Proposed bike law may ‘legitimize what really happens out there’

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(The Center Square) - Republican Senator Jarrett Coleman is the prime sponsor of a proposal that would make stop signs and red lights function as yields for all Pennsylvania cyclists.

This, after current research has found forcing cyclists to stop at intersections often creates unnecessary and dangerous situations for both cyclists and motorists. 

Pennsylvania law treats pedal bikes the same as vehicles. This means that a biker must come to a full and complete stop at a stop sign or red light regardless if there is any traffic for which to stop. This also means that not stopping, even if waved off by a motorist, is still illegal. 

“As a cyclist myself I’ve noticed the inconsistency of interactions between cyclists and motorists,” said Coleman. “It creates a lot of ambiguity.”

This "ambiguity" not only makes intersections disproportionately more dangerous for bikers, but can also increase a motorist's collision rate., Coleman said. Without knowing proper procedure, motorists will often forgo their right-of-way and risk being rear-ended when they abruptly stop for bikers.

While biking in urban areas is a popular mode of no-emissions transportation, cyclists are unfortunately more likely to experience dangerous miscommunication there than anywhere else. 

“In the cities it's even more of an issue because there are a lot more interactions in the intersections; a lot more fatal interactions.” Coleman said. “So you try to remove that by just letting the cyclists use common sense at the traffic control devices.” 

Today, 81% of cyclist deaths occur in urban areas and bicycle collisions with a car continue to occur at intersections at rates higher than any other location.

Dean Auchenbach, the president of the Lebanon Valley Bicycle Coalition, hopes that this legislation will, in addition to dispelling misinformation, ease some of the tension he has witnessed between cyclists and motorists.  

“One of the biggest complaints I get is about cyclists not stopping at stop signs or red lights,” Auchenbach said. “So I think what it's going to take, if that were to pass, is a big education campaign.”

Without proper education, Auchenbach worries the distinction between a yield and a green light may dangerously blur and bikers will maintain a  ‘I don’t have to stop anywhere,’ attitude.

“You [cyclists] still have a responsibility to make sure it's clear before you proceed,” Auchenbach said. 

Proper procedure for how to treat cyclists is already part of a driver’s permit test, and Coleman would require this new legislation to be included. Similarly, license renewals would incorporate up to date cyclists/motor policy.  

Education on this ‘common sense measure"' however, will only describe what is already practiced by many bikers.

“You’re not going to come to a complete stop,” Auchenbach said. “If you’re riding a bike and you come to an intersection, and everybody’s got a stop sign and there's not a car in sight.”

“If this were to pass, it would legitimize what really happens out there,” he said. 

Since 1982 more than a dozen states have enacted “Stop as yield’ legislation and have cited a reduction in crash rates. Coleman believes this can be the case for Pennsylvania, but has his doubts that Harrisburg will make biker safety a priority.   

“Democrats and Republicans ride bikes and they should want to increase the safety,” Coleman said. “The question is will it rise enough to be a concern?”

For Auchenbach, who has been teaching Pennsylvania's youth how to safely ride their bikes and advocating for greater consideration on the road for years, this issue definitely does. 

“It all comes down to sharing the road,” Auchenbach said. “We all want to get to where we're going and arrive alive.”