Winnipeg residents protest ‘Idaho stop’ bill that would allow cyclists to go slower through stop signs

Traffic laws state that anyone approaching a stop sign must come to a complete stop, but a group of Winnipeg cyclists say the current rules put them at greater risk.

They have planned a rally for Thursday evening where they will call on Manitoba to change the Highway Traffic Act to allow cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs, requiring a complete stop only when oncoming traffic is coming.

The technique — dubbed the “Idaho Stop” after the U.S. state that legalized it in 1982 — allows cyclists to maintain their speed as they approach a stop sign, reducing the time they spend in the intersection and in the path of oncoming traffic.

“The problem with this security measure not being legal is that it essentially criminalizes security,” said Hillary Rosentreter, one of the rally organizers.

The rally, set to begin at 5 p.m. at the intersection of Westminster Avenue and Walnut Street, will take cyclists on a route through the Wolseley neighborhood. Riders will follow the law by riding in single file and stopping at all intersections, Rosentreter said.

The idea is to show what happens when cyclists are told to lose momentum before passing through an intersection.

“That means cyclists are going to spend more time at intersections, which actually increases the time they potentially get hit by a driver or encounter some other hazard,” Rosentreter said.

Idaho law requires cyclists to slow down when approaching a stop sign and check for oncoming traffic. However, they may continue without stopping if the way is clear.

Red lights are treated like stop signs, requiring cyclists to come to a complete stop but allowing them to continue if no oncoming traffic is approaching.

Rosentreter said this latest policy change may be harder for some Manitobans to accept, but she would welcome it if the provincial government decided to implement it.

Damage Reduction

According to Manitoba Public Insurance, an average of four cyclists die and 78 are injured in accidents across the province each year.

Winnipeg has seen a number of high-profile accidents involving drivers and cyclists in recent months, including a car crash on Wellington Crescent that claimed the life of a 61-year-old man on June 6.

Last month, a teenager was taken to hospital after she was hit by a vehicle in the area of ​​Academy Road and Wellington Crescent.

Earlier this month, a 67-year-old man was killed when he hit the back of a parked truck while riding his bicycle at high speed on Kenaston Boulevard.

A 2010 study by the University of California School of Public Health found that in the year after the law changed in Idaho, cyclist injuries dropped by 14.5 percent.

Other states have implemented similar laws, including Colorado in 2022 and Minnesota in 2023. So far, no jurisdiction in Canada has adopted Idaho’s detention.

Chuck Glover, a bicycle safety instructor and former police officer from Maple Ridge, B.C., said he understands the arguments made by supporters of the rule change and said he sometimes uses the stop in Idaho.

But I do not support legalizing it.

“I think you need to stop,” he said.

Officers have discretion as to when to issue a ticket, and Glover says he would “turn a blind eye” if he saw a cyclist slowing down and looking before entering an intersection, even if they had not come to a complete stop.

He fears cyclists will be less likely to slow down if the law does not require them to come to a complete stop.

The problem with the Idaho stop is that some cyclists “have gone from riding a tank to riding, passing, and some just won’t slow down.”

Conflict Points

Rosentreter says he understands the argument for treating all road users the same, but adds there is a difference in the level of risk posed by a person riding a bike compared to someone driving a car.

Julia Schroeder, a cyclist and board member of activist group Bike Winnipeg, says forcing cyclists to stop increases conflicts with drivers who lose patience waiting for cyclists to pick up speed again so they can pass through the intersection.

“If the province of Manitoba wants to do something to reduce the number of conflict hotspots, this is where they can make an impact,” she said.

A spokeswoman for Transportation Minister Lisa Naylor said in an email that road safety is a priority for the province, especially after recent tragedies on Winnipeg streets.

“We will continue to work with organizations that advocate for the safety of all on our roads and encourage all road users to obey road and traffic laws in the hope that all Manitobans can get to where they are going safely,” the spokesperson wrote.