Idaho Stop makes cyclists 14.5% Safer

This story comes via GGW, via theathleteslawyer, via OregonLive via Jason Meggs, UC Berkeley researcher.

the year after the Idaho Stop became law, bicycle injuries in the state actually declined by 14.5 percent.

Boise, home to Idaho's biggest bike population, "has actually become safer for bicyclists than other cities which don't have the law," Meggs said.

Mark McNeese, the Idaho Transportation Department's bicycle and pedestrian coordinator, said legislators removed an education requirement in the original law in 1988 because special training quickly became unnecessary. "The kids were quick to adapt," he said. "The bottom line is that when this thing passed, there wasn't one doggone thing that changed."

And despite what you may have thought, the law wasn't promoted by cyclists in Idaho, it was judges.

Carl Bianchi, a retired administrative director of Idaho's state courts who is widely considered the father of the Idaho Stop, said it was traffic judges -- not cyclists -- who pushed for the idea in 1982.

Police were ticketing bike riders for failing to come to a complete, foot-down stop. Judges, however, saw "technical violations" clogging up their courts.

"We recognized that the realities of bicycling were a lot different than driving a car," Bianchi said.

Which may be good considering some of the trouble Oregon has had passing their law

The Bicycle Transportation Alliance puts the chances of the Idaho Stop becoming law in Oregon this year at 50-50. Over at BikePortland.org, they're blaming slanted coverage in the mainstream media for putting the effort in jeopardy. But Karl Rohde, the alliance's former chief lobbyist, says a bigger problem is the cyclists who left nasty messages for lawmakers during a recent debate over registering bikes. "Some of them were appalling," he says. One lawmaker told Rohde that a bike advocate called to tell him "you've probably never been on a bike, you fat (bleep)." Yeah, that doesn't help.

And The Arlandrian gets involved with a nice point in calling for Alexandria to go potato

A driver would be pretty peeved if he wasn't allowed to pass a biker on a double-yellow-lined road. That automotive maneuver would be illegal if a bike were treated as a motor vehicle and the driver would be subject to a ticket. There are certain exceptions to the normal traffic rules for bikes, and the Idaho stop should be one of them in Alexandria. Hopefully this will eventually be adopted state-wide, but why not lead the way.

Despite what one of Alexandria's planning commission members, Lawrence Robinson, thinks

[He] went on a rant about how bikes are always getting in the way of his car during a July 2 discussion of the outdoor display of rental bikes. He thought any behavior that encouraged more biking was a bad idea. Not the most bike-friendly set of comments you can think of.

If Oregon passes the Idaho stop, that would increase the chances of passing it in the DC area. Though I'm sure some would be quick to point out that Portland "just isn't like DC."

Comments

[Eric]

Despite what one of Alexandria's planning commission members, Lawrence Robinson, thinks

[He] went on a rant about how bikes are always getting in the way of his car during a July 2 discussion of the outdoor display of rental bikes. He thought any behavior that encouraged more biking was a bad idea.

Pretty funny to read that as I glance down at my commuter backpack and see the hi-vis reflective elastic ankle strap I scored as swag at an event sponsored by the city this spring which reads "Spin City 2009 - City of Alexandria".

In any case, I hope that we can do something to institute the Idaho stop in the DC area [before I get a ticket for doing it! ;-)], and as a current resident of Alexandria, it'd be great to see my city lead the way.

[Lars]

I'd like the Idaho law to pass before I get rear ended doing a full stop in Old Town.

[Catherine]

Sheesh, this has been quite a week for Alexandrians to be proud of their elected officials. Who is this Lawrence Robinson, anyway?

Lars, I live in Old Town and I think it's the perfect example of where we need the Idaho stop!

Finally--what is the likelihood that this would or could be passed city-to-city (or county to county)? I'm pretty sure that traffic laws are a state matter (except in rare examples where the laws are made more restrictive, like NYC's ban on right turns on red). If that's the case, than DC could still pass it, but the likelihood of the good ol' boys downstate in Real Virginia (TM) letting the uppity, hippieish, potentially homosexual cyclists who clog up THEIR roads enough stark braking The Law putting their very lives in danger is....slim to none. Oops are my secessionist leanings showing ;)?

[Grendel]

the year after the Idaho Stop became law, bicycle injuries in the state actually declined by 14.5 percent.

Careful there, correlation does not equal causation. How have the numbers held up since that year after enactment? Any chance the following year was a statistical blip?

[Washcycle]

I know. I thought the same thing (about the one year blip at least). I emailed Jason Meggs to ask him if he had any more data and I'm waiting to hear back.

[Joe]

I as well have started yield stops instead of complete stops because motor vehicles don't come to a complete stop the majority of the time. I do make sure it is safe to cross and stop (complete) for any traffic that does have right of way.

[Lars]

Catherine, the good Commonwealth has already engineered an end to the two wheeled pinkos in Northern Virginia. Their VDOT has all but banned paved shoulders.

What makes so little sense about the Idaho stop is that police cars generally don't bother to come to a complete stop in these parts!