A proposal to outlaw right turns on red and legalize the so-called Idaho Stop for bikes and scooters is aimed at improving road safety and limiting dangerous interactions between cyclists and drivers.
The District of Columbia is poised to ban right turns on red lights as part of an effort to improve road safety for cyclists, reports Keely Bastow in the Washingtonian.
The Safer Streets Amendment Act of 2022, introduced by District councilmember Mary Cheh, “would restrict right turns on red lights and also implement the Idaho Stop, which allows bikes, e-bikes, and scooters to treat red lights as stop signs and stop signs as yield signs.”
Proponents of the Idaho Stop say it makes cyclists more visible and gives them more time to get ahead of car traffic. Some also see the proposed change as an equity issue: “Passing the amendment also would mean that cyclists would not be ticketed for what they already do, a practice that disproportionately affects residents of color; in 2020, over 87 percent of cyclists stopped in DC were Black.”
Late last year, California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoed a similar bill to legalize the Idaho Stop in that state. The Idaho Stop is legal in Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Arkansas, Delaware, and its namesake state, Idaho.
Read the full story: Say Goodbye to Turning Right on Red in DC
Cyclists may be Right to run Stop Signs and Red Lights. Here’s why
One researcher argues that the Idaho stop might not be such a bad idea after all.
Research Affirms Safety of ‘Idaho Stop’
Allowing cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs does not negatively impact safety and can help people on bikes more effectively navigate roadways.
D.C. Could Legalize ‘Idaho Stop,’ Ban Right Turns on Red
Proposed legislation would allow cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs and eliminate right turns on red in an effort to reduce cyclist and pedestrian fatalities.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Chicago breaks ground on $3 billion megadevelopment
The new neighborhood, titled Foundry Park, will one day host 3,700 residences.
California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO resigns after $600,000 scandal
Under Ian Choudri, the authority used taxpayer dollars to fund first class flights and trips to nightclubs.
Want to study the Missouri River? Soon, you may need unanimous approval from 10 states
Legislation would require 10 governors’ permission to study or build projects moving water outside the basin.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority