Bill would let cyclists yield at stop signs

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Despite opposition from car insurance companies, a House committee endorsed a bill Tuesday that would allow bicyclists to treat stop signs as if they were yield signs.

Rep. Carol Spackman Moss, D-Holladay, said HB155 would make roads safer and would reflect what cyclists already do.

She said allowing cyclists to merely slow and proceed when no cars are present allows them to be less wobbly when going through intersections. It would attract more cyclists away from major highways onto neighborhood roads if they feel they can keep up speed without constantly slowing to full stops.

But two insurance companies — AAA and State Farm — opposed the bill.

Roylane Fairclough, spokeswoman for AAA Utah, testified that it could cause more accidents because motorists expect cyclists to stop at stop signs. Tragedy, she warned, could result when they do not.

The House Transportation Committee endorsed the measure 12-1 and sent it to the full House.

Lee Davidson