It’s Now Legal for Cyclists to Ride Through Minnesota Stop Signs

This just seems like something that should not happen.  Minnesota legislation just made it legal for cyclists - people riding a bicycle can just roll through a stop sign or stop light.

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I know what this sounds like, but it's not quite what it sounds like.  It's actually something that has been happening everywhere for years, it just wasn't legal.

What the law now states it that cyclists need to slow down enough at a would-be stop, see if anyone is coming from the other direction, and if it is clear, they may proceed through the stop sign or signal.  It's what a lot of people do when crossing the street on foot as well.  Instead of waiting for the cross walk light to say it's ok to cross, people will just look to see if anyone is coming, and just cross if it is clear.

The transportation bill passed this past weekend by the legislature includes a law change that states bicyclists approaching a stop sign must slow down enough that they're able to make a stop if there is traffic nearby, but may go through the intersection without stopping if there are no vehicles in the vicinity.

According to Bring Me the News, this will go into affect August 1st of this year.  But probably expect people to continue to do this until that time, but up until that time, cyclists could get a ticket for not stopping and obeying the traffic signals.