D.C. Could Legalize ‘Idaho Stop,’ Ban Right Turns on Red

According to an article by Alisa Tang in the Washington Post, “The D.C. Council’s transportation committee this month approved legislation that would allow people on bicycles and scooters to treat a stop sign as a yield sign. The bill also would ban right-on-red turns for cars beginning Jan. 1, 2025, except at intersections where the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) determines such right turns would be safer.”

“Treating stop signs as yield signs, according to a council transportation committee report on the bill, would move cyclists through intersections more quickly — making them less exposed, increasing their visibility to drivers and reducing their chances of being hit — and help cyclists maintain momentum.” The report also says decriminalizing rolling through stop signs—known as an ‘Idaho stop’—“eliminates cause for police stops that disproportionately impact people of color and divert law enforcement resources toward unnecessary activities.”

Although critics say banning right-on-red turns at 100 district intersections in 2019 did not significantly improve safety, “Advocates for bicyclists say they hope a right-on-red ban will make the District safer,” arguing that banning the turns district-wide will make the policy less confusing for drivers.

The full council could vote on the measure when they reconvene in September.