights.
The newly relaxed rules of the road for cyclists is now being tested across 15 intersections in Paris, though with it bike-commuters aren’t given full liberty to blow through crossing points unreasonably. Law will continue to require that cyclists yield to pedestrians and opposing traffic, though that’s quite likely consistant with the standards of etiquette and personal safety most cyclists abide to anyways.
via France Grants Cyclists the Right to Run Red Lights : TreeHugger.
Maybe now American advocacy groups will get behind the idea. They haven’t in the past. But they seem to love anything remotely Euro-flavored, so it wouldn’t surprise me if this caused a noticeable uptick in Idaho Stop-related chatter around here.
Industrialized Cyclist Notepad 