Utah Legislature: Cyclists could run stop signs if bill becomes law

SALT LAKE CITY — Bike riders could run a stop sign if no cars are around, if a bill passed by the House Thursday becomes law.

(HB91) by Rep. Carol Spackman Moss, D-Holladay, says that cyclists, as they approach a stop sign, can go through the sign if there are no other motorists.

In addition, a cyclist can stop at a red light, then go through it, as long as the intersection is controlled by electronic vehicle-identification equipment, which won't recognize a bike because it doesn't weigh enough.

Rep. Don Ipson, R-St. George, said he may not look like it, but he rode 3,000 miles on his bike last year. And, as Moss and others pointed out, it is dangerous for a bike rider to stop at a stop sign, have to get his shoes out of pedal clips, and then get started again, said Ipson. "If I don't keep moving, I tip over."

In reality, said Moss, most bike riders coast through a stop sign now if no cars are present. And her bill only recognizes common practice.

Rep. Wayne Harper, R-West Jordan, said Moss' bill is dangerous and that all types of vehicles should have the same rules of the road, otherwise there will be "injuries and deaths" of cyclists.

— Bob Bernick Jr.