I do not live in an Idaho stop state, but I do it regularly.
The study found that cyclists preferred the Idaho stop method (which is pretty obvious for a vehicle that works largely by maintaining momentum), but also that when drivers received an education about the rolling stop sign law for cyclists, they approached intersections slower than before and created fewer dangerous scenarios for the cyclists.
So the only way it worked was in a closed study where all the drivers were warned cyclists would blow they stop signs without stopping…
Did they even wait a day after telling them? Or did they tell them that, run the experiment, and then claim it’s safer for cyclists to ignore traffic laws?
Even if there’s a short term increase, it won’t take long for drivers to forget that cyclists aren’t going to obey traffic laws.
Is the criticism that they told drivers about how the Idaho stop worked? If the Idaho stop was going to be more widely adopted, it’s a reasonable assumption that there would be a public education campaign so people knew what to expect.
Either way though, it’s a study meant to test a hypothesis and the outcome suggested that Idaho’s approach may be a good one.
If you’re wanting an admission that the study’s results may not hold up under further testing, sure. Admitted. But the study as a first step is pretty reasonable.
Is the criticism that they told drivers about how the Idaho stop worked? If the Idaho stop was going to be more widely adopted, it’s a reasonable assumption that there would be a public education campaign so people knew what to expect.
And that will never get out to everyone…
And while they may remember, how long will they?
Couple days? Couple months?
How long do you think a 60 year old will remember and pay attention to it over 45 years of driving experience?
But the study as a first step is pretty reasonable.
It’s not if the only way it worked was immediately before the test saying “cyclists won’t obey traffic laws”.
Like, there’d have to be an automated message that plays every single time you start a vehicle for this to be applicable…
It’s a traffic law, you can teach it just like any other. It gets added to driving school’s curricula and must be demonstrated in driving tests. You could communicate this law to existing drivers by removing the stop line from bike lanes and putting little bike yield signs, if the intersection warrants it.
