An Amusement & Diversion for The Genteel Cyclist. Daily.

Friday, April 17, 2009

A Whole Lot of Justification for Bending One Rule

In Oregon, they're talking about adapting the "Idaho Stop" rule which basically turns stops signs into yield signs for cyclists. Not a terrible idea, I guess, but seems quite a lot of paperwork for legislators, advocates, and other busybodies. What they're really saying in the subtext here is "OUR POLICE OFFICERS ARE BORED AND THERE ISN'T ENOUGH REAL CRIME GOING ON IN OUR GENTEEL CITY, SO THEY'RE BUSTING BIKE RIDERS FOR BREAKING AUTOMOBILE RULES, AND WE WANT THEM TO STOP THAT."W



Bicycles, Rolling Stops, and the Idaho Stop from Spencer Boomhower on Vimeo.

This is a clever video, and you can appreciate the earnestness of it all, but basing the entire proposal on the "scientific" merit of momentum preservation is ridiculous. If stop signs are what stand between you and a debilitating bonk in your daily commute, you might consider taking the bus or buying a Segway.

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