Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed the ‘Safety Stop’ bill into law on Wednesday, meaning that Colorado’s cyclists will now be allowed to legally treat stop signs like yield signs and stop lights like stop signs when safe to do so.

The law applies to those 15 and older on bicycles, e-bikes, and electrically-assisted scooters, with non-profit Bicycle Colorado behind the push for support. Those under 15 can also take advantage of this change if accompanied by an adult.

While the law will allow Colorado cyclists to roll through stop signs, they are still required to yield to vehicular and pedestrian traffic. At stop lights, cyclists must also yield to traffic, but can proceed prior to a light turning green, if safe. In other words, a cyclist still can’t charge into traffic, but they’re able to adjust their ride when conditions allow.

In a press release on the matter, Broomfield Representative Matt Gray said that “adopting the safety stop will decriminalize common-sense behavior.”

The law also creates consistency among the many communities across Colorado with varying rules on the matter. Lack of consistency has been blamed for confusion and the creation of an unsafe situation.

In other states that have adopted similar laws, a drop in vehicle crashes involving a cyclist has been reported as a result.

In addition to improving safety on the road, the new law will allow cyclists to legally maintain their speed through a stop sign when safe to do so, thus allowing the cyclist to waste less effort. It will also prevent long waiting periods that can impact the rhythm of the ride.

Read the text of House Bill 22-1028 here.

Do you think this is a good idea? Let us know in the comments.

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