My state updated their rules just three years ago. As a cyclist I have noticed a lot of drivers are unaware of this. It’s possible there is recent legislation you are unaware of.
Here in Georgia bicycles are legally classified as vehicles (OCGA 40-6-291) and are required to obey all traffic signs and signals. They also require bicycles stopped at intersections to signal which way they are going, but they never seem to do that here.
To be fair, I assumed it was that way everywhere. Was Idaho the first state to legalize that? (Asking because I’m seeing it referenced as an ‘Idaho stop’ when searching. That aside, thank you for encouraging me to double check, normally I keep an eye out on changing traffic laws (like the GA slow poke law), but I’m sure I need to reread the book again sometime.
The above post states this occurred at a stop sign and not at a light. They used the words “in my neighborhood” implying that this is also a residential area where there would be less traffic.
Stop signs are no different. Traffic or no traffic, you heed the sign. Only losers blow past the stop sign without stopping. I also use my turn signal when no one is around. It’s just what a good and safe driver does. Because muscle memory and good habits save lives in the end. At least they prevent accidents.
I think the main difference is, in places like the Netherlands especially in low-traffic neighborhoods, they would build yield signage rather than stop signs. America has a lot more of the latter, primarily because of the abundance of speed-demon cars.
Makes sense. 👍 I live in a bike city. We don’t really have stop or yield signs for bike roads. Those roads kind of just merge smoothly with each other. They try to avoid intersections at all. But people manage just the same. People do what makes sense. It’s less dangerous because the cars are on completely separate roads.
I think you missed the point about cyclists having different traffic laws. In fact the reason why the have it is for safety. A bike can’t speed up quickly like a motor vehicle can so it’s safer to maintain speed when possible.
Source? Moving is dangerous, not moving at a stop sign the only danger is from behind, so logically what you’re saying doesn’t even make sense. And i doubt there’s any study to support that.
They changed the law probably mainly so they wouldn’t have to waste time ticketing, it’s very rarely ever about safety.
Also, my old civic can’t accelerate fast, most bikes accelerate faster, so… that can’t be the reasoning. Lots of cars accelerate slowly and e-bikes accelerate faster than fast cars.
You can’t move quickly at first and if a speeding car comes by you can’t get out of the way. When I was 15 I experienced a driver blowing through the stop sign and hitting my back tire. It was super scary. If I hadn’t stopped first I still would have been going fast and wouldn’t of gotten hit by the car. That’s why if I see that no one is coming I just go through.
In the EU we have sensible rules where predictability trumps bullshit like that. Predictability is an extremely important factor for safety. Speeding up isn’t an important factor lol, I’ve never heard such a silly rationale for allowing a certain vehicle to break the rules. What the actual fuck. 'Murica though, right? 😂
This is in Minnesota which is literally a mini Canada and the law was signed in by Tim Walz in 2023. Also bicycles are literally pedestrians and not vehicles.
In Washington, cyclists treating stop signs as yield signs was added to the state code in 2020, despite the fact that bicycles are broadly defined as vehicles.
Apologies, I don’t know who Tim Walz is or why it’s relevant. Also don’t know what it means for the sake of argumentation that a state is a “mini Canada”. 🤷♂️ No clue what the significance is there. 😅
Also bicycles are literally pedestrians and not vehicles.
🤨 That’s weird. According to whom? Not Wikipedia anyway.
A vehicle is a machine designed for self-propulsion, usually to transport people, cargo, or both. The term “vehicle” typically refers to ground transport vehicles such as human-powered land vehicles (e.g. bicycles, tricycles, velomobiles) and animal-powered transports (e.g. horse-drawn carriages/wagons, ox carts, dog sleds). It commonly includes both motor vehicles (e.g. motorcycles, cars, trucks, buses, mobility scooters) and railed vehicles (trains, trams and monorails).
Have you read your state code on the subject? Laws tend to be written with very specific language to cover edge cases and exceptions. “Following the same rules” is rarely the law as implemented.
If you’re comfortable sharing your state or province I’ll look up the statute for you if you’re interested.
There are a lot of exceptions. Any time the code uses the term “motor vehicle” it does not apply to bicycles. When it uses, “vehicle” it does.
The sections that define traffic control devices all use the term vehicle, so according to the law, you shall stop at the stop sign.
But every section I have found about enforcement of traffic laws uses the term, “motor vehicle.” Ticketing, red light cameras, and the court process all apply to “motor vehicles,” rather than, “vehicles.” The section you linked lists several exceptions by reference and they are all exempting bicycles from the specific language about penalties for violating traffic laws.
From reading the code, I would still reccomend the practices I reccomended elsewhere in this thread. Disregard stop signs and proceed nonstop if the intersection is clear. It is safer as a cyclist to treat stop signs as yields. You should prioritize your own safety over the law.
Though the law says you must stop, it has little power to enforce it.
There are 13 out of 50 states that allow what you are encouraging, if stopping means you can’t safely make a turn or allow the people with the right of way to go, you shouldn’t be on the road (otherwise why eveb have rules).
The sections linked explicitly only remove the penalties for DUI, and reckless driving. You can still be ticketed and your vehicle can be impounded, it doesn’t happen often but laws are laws and they can be changed.
Where I live bicycles and cars have to follow the same rules.
My state updated their rules just three years ago. As a cyclist I have noticed a lot of drivers are unaware of this. It’s possible there is recent legislation you are unaware of.
Here in Georgia bicycles are legally classified as vehicles (OCGA 40-6-291) and are required to obey all traffic signs and signals. They also require bicycles stopped at intersections to signal which way they are going, but they never seem to do that here.
To be fair, I assumed it was that way everywhere. Was Idaho the first state to legalize that? (Asking because I’m seeing it referenced as an ‘Idaho stop’ when searching. That aside, thank you for encouraging me to double check, normally I keep an eye out on changing traffic laws (like the GA slow poke law), but I’m sure I need to reread the book again sometime.
Here in the EU, bikes have a lot of places where they get special treatment, but blowing through red lights isn’t one of them.
The above post states this occurred at a stop sign and not at a light. They used the words “in my neighborhood” implying that this is also a residential area where there would be less traffic.
Stop signs are no different. Traffic or no traffic, you heed the sign. Only losers blow past the stop sign without stopping. I also use my turn signal when no one is around. It’s just what a good and safe driver does. Because muscle memory and good habits save lives in the end. At least they prevent accidents.
I think the main difference is, in places like the Netherlands especially in low-traffic neighborhoods, they would build yield signage rather than stop signs. America has a lot more of the latter, primarily because of the abundance of speed-demon cars.
Makes sense. 👍 I live in a bike city. We don’t really have stop or yield signs for bike roads. Those roads kind of just merge smoothly with each other. They try to avoid intersections at all. But people manage just the same. People do what makes sense. It’s less dangerous because the cars are on completely separate roads.
I think you missed the point about cyclists having different traffic laws. In fact the reason why the have it is for safety. A bike can’t speed up quickly like a motor vehicle can so it’s safer to maintain speed when possible.
Source? Moving is dangerous, not moving at a stop sign the only danger is from behind, so logically what you’re saying doesn’t even make sense. And i doubt there’s any study to support that.
They changed the law probably mainly so they wouldn’t have to waste time ticketing, it’s very rarely ever about safety.
Also, my old civic can’t accelerate fast, most bikes accelerate faster, so… that can’t be the reasoning. Lots of cars accelerate slowly and e-bikes accelerate faster than fast cars.
You can’t move quickly at first and if a speeding car comes by you can’t get out of the way. When I was 15 I experienced a driver blowing through the stop sign and hitting my back tire. It was super scary. If I hadn’t stopped first I still would have been going fast and wouldn’t of gotten hit by the car. That’s why if I see that no one is coming I just go through.
This isn’t a source, it’s an anecdote.
I didn’t miss it.
In the EU we have sensible rules where predictability trumps bullshit like that. Predictability is an extremely important factor for safety. Speeding up isn’t an important factor lol, I’ve never heard such a silly rationale for allowing a certain vehicle to break the rules. What the actual fuck. 'Murica though, right? 😂
This is in Minnesota which is literally a mini Canada and the law was signed in by Tim Walz in 2023. Also bicycles are literally pedestrians and not vehicles.
In Washington, cyclists treating stop signs as yield signs was added to the state code in 2020, despite the fact that bicycles are broadly defined as vehicles.
Apologies, I don’t know who Tim Walz is or why it’s relevant. Also don’t know what it means for the sake of argumentation that a state is a “mini Canada”. 🤷♂️ No clue what the significance is there. 😅
🤨 That’s weird. According to whom? Not Wikipedia anyway.
— https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vehicle
Bikes traveling on a road should adhere to the rules of that road, just like any other vehicle traveling on that road.
Have you read your state code on the subject? Laws tend to be written with very specific language to cover edge cases and exceptions. “Following the same rules” is rarely the law as implemented.
If you’re comfortable sharing your state or province I’ll look up the statute for you if you’re interested.
Oh definitely. Georgia, USA, the relevant bit should be https://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/title-40/chapter-6/article-13/part-1/section-40-6-291/:
“The provisions of this chapter that apply to vehicles, but not exclusively to motor vehicles, shall apply to bicycles, except as provided in this Code section and except that the penalties prescribed in subsection (b) of Code Section 40-6-390, subsection © of Code Section 40-6-391, and subsection (a) of Code Section 40-6-393 shall not apply to persons riding bicycles.”
There are a lot of exceptions. Any time the code uses the term “motor vehicle” it does not apply to bicycles. When it uses, “vehicle” it does.
The sections that define traffic control devices all use the term vehicle, so according to the law, you shall stop at the stop sign.
But every section I have found about enforcement of traffic laws uses the term, “motor vehicle.” Ticketing, red light cameras, and the court process all apply to “motor vehicles,” rather than, “vehicles.” The section you linked lists several exceptions by reference and they are all exempting bicycles from the specific language about penalties for violating traffic laws.
From reading the code, I would still reccomend the practices I reccomended elsewhere in this thread. Disregard stop signs and proceed nonstop if the intersection is clear. It is safer as a cyclist to treat stop signs as yields. You should prioritize your own safety over the law.
Though the law says you must stop, it has little power to enforce it.
There are 13 out of 50 states that allow what you are encouraging, if stopping means you can’t safely make a turn or allow the people with the right of way to go, you shouldn’t be on the road (otherwise why eveb have rules).
The sections linked explicitly only remove the penalties for DUI, and reckless driving. You can still be ticketed and your vehicle can be impounded, it doesn’t happen often but laws are laws and they can be changed.