Friday, May 16, 2014

Idaho Stop

The Idaho stop should be the rule everywhere not the exception. Simply put, for cyclists all stop signs are yield signs and all red lights are stop signs. Here's a good article on the Idaho stop, Why Cyclists Should be Able to Roll Through Stop Signs and Ride Through Red Lights by Joseph Stromberg.

Most cyclists in California already treat stop signs as a yield sign even though it is illegal. As for red lights I stop and proceed if there is no traffic because I know my trike won't trip the sensors in the street to change the light. If cars are around I just relax and enjoy the benefits of being on three wheels. Treating red lights as stop signs makes sense but it is still illegal here in California. However I see Lance wannabes and the occasional clueless Millennial bomb through both stop signs and red lights giving cycling a bad name.