Committee hears bill to let bicyclists treat stop signs as yield signs

Lede: The House Transportation Committee on Feb. 17 heard HB 249, a bill that would let bicyclists treat stop signs as yield signs and red lights as stop signs, a change supporters say would improve rider safety and traffic flow without added government cost.

Nut graf: Proponents pointed to decades-old laws such as the “Idaho stop” and recent studies the sponsor described as showing fewer cyclist injuries where similar rules have been adopted. Opponents and some committee members said questions remain about liability, how motorists will predict bicyclist behavior, and how the law would apply to different vehicle types.

Representative Seth Miller, the bill’s prime sponsor, told the committee HB 249 would address “two major traffic challenges, safety and traffic flow on the streets of New Hampshire” and said the change “lets us do it for free.” He described the policy as…