WASHINGTON — Like most big cities, the greater Washington, D.C. area is known for its hustle and bustle: cars, busses, trains, pedestrians, and cyclists all heading to the next activity on their busy schedules.
With more and more people choosing bicycles for recreation or transportation, understanding how everyone has to share the road becomes more and more important.
A recent discussion on Reddit highlights the confusion that can take place when commuters are unsure how to react to the movements of people using other modes of transportation.
QUESTION
Do bicycles have to stop at stop signs, just like cars do?
SOURCES
ANSWER
If bicyclists ride in the roadway, they must obey traffic signals and stop signs. But a recent Washington D.C. law allows them some added flexibility.
WHAT WE FOUND
Several Reddit users said they are familiar with the sight of bicyclists riding straight through stop signs, but that is not allowed in any of our local jurisdictions.
Traffic laws for Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia all address safe practices for bicycles.
DC Municipal Regulations, Title 18, Section 1201.15, for instance, says, "No person shall operate a bicycle except in obedience to the instructions of official traffic control signals, signs, and other control devices applicable to vehicles, unless otherwise directed by a police officer or other person authorized to direct and control traffic."
But a 2022 law gives cyclists the ability to move more quickly through some intersections. Riders may proceed through a stop sign without stopping, in a move known as an Idaho Stop, if they travel a at an appropriate speed to reasonably assess and avoid hazards; determine there is no immediate hazard; and yield the right-of-way to pedestrians and to other traffic lawfully using the intersection. Riders can also proceed through a red light if they come to a complete stop, determine that it is safe to proceed, and yield to any other traffic lawfully going through the intersection.
Maryland Transportation Code § 21-1202 says in part, "Every person operating a bicycle or a motor scooter in a public bicycle area has all the rights granted to and is subject to all the duties required of the driver of a vehicle by this title."
The Virginia Department of Transportation's website says bicyclists must obey all traffic lights and stop signs. Bicyclists and motorcyclists may proceed through a red light, though, under limited circumstances, including stopping for at least two cycles of the light or two minutes, treating the intersection like a four-way stop, and making sure it is safe to proceed before doing so.
If you ride a bicycle on the sidewalk, the laws of each jurisdiction say you are just like a pedestrian, and you get right of way in an intersection.