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Committee holds off on Idaho-stop provision, agrees to bicycle signal and outreach language
Summary
Conference negotiators on S.123 agreed to add bicycle-control-signal rules and outreach language but paused a more expansive change allowing bicyclists to treat pedestrian walk signals as a legal crossing while they seek more testimony and municipal charter information.
On May 29, 2025, the House Transportation Committee conference committee reviewed proposed bicycle language in S.123 and agreed to include a new definition and operating rules for bicycle control signals and to require outreach materials from the Department of Motor Vehicles and Public Safety. The committee deferred action on a larger provision that would permit bicyclists to proceed when the walk signal facing them turns on (often called an "Idaho stop" or similar rule) until members could gather additional testimony and municipal-authority information.
Legislative counsel explained that the house added a subsection permitting bicyclists to ride across an intersection when the walk signal for them turns on; that change mirrors behavior already occurring in many municipalities. The house also added a new section establishing rules for bicycle-control signals (symbols instead of standard lights) and set guidance for when a bicyclist may or may not proceed, including an example where a bike lane merges into a turn lane near Route 2 by a bank and a high school.
Committee members voiced safety and implementation concerns about the broader change in section 40. One member said the committee had not taken sufficient testimony specifically on that provision and worried about motorist education and timing; another member cited testimony indicating some states that adopted similar bicycle rules saw improved safety outcomes. Members noted variation among Vermont municipalities: Burlington permits certain crossings while Winooski does not, and the committee requested clarification on whether municipalities could take local action under their charters.
The committee agreed to move forward with the bicycle-control-signal language (section 41) and the outreach requirement (section 42) and left the Idaho-stop–style provision (section 40) open for further review and testimony. Staff were asked to check municipal charter authority and to continue outreach and education planning so the committee can revisit section 40 with more information.
The action is recorded as a hold on section 40 with agreed insertion of sections 41 and 42; no formal roll-call vote is recorded in the transcript.
