Colorado bicyclists will be able legally to treat stop signs as yield signs and stop lights like stop signs when it is safe to do so, following a ceremony on Wednesday afternoon when Gov. Jared Polis signs the so-called “Safety Stop” bill passed by the legislature.
The signing is scheduled for 12:30 p.m.
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The new law applies to bicycles, e-bikes and electrically assisted scooters. It was advocated by Bicycle Colorado, an advocacy group for cyclists, and passed both houses of the legislature by wide margins.
In the case of stop signs, cyclists will be required to slow down and yield the right-of-way to vehicular traffic or pedestrians, but they will no longer be required to stop. At red lights, cyclists will be required to stop and yield right-of-way, but they may proceed before the light turns green.
“This bill is a critical step in keeping cyclists and other sustainable commuters safe during their rides,” said one of the bill’s sponsors, Rep. Matt Gray D-Broomfield, in a news release. “Adopting the safety stop will decriminalize common-sense behavior for bicyclists and create cohesion between the many communities who currently have different rules and regulations regarding safety stops which causes confusion and dangerous situations for bicyclists.”
