SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — A San Francisco lawmaker is proposing legislation that would allow bicyclists to ride through stop signs without stopping.
Many riders in San Francisco already blow through stop signs, but this new law would make it legal for them to do so–as long as it’s safe.
“Things happen slower on the bicycle than the car,” bicyclist Bruce Coleman said. “So, I do practice a rolling stop and it works for me. I’ve never had an issue or even a close accident.”
Like Coleman, many bicyclists in San Francisco practice a rolling stop or no stopping at all.
Police don’t generally crack down on riders ignoring stop signs, but assemblyman Phil Ting is proposing a measure that will make it legal.
Some commuters believe it will make traveling safer.
“If you’re going through the wiggle and there’s numerous bikes, if everyone isn’t doing the same thing, that creates its own little problem because you know we had a period there where everybody tried to stop, the vast majority, but then you had other people that didn’t want to practice it and tried to pass, so I find that if everyone uses the rolling stop on the bicycle, especially the popular lanes, it’s almost an extra safety feature for yourself because otherwise, people are trying to swerve out around you,” Coleman said. “My wife actually had an accident in that situation where she fell off her bike and broke her arm.”
The idea behind the legislation is that riders will slow down enough to make sure it’s safe, then continue.
People on the opposing side believe this will encourage bad habits.
“I think it’s dangerous,” Alex Diaz said, “because I’ve been in a bike accident myself. So, it’s like because I wasn’t aware of what was going on around me that I was in danger because I was just focused on going. So, I things that’s a problem.”
If passed, bicyclists will still need to stop at a red light and give pedestrians the right of way.