Hey, I found Idaho's motor vehicle law. Not only does it allow slow coasting through STOPs,
the law also allows going through a red light after stopping !
STATE OF IDAHO
TITLE 49 MOTOR VEHICLES CHAPTER 7
PEDESTRIANS AND BICYCLES
49-720. STOPPING -- TURN AND STOP SIGNALS. (1) A person operating a
bicycle or human-powered vehicle approaching a stop sign shall slow down and,
if required for safety, stop before entering the intersection. After slowing
to a reasonable speed or stopping, the person shall yield the right-of-way to
any vehicle in the intersection or approaching on another highway so closely
as to constitute an immediate hazard during the time the person is moving
across or within the intersection or junction of highways, except that a
person after slowing to a reasonable speed and yielding the right-of-way if
required, may cautiously make a turn or proceed through the intersection
without stopping.
(2) A person operating a bicycle or human-powered vehicle approaching a
steady red traffic control light shall stop before entering the intersection
and shall yield to all other traffic. Once the person has yielded, he may
proceed through the steady red light with caution. Provided however, that a
person after slowing to a reasonable speed and yielding the right-of-way if
required, may cautiously make a right-hand turn. A left-hand turn onto a
one-way highway may be made on a red light after stopping and yielding to
other traffic.
Wow! I'm moving to Idaho! Seriously, I wish California would adopt this law. In one fell swoop thousands of cyclists would be converted from outlaws into law-abiding citizens.
Originally Posted by Scavenger
On further consideration, I see one BIG flaw in a law that permits cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs: When I run an all-way stop sign at, say, half speed, I know I'm safe from cars IF they obey their stop sign. The danger lies in cross-traffic cyclists running stop signs too.
I don't see it as a flaw. The key is both cyclists must slow down to a reasonable speed before proceeding through... if you're both going 10mph or less you both have plenty of time to brake and/or adjust as needed. Flying through a stop at 20mph is illegal.
The red light law would be great at non-functioning lights on Sunday mornings. Stop at the red, look both way, go through. Of course, at rush hour, it would be nearly impossible to apply the law to cross a busy boulevard... but hey, if there's a long break, go for it!
I'm moving to Idaho. Maybe I'll take up potato farming.