Idaho Stop for Cyclists? Drivers Already Do It!

Stop means stop, right? One of the most common criticisms you see about cyclists in an urban environment is that they don't stop at stop signs, but what people seem to be forgetting is that drivers don't either. In this video we present original groundbreaking research on the stop sign habits of motorists and discuss what this should mean for cyclists.

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#cycling #stopsigns #cyclists #driving #bikecommuting #trafficlaws

[ordinaryorca]

Another thing about stop signs for cyclists is that due to their low acceleration, forcing them to stop will make it so they spend way more time on the intersection, endangering themselves and obstructing the flow of traffic

[bikesarebest]

Great video! I hate when people say this about cyclists because cars do the same thing but they just don't even notice it anymore because it's so commonplace.

[m.e.]

I will openly admit that when I'm driving I will use an Idaho stop without even thinking about it. I only became aware when my mom pointed it out as a passenger. This is why I don't like driving. I hate that I become impatient, irritable and angry over minor things that in the end make almost no difference in travel time. Whatever time I conserved by blasting through a yellow light I'll pay later at an intersection or light anyway. It's like the car is an id amplifier. The online complainers are just jealous because they wish they had the perceived freedom of a cyclist. But that's the "freedom" paradox of cars- sure you can drive anywhere but you're still locked into a series of roads and laws and that's frustrating because "dude I got all this horsepower" and you're still waiting at a light 😛

[whatevil]

I'm from the UK and moved to Ottawa. Can confirm that it's rare to even see stop signs in the UK. They just don't exist except in exceptional circumstances. When you see one, you know you really *have* to stop because otherwise it would be dangerous.

[yato]

I live in Europe and I always stop for stop signs.

They're usually placed in the most dangerous places, where you can't see incoming cars.

In all other cases, small intersections are either 4-way right hand rule ones, or give way ones.

[harenterberge]

Original stop signs were meant for unclear intersections, where you really need to stop to clearly see the traffic on the other road. But in North-America it used often at very clear crossings, as a way to lower car speeds in residential areas. Since bicycles do not go do fast in the first place, this use makes no sense for cyclists.

The best solution would be to design the streets in residential areas that car drivers automatically lower their speed, and safe stop signs for unclear intersections where everybody needs to stop.

[yaash]

Not having blind spots is huge. When I show up at an intersection I've already looked down each road.

[emardis]

As a Brit, I've always found the abundance of of stop signs in North America baffling. Being forced to stop when a junction is clear must be utterly infuriating; it's also less fuel inefficient, less smooth, and wears clutches out faster (although I believe manuals are far less common across the pond, so that's not quite as bad I guess). The measures suggested in the video seems like a much better way to promote safety on the road

[PSNDonutDude]

Have you seen those mini-roundabouts where 4 way stops used to be. I like those a lot of slowing cars and allowing cyclists to avoid stopping. They exist a lot in the Netherlands, but there are a couple in Hamilton where I live.

It's also interesting because I've rolled through a stop sign on a bike while right beside a car and noticed that we rolled at the same speed. It seems that because cars travel at, say 50km/h and roll at 10km/h though the stop sign, that is a stop, but because a cyclist is travelling at 12-15kp/h and slowing to 10km/h for the stop sign, it's considered flying right through.

[Rager_U]

It's not just familiarity for drivers; in the USA it's the priviledged constant thinking that "might makes right". In other words, "I deserve better because I'm bigger and I can kill you". ("And BTW, I want to scare you by making sure you understand that, too.") The whole country is built on that, and has been since I was a kid -- a very long time ago at this point.

[emersonharkin]

Finally, a perfect video to send to fellow Ottawa-residents who complain about cyclists not stopping at stop signs! Would love to see a video on another intersection-related topic: the length of light cycles. I've noticed a few intersections downtown where the delay between pressing a beg button and the light changing is 1-1.5min (Primrose and Bronson, pedestrian crossing on Albert between Bronson and Empress, Prince of Wales near the Arboretum). Imagine waiting 90s in a car for a light to change!

[lucacoccioli]

Got stopped by police for ignoring a red light at a crosswalk (there was no road crossing, only a crosswalk between sidewalks) I came to a full stop to let the pedestrians cross and once they had I started gently rolling down the street. Then a police van pulled me over and gave me a long condescending lecture about obeying the rules of the road. Cops that drive around in their van all day think that the only way that you can stay safe on the road is to wait for minutes on end while your path lies empty in front of you -- because you never know when a light-speed pedestrian is gonna jump in front of your bike?

[knarf_on_a_bike]

One day I sat at an 4 way-stop sign intersection here in Toronto for about 30 minutes, and I counted how many motor vehicles stopped. It was in a downtown medium density residential area. 8 out of 10 motor vehicles did not come to a complete stop. Only 20% obeyed the stop sign. And that is not separating out those who had to stop for a pedestrian or other vehicle. Those are raw stats. Great point about drivers routinely breaking the speed limit, BTW. Terrific video!

[codex]

I just realized how often stop signs are used in North America. Im from the Netherlands and I think the last stop sign I've encountered over here was 20 years ago when they replaced the junction for a smart trafficlight junction.

EDIT: I just looked it up and according to wikipedia (and did check the source) it's not even legally binding signage in the Netherlands anymore because no one really stopped at it.

[obrienliam]

Great to see Ottawa/autowa footage! Great work, guys.

[RobertoFischer]

I once got yelled at when I did actually stop, wait for my turn, and then went on with my bike. There was a driver that wanted to take my turn anyway. That taught me to zoom by all intersections with my eyes closed and hands off handlebars.

[derosa]

People in cars, people on bikes, people on foot... we aren't so different.

[zaired]

Yes! Finally a video about this! I really don't get why this is not already the case.
Also 3:03 reminds me how my brother-in-law once did that but with a cargo train and it was so loud the kids started crying lol

[MakeCriminalsIllegalAgain]

I'm one of the small percentage that actually comes to a complete stop in my car. Same with the motorcycle. It's fun to challenge yourself to stop completely then restart without putting a foot down on the moto. On the bicycle though? I'm blowing through like the breeze. My favorite is when I approach the stop sign just as a car is pulling away from it headed in the same direction. It's like having my own personal escort through the intersection 😀

[davidbarts]

The “Idaho stop” is now legal here in Washington state as well. I appreciate how a practical measure I have long used is now formally legal and I won’t get a stupid ticket for rolling through a stop sign at an empty intersection.