What's New!

Do you come to complete stops at intersections with stop signs? I am going to guess that some of you do not.  Before I go on, the first point that absolutely must be said is that any and all laws should be followed.  In NH, current law states that bicyclists must stop at all stop signs and red lights, just like motor vehicles.

On October 1, 2020, the state of Washington passed a “safety stop” law that allows cyclist to roll through an intersection basically making it a yield sign. Can this work in New Hampshire? Here is one person’s thoughts and comments on this question.

• Allowing for this acceptable road riding behavior would appear to make bike riding less safe, which is contrary to many regional and national associations.
• Given our rural geography, this makes complete sense.
• Cyclists have much more visibility of the roadway thus they can manage a ‘yield’.
• This will absolutely further “disturb” some motorists.
• Would there be some intersections that such a law would not apply? If so, what are those details? The geography or traffic layout conditions of our urban, suburban and rural roads might make it difficult to clearly differentiate.
• The article referenced above addressed one of my questions, “What constitutes an acceptable yield?” “Cyclists must slow down to a speed that would let them stop if necessary, but the law also lets them keep momentum if the intersection is clear.”
• We often see or hear about stories on encounters between bikes and cars. What about bikes and pedestrians? The article states, “…if the intersection is clear…”, what happens when there is a pedestrian? A law would need to protect the pedestrian first and thus, by definition the intersection is not clear and the cyclist must stop.
• What about turns? Again, given our geography. The law would need to address whether yield includes left turns and straight through. Given some road layouts, such as a ‘T’ section; two lanes entering, one for left, one for right. If intersection is clear, can the cyclist occupy the left lane and roll through with a left turn?

To pass legislation like this, many questions would have to be addressed (we all know about our political process). All points and questions aside, if other states are doing it and it is being done informally anyway, why not go ahead and make it law?  Begin by leveraging other states’ language as a template to see how concerns and issues such as those raised above could be addressed.

No matter what, let’s continue to advocate for cycling and pedestrianism in the state of New Hampshire.

Ride and walk on!