Bicyclists may soon be able to treat stop signs like yield signs when it’s safe to do so.

The Oregon Senate voted 21-8 on Tuesday to allow bicyclists to legally treat stop signs or intersections with flashing red signals as a yield sign, meaning they would not be required to come to a complete stop.

Senate Bill 998 says bicyclists can legally proceed through an intersection or make a turn in either direction without stopping as long as they slow to a safe speed, yield the right of way to pedestrians, and yield to traffic that is already in the intersection or approaching “so close as to constitute an immediate hazard.”

The bill now moves to the House of Representatives for approval.

Oregon bicycling advocates have pushed for the rule change for more than a decade, arguing it’s a common sense law that’s worked for more than 35 years in Idaho. Other states have followed suit and passed legislation similar to the so-called Idaho Stop.

Sen. Floyd Prozanski, D-Eugene, said he first introduced the bill in 2003 and said it’s a “very simple fix” and allows bicyclists to maintain momentum instead of coming to a full stop.

Prozanski said bicyclists are not allowed to treat traffic lights the same way and he stressed the bill only applies to bicyclists.

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen

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