Prompted by the deaths of three bicyclists on city streets last year, Boise, Idaho, is the latest locale to require motorists to give bicyclists a 3 feet of space when passing.
Usually this is a statewide law. Although the Idaho state legislature hasn't approved such a law, it is the only state that allows bicyclists to make the “Idaho stop” — treating stop signs as yield signs and stop lights as stop signs.
Currently 14 states require that motorists give bicycle riders the 3-foot margin of safety.
The Boise City Council took the action this week based on the recommendations in a final report by the Cycling Safety Task Force that was completed last October.
Bike friendly
Other bike-friendly recommendations in the report that were put into law by the City Council:
— A new law making it a misdemeanor for a motorist to any person to intentionally intimidate or harass a cyclist by threatening physical injury or throwing an object at him or her.
— Clarify that motorists at intersections must yield to oncoming cyclists when turning left and cannot cut off cyclists traveling in the same direction when turning right.
An amendment that would have limited the 3-foot rule to “whenever possible” was stricken from the law, according to the Idaho Statesman.
Cycling restrictions
Other recommendations make it illegal to operate a bicycle in a reckless manner that might endanger people or property, and rules that a bicyclist must dismount on the sidewalk if there are too many pedestrians to ride safely.
Task force member Michael Zuzel explained:
“Motorists and bicycles have to share the road. They have to share the responsibility for making the roads safe. That's why some of these ordinances would penalize motorists for their behavior and some would penalize cyclists for their behavior.”
Kudos to the work by the task force, which met weekly and held public hearings on the recommendations. These laws go a long way toward making bicyclists and motorists share the responsiblity of making the roads safe for all. It would be good to see other jurisdictions apply these as well.
The Boise Cycling Safety Task Force final report is a .pdf download.
Updated list of 14 states, and one city, that require a 3-foot passing margin .
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