Idaho Stop on the Hudson
There is a state in the West where cyclists don’t have to wait for red lights at empty intersections. Could the Idaho Stop roll through New York City next?
Idaho Stop 101
The law, passed in 1982, permits Idahoan cyclists to treat stop signs like yield signs and red traffic lights like stop signs. As long as all’s clear, people on bikes get to roll on through. It’s the law in Idaho, and variations exist in Paris, France, and parts of Colorado.
Au Natural
The Idaho Stop takes advantage of pedalers’ natural forward momentum. Because starting and stopping are the biggest inefficiencies of riding a bike, a rolling yield allows people on bikes to conserve about five times as much energy and get where they’re going in less time.
Proof, Pudding
Since the Idaho Stop was enacted, there’s been no long-term increase in traffic injuries or fatalities in Idaho. In fact, cyclist injuries dropped 14.5 percent the year after the law was passed. Per capita, Idaho retains some of the nation’s lowest rates of cyclists killed while riding.
Safety First
By putting cyclists out ahead of traffic, the Idaho Stop makes sure drivers are more likely to spot people on bikes. The law also gets cyclists through intersections before other traffic, helping them avoid the location where they are most likely to be hit.
Goodbye Gridlock
The Idaho Stop even eliminates the skosh of congestion that cyclists can cause in the time it takes to get a bike rolling again after a complete stop. Underground sensors that trigger traffic lights won’t react to a bike, so laws in 11 states, from Arizona to Wisconsin, pull a halfway-Idaho by allowing people on bikes to roll through a red after a short wait.
Red Lights, Big City
In 2015, an Idaho Stop resolution was introduced in the New York City Council to allow cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs and stoplights as stop signs. In 2016, a separate bill was introduced, a sort of Idaho Stop-Lite, that would allow cyclists to cross with pedestrian walk signals at intersections. Both proposals are waiting in committee for a hearing.
