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New legislation permits Washington bicyclists to yield, roll by way of cease indicators
New legislation permits Washington bicyclists to yield, roll by way of cease indicators
Photograph: Dmitri Kotchetov/Getty Photos/iStockphoto
New legislation permits Washington bicyclists to yield, roll by way of cease indicators
New legislation permits Washington bicyclists to yield, roll by way of cease indicators
Photograph: Dmitri Kotchetov/Getty Photos/iStockphoto
A brand new legislation going into impact Thursday will enable bicyclists in Washington to deal with cease indicators as yield indicators in an effort to enhance intersection security.
The brand new “Security Cease” legislation will enable bicyclists to maintain their momentum and roll by way of intersections if the coast is evident. It is not going to apply at site visitors lights, the place bicyclists are nonetheless required to cease.
The legislation is critical as folks on bikes face probably the most hazard at intersections, the place they’re susceptible to being struck by inattentive drivers. Beforehand, bicyclists had been required to cease in any respect sign-controlled intersections identical to vehicular site visitors.
The legislation was authorised by Senate lawmakers in February and was lobbied for by Washington Bikes, a motorbike advocacy group affiliated with Cascade Bicycle Membership.
“The invoice’s swift passage underscores the bipartisan help for biking, and Washington Bikes’ means to move sensible, protected and good laws,” mentioned Vicky Clarke, coverage director for Washington Bikes.
The legislation applies to each common bikes and electrical bikes.
Washington is the fifth state within the nation to enact such laws that may enable cyclists to yield at cease indicators. Comparable legal guidelines exists in Idaho, Oregon, Arkansas and Delaware. Idaho, which enacted related legal guidelines in 1982, has seen a 14% lower in bicycling accidents.
“There’s a purpose this legislation obtained enormous help from either side of the aisle in Olympia–it is sensible and it makes the roads safer,” says Alex Alston, Washington Bikes’ state coverage director.
Cyclists in Seattle have additionally been advocating for designated bike lanes on the Fremont Bridge, which recorded 1.2 million bike journeys in 2019, to assist with social distancing efforts in the course of the novel coronavirus pandemic.
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