Winnipeg cycling advocates say they’ve had enough after a summer that has seen multiple collisions between cars and bikes — some of which have been fatal to those on two wheels.
Members of the cycling community are set to gather in Wolseley on Thursday for a protest in support of the “Idaho stop” — also known as a stop-as-yield.
The manoeuvre, currently forbidden by Manitoba’s Highway Traffic Act, is something advocates say can improve the safety of interactions between cyclists and drivers at intersections.
The idea is that not requiring a cyclist to come to a complete stop — instead treating a stop sign as if it were a yield — decreases the amount of time cyclists spend in an intersection, where many collisions take place, and allows them to maintain their momentum.
In addition to Thursday’s protest, the cyclists have lobbied Premier Wab Kinew and the provincial health and transportation ministers with a policy brief that outlines the safety benefits of the Idaho stop, as well as research from other jurisdictions that have implemented the safety measure.
In a release Wednesday, protest organizers said the number of pedestrian and cyclist fatalities has already surpassed 2023’s total — and we’re only in August.
“The (Highway Traffic Act) must be updated to prioritize the safety of people,” organizers said in the release.
“Since the Act was last updated, we have seen fatal and severe collisions impacting people increase at an alarming rate.
“The HTA is actively putting many road users in danger, but one of the easiest things to address is to decriminalize safe behaviours, such as adopting the Idaho stop.”
Driving instructor Lou Gervino, a former manager of driver training and road safety at Manitoba Public Insurance, told 680 CJOB’s The Jim Toth Show that he initially “cringed” when he heard about the Idaho stop, but has since come around and is now convinced it could work — if implemented properly.
“It struck me as being wrong and bizarre, but not when you take a look at the numbers,” Gervino said.
“The numbers seem to indicate that it’s something we really should take a look at … but it really needs to be a made-in-Manitoba solution, I think, because we’ve got snow, ice, fog, rain … and is it going to apply to all roads?”
Gervino said he expects it to be a contentious issue — as drivers may feel cyclists are receiving special treatment — but the statistics in other jurisdictions seem to indicate that the rule does improve road safety.
“People are going to be saying, ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa… wait a second. They get to roll through stop signs, but I just got a ticket for rolling through stop signs?'”
Despite his support for the Idaho stop, Gervino said he doesn’t think it would work on all Winnipeg roads, and would prefer to see it implemented on two-lane roads and residential streets.