Oregon Could Be Next to Legalize the Idaho Stop

"Cyclists around Oregon could treat stop signs and blinking red lights as yield signs, under a bill that looks likely to pass a legislative committee," reports Dirk VanderHart.

The Idaho Stop has made an appearance in Oregon before, a decade ago, but the state known for progressive alternative transportation policies and programs has not yet followed in the footsteps of Idaho and, very recently, Arkansas.

"The proposal, modeled after a policy passed in Idaho in the ‘80s, would allow bicycles leeway to keep rolling when approaching a stop sign or blinking red light," explains VanderHart. "If there are no other vehicles with the right of way, cyclists could legally proceed without coming to a complete stop."

A follow up article by Meerah Powell checks in with "one of the state’s main biking advocate groups," The Street Trust, for their opinion on the proposed law. Jillian Detweiler, The Street Trust’s executive director, is quoted in Powell's article explaining the Idaho Stop, how it's already in use by people on bikes, and what it will take for Oregon to safely implement the new law, if it is approved by the State Legislature.