Winnipeggers rallying for ‘Idaho stop’ law that would let cyclists slow roll through stop signs

August 22, 2024 Canuck

The rules of the road dictate that anyone approaching a stop sign must come to a full and complete halt, but a group of Winnipeg cyclists say current laws put them at greater risk.

They’ve planned a rally Thursday evening calling on the Manitoba government to amend the Highway Traffic Act to allow cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs, which only require a complete stop when there’s oncoming traffic.

The technique — named the “Idaho stop” after the U.S. state that made it legal in 1982 — allows cyclists to maintain momentum as they come to a stop sign, reducing the time they spend in the intersection and in the path of oncoming traffic.

“The problem with this safety measure not being legal is that you’re essentially criminalizing safety,” said Hillary Rosentreter, one of the organizers of the rally.

The rally, set to start at 5 p.m. at the intersection of Westminster Avenue and Walnut Street, will take cyclists on a route through the Wolseley neighbourhood. Riders will follow the letter of the law, riding single file and coming to complete stops at all intersections, Rosentreter said.

The point is to show what happens when cyclists are required to lose their momentum before proceeding through an intersection.

“What it means is you’ll see cyclists spending more time in intersections, which is actually extending the time that they could potentially be hit by a driver or, you know, some other threat,” said Rosentreter.

Under Idaho law, cyclists are required to slow down when approaching a stop sign and check for oncoming traffic, but can proceed without stopping if the way is clear.

Red traffic lights are treated like stop signs, requiring cyclists to stop completely, but allowing them to continue through the intersection if there are no oncoming vehicles.

The latter policy change might be more difficult for some Manitobans to accept, Rosentreter said, but she would welcome it if the provincial government decided to implement it.

Reducing injuries

An average of four cyclists are killed and 78 are injured in collisions every year in the province, according to Manitoba Public Insurance.

Winnipeg has seen a number of high-profile collisions involving drivers and cyclists in recent months, including a hit and run on Wellington Crescent that killed a 61-year-old man on June 6.

Last month, a teen girl was taken to hospital after being struck by a vehicle in the area of Academy Road at Wellington Crescent.

Earlier this month, a 67-year-old man died after he crashed into the back of a parked semi-truck on Kenaston Boulevard while riding a bicycle at high speed.

A 2010 study from the University of California’s school of public health found that the year after Idaho changed its law, cyclist injuries dropped by 14.5 per cent.

Other states have implemented similar laws, including Colorado in 2022 and Minnesota in 2023. So far, no Canadian jurisdictions have adopted the Idaho stop.

Chuck Glover, a cycling safety instructor and former police officer in Maple Ridge, B.C., said he understands the argument made by those advocating for changing the rules, and acknowledges he uses the Idaho stop himself on occasion.

But he doesn’t support making it legal.

“I believe you have to stop,” he said.

Police officers have discretion over when to issue a ticket, and Glover says he would “turn a blind eye” if he saw a cyclist slow down and look before going through an intersection, even if they did not come to a full stop.

He worries that cyclists will be less likely to slow down if the law doesn’t require them to stop completely.

The problem with the Idaho stop, he says, is some cyclists have “gone from crawling to going through, blowing through, and some just don’t even slow down.”

Points of conflict

Rosentreter says she understands the argument for treating all road users the same, but says there’s a difference in the level of risk posed by someone riding a bike compared to someone in an automobile.

Julia Schroeder, a cyclist and board member of the advocacy group Bike Winnipeg, says forcing cyclists to stop increases conflicts with drivers, who become impatient waiting for cyclists to get back up to speed in order to clear the intersection.

“If the province of Manitoba wants to do something to reduce those points of conflict, this is where they can make an impact,” she said.

In an email, a spokesperson for Transportation Minister Lisa Naylor said road safety is a priority for the provincial government, especially after the recent tragedies on Winnipeg streets.

“We will continue to work with organizations that advocate for the safety of everyone on our roads, and we encourage all road users to respect road and traffic laws in hopes that all Manitobans can safely get to wherever they are going,” the spokesperson wrote.

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