Letters May 2: The finer points of stop signs; giving the homeless a place to keep belongings – Times Colonist
May 02, 2024
Re: “Enforce traffic light and cycling regulations,” letter, April 30.
I offer three critical reasons why VicPD should not waste their limited resources on stop-sign enforcement.
First, the Idaho Stop, whereby cyclists treat red lights as stop signs, and stop signs as yields was first enacted (surprise!) in Idaho in 1982. It is now the law in 12 states and has been shown to reduce collisions at intersections by up to 23 per cent. Fundamentally, the practice of cyclists rolling stop signs is safer than what the law is in B.C.
Second, I wonder if the letter-writer has noticed that motorists rarely come to a complete stop, either? Research has shown that drivers and cyclists break traffic rules at the same rates (we’re all human), however while drivers break the rules to save time, cyclists break the rules to save lives.
