Bicyclists will soon legally be allowed to do what many often do already: treat a stop sign like a yield sign when it’s safe to do so.

Oregon’s House of Representatives narrowly approved Senate Bill 998 on Tuesday, one week after the Legislature’s other chamber signed off on the legislation. The bill passed 31-28, with one lawmaker excused.

The bill now heads to Gov. Kate Brown’s desk for a final signature. Once Brown signs the bill into law, it will be effective immediately.

The bill is the culmination of more than a decade of advocacy from bicyclists across the state. A similar law has been in effect in Idaho for more than 30 years, and backers cited a recent University of California-Berkeley study which determined cyclists in that state experienced no greater injury or death rate as a result of the ability to treat stop signs like yield signs if it’s safe.

Under the new rules, cyclists would be allowed to ride through an intersection – or turn in either direction – without coming to a full stop as long as they are riding at 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 also creates new traffic violations for bicyclists who fail to observe the law, such as by failing to yield to traffic in an intersection or failing to give the right of way to pedestrians. Those violations create a maximum fine of $250.

The bill’s passage was not a sure thing, and the debate brought forward members of both parties who criticized the proposal for a variety of reasons. Rep. Chris Gorsek, D-Troutdale, said the bill was “problematic at best” and he said motorists already face “hazardous” conditions in Portland.

Rep. Lynn Findley, R-Vale, said the bill sets a bad precedent. “We’re going to teach our kids to blow through stop signs,” he said.

But Rep. Mike McLane, R-Powell Butte, supported the bill and pointed out the irony of liberal Oregon lawmakers piggybacking on a decades-old Idaho policy.

Rep. Paul Holvey, D-Eugene, disagreed with Gorsek about the risks for automobile users in cities. “It is the bicyclist that’s really the one who is at risk here,” he said. Holvey said the policy would make it safer for him as a bike rider and kids he knows, because they can safely approach an intersection and not lose momentum if it’s safe to proceed through the stop sign.

The bill won’t apply to traffic signals but it does apply to intersections with flashing beacons.

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen

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