Ignoring that my country doesn’t allow Idaho Stops, or that my Provincial Government wants to actively kill cyclists by removing safe cycling infrastructure, I’ve always wondered if there’s a reason why cyclists aren’t allowed to simply ride through an intersection like the one in the photo.
I’m talking about the right side, where the bike lane could extend through the intersection without interfering with other vehicles, including those that are turning left.
This would not only keep those stops safer (clears the cyclist out of the intersection), but would just make sense from a transportation efficiency standpoint.
Is there something I’m missing, or do cyclists have to stop only because motorists would take a tantrum if they weren’t required to?
I’ll be honest, I use an Idaho Stop at some very specific intersections (with red lights) near me. I’ve been stranded at some of these lights for 10+ minutes, simply because they don’t change for cyclists. Even when they signal yellow, and you expect your light to turn green, it’ll continue as red when it detects that no cars are there.
It’s a form of subtle discrimination against anyone who isn’t in a car, and if the way is clear, I’m going through it.
