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Utah House approves modified 'Idaho stop' for cyclists in House Bill 58
Summary
After debate and a narrowly tailored amendment limiting multi-lane intersections, the Utah House passed first-substitute House Bill 58 to allow cyclists to treat certain stop signs and red lights as yield or stop signs, respectively, aiming to improve safety and ease commuter cycling.
The Utah House on Feb. 26 passed a first substitute of House Bill 58, a measure that would allow cyclists in certain circumstances to treat stop signs as yield signs and a red light as a stop sign. Representative Moss, sponsor of the bill, framed the change as a safety and mobility measure patterned after the ‘Idaho stop’ law first enacted in Idaho in 1982.
Moss told colleagues the substitute adds explicit references to pedestrian right-of-way and a requirement to stop at railroad crossings, and she described the measure as focused on "safety" and "ease of riding." "This bill is about safety," Moss said, noting that the provision recognizes physical differences between bicycles and motor vehicles and aims to reduce precarious mounting and dismounting at stop-controlled intersections.
Representative Perry offered Amendment 1 to narrow where the red-light provision would apply, saying the rule should not permit cyclists to proceed through major multi-lane state highway intersections that have more than one travel lane in each direction (excluding turn lanes). Perry said in parts of his district — citing Bangerter Highway, Redwood Road and State Street — allowing cyclists to proceed through red lights in those multi-lane contexts "could be extremely unsafe." Moss described the tweak as a friendly amendment and said she had negotiated with Perry to address local safety concerns.
Other members asked factual questions that sponsors could not answer on the floor — for example, Representative Waite asked how many riders use Salt Lake County bike lanes and how much the lanes cost; Moss said she did not have that data. Representative Romero and other supporters described personal experiences and risks, including being struck by a car while riding in a bike lane, and urged support for the bill.
After discussion and the adoption of the amendment, the House recorded 58 yes votes and 11 no votes for the first-substitute House Bill 58. The bill passed "as amended" and will be transmitted to the Senate for further consideration.
The next procedural step is Senate consideration; sponsors said the bill is intended to apply statewide but that the amendment responds to specific safety concerns at multi-lane intersections.
