Idaho stop

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Traffic light red.png
Red traffic lights...
Stop sign dark red.svg
... are treated like stop signs.


Stop sign dark red.svg
Stop signs ...
MUTCD R1-2.svg
... will like "give way!" treated.


Idaho-Stop is the colloquial name for Article 49-720 of the Idaho Statutes, which allows cyclists to treat a stop sign like a “Give Way!” Sign and a red light like a stop sign.

The name comes from the US state of Idaho , where such a law was first passed in 1982 (HB 541). A restricted form of this regulation, known in English as “stop-as-yield”, only allows driving over the stop signs, but not the red traffic lights.

For and against

For

  • Due to the positive effects of cycling, road traffic law should be designed so that cyclists can get around quickly and easily, which supports this right.
  • The Idaho stop makes cycling safer by putting the focus on giving right of way.
  • By allowing cyclists to get in front of car traffic, they can be better noticed.
  • Conventional laws were written for cars, but in contrast to cars, it is easier for cyclists to observe "right before left" without coming to a complete standstill. Since cyclists move more slowly, hear stereoscopically, have no blind spots and can maneuver faster than cars, the current traffic regulations do not make sense for cyclists.
  • The Idaho stop means that additional technical equipment (e.g. suitable induction loops) for recognizing approaching cyclists at traffic lights is superfluous.
  • A corresponding change in the law would bring the attention of law enforcement officers back to the essentials: the prosecution of inconsiderate road users.
  • The current legal situation forces cyclists to choose between routes that are either more efficient but less safe due to the higher volume of traffic, or are safer but less efficient due to numerous stop signs and traffic lights. If cyclists are allowed to run over stop signs, safe routes become more efficient.
  • The additional traffic lights often used as an alternative would only confuse motorists.
  • The only study to date on the safety of the Idaho Stop shows that it has increased road safety slightly.

Contrary

  • The regulation is based on the cyclist's assessment of the traffic situation. However, cycling children are not yet able to correctly assess such traffic situations.
  • Special rights for cyclists make their behavior less predictable, which is a risk, especially if other road users are not aware of the legal situation.

Examples

Idaho is both the longest-running state and the largest by law. Mark McNeese, cyclist and pedestrian officer for the Idaho Transportation Department, is quoted as saying that the accident statistics for cyclists show that the Idaho stop did not result in any noticeable increase in injuries or deaths among cyclists.

Since 2012, a corresponding decree has also granted cyclists special rights when passing red traffic lights in Paris , as long as they drive carefully and with foresight and give pedestrians priority. Road safety experts were of the opinion that this would reduce traffic accidents with cyclists.

The Idaho stop has been implemented in parts of Colorado . The cities of Dillon and Breckenridge passed laws in 2011, Summit County followed in 2012 and Aspen in 2014 .

In Berlin , the parliamentary group of Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen submitted an application to the House of Representatives in 2015 for the implementation of a pilot project of the Idaho regulation accompanied by studies. The application was first discussed in plenary on November 4, 2015 and referred to the Committee for Building, Housing and Transport, which - as of August 2016 - has not yet discussed it. Based on positive experiences in Strasbourg, Bordeaux and Nantes, the Idaho stop rule is also to be tested as a pilot project in Berlin. The reason given was that cycling had to become more attractive. In the coalition agreement at the end of 2016, however, only a pilot project for the “Green Arrow for Cyclists” was stipulated.

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Ray Thomas: History of Idaho's stop sign law. In: Oregon Cycling Magazine. December 2008, accessed June 13, 2014 . (PDF; 153KB)
  2. Are we ready for an Idaho statr bicycle yield law? ( Memento of June 8, 2014 in the Internet Archive ), www.stc-law.com, accessed on June 13, 2014.
  3. Why Bicyclists Hate Stop Signs , Joel Fajansan and Melanie Curry, 2001
  4. Aaron Bialick: Bikes Are Not Cars: Why California Needs an "Idaho Stop" Law | Streetsblog San Francisco . Sf.streetsblog.org. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  5. Making Better Laws | Road Rights | Bicycling.com . Blogs.bicycling.com. September 1, 2009. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  6. ^ A b Henry Samuel: Paris cyclists given right to break traffic laws . Telegraph. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  7. Jump up Bicycle Safety and Choice: Compounded Public Cobenefits of the Idaho Law Relaxing Stop Requirements for Cycling , Jason N. Meggs, 2010
  8. Red across the intersection causes criticism . ORF. November 22, 2013. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
  9. CABO "argument Against to Idaho Style" Stop as Yield "Law for Bicyclists . Cabobike.org. February 3, 2010. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  10. ^ Yield-Stop Bicycling Laws for Aspen and Denver? | Daniel R. Rosen, PC . Danielrrosen.com. February 14, 2013. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  11. Ordinance No. 2012-09 . Retrieved June 10, 2014.
  12. Bike riders will be able to yield legally at stop signs around Aspen . AspenTimes.com. Retrieved February 16, 2014.
  13. ^ Motion from the Bündnis 90 / Die Grünen Bike-Friendly City parliamentary group (II): Reach your destination faster and more safely. Retrieved February 29, 2016 .
  14. Greens want to release red lights for cyclists , Tagesspiegel, November 12, 2015
  15. Expert recommends why cyclists should NOT stop at red lights , Berliner Kurier, 7 August 2015
  16. The turning point is coming - when it comes , taz, November 19, 2016