Bicycling in Idaho

The “Idaho Stop”

Back in 1988 a progressive law was enacted in, of all places, Idaho.  (This should serve as the basis for another argument: conservative states ARE capable of progressive thinking!)  But back to the law… which is part of the vehicle code and deals with bicycles and human powered vehicles.

This law, which is not understood by a big margin of motorists and cyclists alike, is relatively straightforward.  Bicyclists may treat a stop sign like a yield sign, and a red light like a stop sign.  This law generates a lot of controversy; cyclists herald it as being common sense while motorists (who often don’t understand the law) decry it as being special treatment for a class of vehicles that keep lobbying to be treated on equal footing.

Bicycling is not necessarily an “easy” form of transportation.  Few people will deny the health benefits it offers.  But in a populated area where stop signs abound, it gets a little tiring having to start and stop repeatedly, rather than getting a steady rhythm going.  Non-cyclists don’t get annoyance of having to stop, dismount, push off and remount to continue riding.  If there’s no cross traffic, why not just keep pedaling?  No harm, no foul… no total loss of momentum.

Motorists don’t experience the same degree of disengagement when they come to a stop sign.  You move your foot from the accelerator to the brake, and then it’s back to the gas and off you go.  Try this the next time you come to a stop sign; shift the transmission to park, turn off the ignition and remove the key.  When it’s your turn to go put the key back in, fire up the engine, shift to “drive” and hit the gas.  “What a waste of time and effort” I hear you say.  It’s the same thing to a bicyclist when they come to a stop sign with no immediate cross traffic, and yet they still need to come to a full stop.

Frankly, it’s my opinion that this law should be standard fare in all 50 states.  This is a good law for cyclists, and it should have no effect on motorists one way or another.  Okay, at least in a perfect world.  One of the arguments against this law is that bicyclists should be as predictable as motorized traffic.  For the bicyclists that obey this law as it is intended, and use good judgement when crossing an intersection, a motorist shouldn’t find any issues of predictability.  Sadly, there are jackasses that feel that if they put the hammer down, they can beat the oncoming traffic.

This mentality gets people injured or killed daily.  However, it’s rarely the bicyclists at issue here.  It’s a driver that punches the gas and turns in front of you because they just can’t wait a few seconds more… even though the roadway behind you is clear.  It’s the driver who enters an intersection when the yellow light has been displayed, knowing full well the red will come out as he enters the intersection.  It’s the idiot who ignores the lowered gates at a railroad crossing and tries to drive around them, only to get creamed by an oncoming train.  Need I go on? 

It’s motorists that you really need to worry about when it comes to bad behavior and unpredictability.  They are encased inside a vehicle that has weight and mass working in its favor that will cause you damage, injury or death depending on how severe the impact is.  There are many more motorists than bicyclists on the road each day, and whenever you climb behind the wheel you will witness some boneheaded, thoughtless or just plain dangerous drivers showing why perhaps they should become a nominee for the Darwin Awards.

In the near future, I’ll talk about the stupid things bicyclist do that serve as arguments (albeit poor ones) against enacting the “Idaho Stop” laws in other states.