Skip to Content
Streetsblog USA home
Streetsblog USA home
Log In
Streetsblog.net

Why Changing the Rules of the Road for Cycling Won’t Cause Chaos

Washington, DC, is the latest city to consider changing its traffic laws to require cyclists to yield at stop signs and red lights but not come to a complete stop unless necessary. Similar proposals have recently surfaced in New York and San Francisco.

Photo: Bike Portland
Photo: Bike Portland
false

The proposed rule is commonly known as the Idaho Stop, after the one state that's adopted it. Despite the demonstrated safety record of the rule over more than three decades, it hasn't expanded beyond Idaho.

Abigail Zenner at Greater Greater Washington writes that "whether cyclists should have special rules is always a heated debate." And sure enough, a local insurance industry executive testified at the DC Council that differing rules will "confuse children."

Here's how Zenner lays out the case for change:

There are a few reasons to support the Idaho Stop:

  1. It's important for cyclists to conserve momentum, since starting up a bike requires muscle power.
  2. The most dangerous place for bikes is at intersections with cars, so giving people on bikes permission to go through intersections when there are no cars nearby rather than forcing them wait (while one might pull up behind them) makes intersections safer for everyone. It also makes it less likely cars will get stuck behind bikes.
  3. Since bikes move at relatively slow speeds, people using them have plenty of time to gauge oncoming traffic. That means there's less need to stop and look around at every intersection; you can look around while moving slowly.

As for the "confusion" that will supposedly result, there are already rules that say the same signals can mean different things, depending on the context:

We teach drivers to drop at red lights, but then we allow them to turn sometimes. WHAT?!? How does anyone know what to do?

— sharrowsDC (@sharrowsDC) December 8, 2015

For more about the case for the Idaho Stop, check out this excellent video by Spencer Boomhower. We'll see if D.C.'s leaders can be persuaded by reason.

Elsewhere on the Network today: The Wash Cycle mocks the notion that bike trails are responsible for the giant hole in the Highway Trust Fund. And Streets.mn posts a telling graphic showing how families with children account for a declining share of American households.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog USA

Talking Headways Podcast: Wonders of the South Bay

VTA's Sam Sargent on the past, present and future of transit in the South Bay.

September 4, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines Lobby Congress

When the Biden administration's infrastructure act expires, it will pit cities versus states and roads versus transit.

September 4, 2025

Why More Communities Are Reconsidering Speed Limits From a Pedestrian’s Perspective

Is America's driver-centered approach to setting speed limits starting to shift? An engineer argues it is, and offers a reminder about why it matters.

September 4, 2025

Wednesday’s Headlines Put On the Red Light

News stories usually present them as a cash grab, but automated traffic enforcement cameras are widely supported by the public.

September 3, 2025

Instacart Now Claims it ‘Supports’ Worker Minimum Wage That It Fought To Defeat; Experts See ‘Corporate Spin’

The grocery delivery company claims it "supports" a minimum wage for its workers. But that's just "a flat-out lie," said one worker advocate.

September 3, 2025

Op-Ed: Penn. GOP Needs to Take SEPTA Seriously

Does everybody want to fund SEPTA? Well, not the Republicans in the state Senate, our opinion writer says.

September 3, 2025
See all posts