A new D.C. council bill would change the way cyclists treat stop signs. It’s aimed at making biking safer in the District.
Cyclists and scooter riders would treat stop signs as yield signs under the “Safer Intersections Amendment” proposed by D.C. Council member Mary Cheh.
It’s called an “Idaho Stop” and could also make no right turn on red the default for D.C. drivers approaching intersections, with the hope of reducing rear-end crashes.
Another bill proposed by Cheh, called the Upgrading Tactical Safety Project Amendment, would require the District Department of Transportation to upgrade intersection signage and barriers created with inexpensive, temporary materials to more durable, permanent installations.
Cheh said in the letters introducing the bills that the council must act to make alternative modes of transportation safer to prevent deaths and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
In her letter, Cheh noted that in 2021, 40 people, 20 of who were on foot or bike, were killed in traffic crashes on the streets of the District, the most since the 2015 launch of the Vision Zero initiative, which seeks to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2024.
Additionally, the District’s transportation sector accounts for roughly 20% of greenhouse gas emissions.
“Having set these goals, we must act to meet them by encouraging sustainable and safer modes of transportation while protecting vulnerable road users. And, our traffic laws must reflect these goals,” Cheh said.
