THE PROPOSED IDAHO STOP Sign Law got its first hearing before
the House Transportation Committee in Salem last week, and appears to
be becoming a political lightning rod for tension between bicyclists
and car drivers.

The proposed law would allow bicyclists to yield, instead of
stopping, at stop signs [“Stop! Ish…,” News, Feb 26]. But it faced a
surprising amount of criticism from members of the committee last week,
some of whom thought the law might legalize bad behavior, says Karl
Rohde of the Bicycle Transportation Alliance.

“The ‘scofflaw cyclists’ who blow through stop signs, go the wrong
way down one-way streets, and ignore red lights are making it difficult
to pass good legislation for most cyclists,” says Rohde. “Because most
people’s memory tends to focus on their last negative experience with a
bicyclist.”

City of Eugene Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator Lee Shoemaker even
wrote a letter to the committee, saying the proposed law would only
“add to the rift between motorists and bicyclists.”

Rohde and Representative Jules Kopel Bailey will now take House Bill
2690 back to the drawing board to make some amendments that they hope
will satisfy the committee before a work session on the law next
month.

Bailey says he’s hopeful that the committee can be convinced by the
amendments, which will focus on defining the meaning of “slowing” and
“yielding,” and on the creation of a special sign at critical
intersections forcing bicyclists to stop, no matter what. Bailey
doesn’t think “anybody on the committee is a committed ‘no’ vote,” and
points out that a previous bill proposing a similar law passed the
house in 2003, by a margin of 47 to nine votes—only to die later,
in the state Senate.

This time, the bill is being co-sponsored by two state senators, and
both Rohde and Bailey are optimistic about its chances of reaching the
governor’s desk for signature into law. Nevertheless, Bailey, like
Rohde, also concedes that the law may have fallen victim to perceived
“bikes versus cars” tension coming to a head in Portland over the last
year.

“I do think that the difficulty is indicative of some of the changes
that have happened since 2003, and with some of the more unfortunate
interactions between bicyclists and drivers,” he says.

Matt Davis was news editor of the Mercury from 2009 to May 2010.

7 replies on “Stop, Collaborate, and Listen”

  1. This law is going to create a lot of dead and crippled bicyclists.
    I admit, I am one to use the old “California stop” when I ride my bike. I can usually see a couple of car lengths to the left and right so why come to a complete stop?
    That changed when a car was speeding through a residential neighborhood and my judgement was off and I got hit after I failed to come to a complete stop. The car was speeding, but I was the idiot who didn’t stop completely and look both ways before proceeding.
    How is this supposed to work at 4 way stops where everyone(including bikes) is supposed to come to a complete stop and take turns?
    When I’m riding my bike I don’t babysit cars, but when I drive I have to babysit bikes because some of them act like they always have the right of way.
    Get ready to see a lot more white bicycle memorials around Portland if this irresponsible law passes.
    Portland. The future “white bike” city?

  2. I wish I could believe something in this article, but your reporting is like Swiss cheese. Smelly, digested Swiss cheese that has been shite out of a dead opossum’s ass.

  3. I believe like many other people that this law would make the roads less safe not more safe for cyclists and motorists alike.

    The city also needs to decide whether or not it is going to enforce existing bicycle laws on the books — such as riding on the sidewalks vs. riding on the streets which we see every day in downtown Portland.

  4. As a long-time cyclist, I don’t understand the desire to pass a law like this.

    I don’t mind stopping. It has saved my life. You cannot look in all directions without approaching stopped movement or pretty damn close[as it, what most cars do] in intersections.

  5. Rhode knows what “most cyclists” are like and what “most people’s” memories tend to focus on. Just wanted to point that out. Most people wouldn’t have noticed that.

    Also, “white bicycle memorials.” What about red bikes?

    But yeah, stop at the stop signs. Seriously, WTF are people in such a rush to on their bikes?

  6. If people take the time to learn where all the bike lanes and bike paths are, as well as learn which residential areas have fewer stop signs, then there should be no problem. Knowing how to get around the town efficiently on a bike is the responsibility of the bicycle rider. It would be great to have more bike paths and bike lanes around town, but we are working with a finite amount of space. A lot of that that space was developed before Portland became bicycle city number one. If people are too lazy to properly stop and start on a ride, that doesn’t mean we should change the laws of traffic flow. I’m not completely aware of the opinion of those who favor this idea, but I would tell them this is a bad idea.

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