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 can imagine any reasonably size truck, semi etc turning left may need to use the bike lane to avoid clipping the front of a vehicle in the lane coming through from the other way. That portion (the passenger side of the semi) of the road would be in a massive blind spot for the driver, so they’d probably be relying on bikes to have stopped according to the standard rules of the road.
Probably a pretty rare scenario, and easy enough for a cyclist to see and avoid, but rules are built around worst case scenarios, not most frequent scenarios.
I can imagine any reasonably size truck, semi etc turning left may need to use the bike lane to avoid clipping the front of a vehicle in the lane coming through from the other way.
That’s a reasonable concern. In areas where large trucks are expected to turn, you’d see traffic lights (not stop signs). At least, that’s what I’ve noticed, since the intersections themselves need to be large enough to accommodate large trucks like that.
But three ways in areas where you’d only expect small vehicles are very common around here, and stopping doesn’t make sense.
Really, we just need to permit the Idaho Stop so a question like this one becomes irrelevant. 😂
Idaho Stop is permitted at every location lacking a police officer. I see perhaps 2 in 10 not Idahoeing in my part of TO. The TO maneuver is, look for cars, look for police, if neither is present, proceed through the stop sign. I stop these days because I’m riding electric assist and starting from a stop isn’t that big of a deal and I don’t have to pay as much attention this way.
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.
I’d be riding through this like it didn’t exist pretty regularly
I’d ride through it if nobody is around.
I’m not taking chances that someone won’t swing too wide and smash into me if there’s traffic though.
Exception is oncoming traffic, because they won’t be closer than 20ft to me unless they’re aiming
People are dumb. Expect them to do dumb things and you’ll live longer.
So, respect cyclists as much as car drivers, except when it’s inconvenient for you to follow the rules of the road?
Intersections are probably the most dangerous place on the road, or at least that’s what I was taught in motorcycling class 40 years ago.
If a cyclist can ride right through this, why can’t I on my 125 motorcycle?
And yes, I disagree with filtering. I understand the arguments for it, but it introduces so much risk as cagers aren’t looking for you.
If a cyclist can ride right through this, why can’t I on my 125 motorcycle?
Perhaps it should be allowed! Cars already treat stop signs as yields (“California Roll” is the car corollary to the “Idaho Stop”). Why would you stop if the car behind you isn’t planning to? (I’d love to see motorbike studies on this; please link me to some if you know any.)
Studies have shown that cyclists treating stop signs as yield signs leads to fewer accidents, both with cars and pedestrians.
Yielding also decreases time spent in the intersection. You have a motor underneath you. Cyclists don’t. Clearing the intersection quickly prevents cross-traffic from splatting you. That’s why slowing down, checking for traffic, but not stopping is so important for momentum vehicles.
The NHTSA (the US road safety org for my Canadian friends) has a good two-pager overview. It’s a good place to start if you’re still curious about the reasoning behind the Idaho stop.
So, respect cyclists as much as car drivers, except when it’s inconvenient for you to follow the rules of the road?
Just to put this out there: this isn’t really about convenience, but safety. My question is basically “why isn’t an Idaho Stop permitted at a 3-way shown in the photo?”.
Since we know that Idaho Stops are SIGNIFICANTLY safer for cyclists (and yes, it can be more convenient as a secondary benefit), it’s not really about respecting or following rules, but “does this rule make sense for a cyclist, when it offers no benefit to safety?”.
Intersections are probably the most dangerous place on the road, or at least that’s what I was taught in motorcycling class 40 years ago.
Yes, if you are driving in the middle of the road, not in the gutter lane. And usually at 4-way intersections where vehicles cross each other’s path. You get none of that in this context.
If a cyclist can ride right through this, why can’t I on my 125 motorcycle?
As above, that would be dangerous. Unless you can provide evidence that blowing through stops on a motorcycle is actually safer for you.
Probably because a lot of people have poor driving skills and will “swing wide” when making the turn.
Are cars allowed to park in the intersection there? A bicycle could get hit on the rare occasion someone coming from the other road swung out to park there.
I can’t think of any other reason. And this one sucks, too.
Are cars allowed to park in the intersection there?
Generally speaking, cars are usually not allowed to park within a certain distance of any intersection. Do they abide by those laws, designed to keep other road users safe? Of course not.
I’ve come across so many of these three-ways where it really doesn’t make sense for cyclists to have to stop. Even more so when you are forced to stop at a light (that will never change due to no cars being around you), and simply permitting cyclists to ride through in the bike lane just seems like a no-brainer.
I’m floored by how many Ontario drivers I witness parking under stop signs, or at the edge of an intersection turn. Then again, “NO PARKING” and “NO STOPPING” signs are usually treated as suggestions.
Like, what cereal box did they get their license from?
