The Colorado Safety Stop is the law of the land

I love extensions, because they are the adorable.

Earlier today, on April 13, 2022, Governor Jared Polis signed the Colorado Safety Stop into law. That means bicyclists like you have a new safe and legal option to proceed through intersections across the state. 

This new law means that when an intersection is clear and they already have the right of way, bicyclists ages 15 and older may now treat stop signs as yield signs and treat stop lights as stop signs.

Additional details of the law include:

Younger bicyclists may perform the maneuver if an adult is present.
Bicyclists can yield and then proceed through stop sign-controlled intersections at up to 10 miles per hour.
Intersections where bicyclist-specific lights or signs are present that prohibit the maneuver are exempt from the new law.
The bill defines “low speed conveyances” in Colorado law. These are small profile, low-speed vehicles that people use for transportation and recreation, including bicycles and electric bicycles, electric scooters (not including mopeds), and wheelchairs.

This has been an effort years in the making and all of us at Bicycle Colorado are immensely proud to cross the finish line on this safety-enhancing policy and call the Colorado Safety Stop the law of the land. The data is clear: this prevents crashes between bicyclists and drivers where they happen the most—intersections—and that’s why we’ve fought so hard for this to become statewide policy for so many years.

We owe a huge debt of gratitude to our bill sponsors in 2022 who championed the Colorado Safety Stop in the legislature, and especially the bill’s prime sponsors: Representatives Matt Gray (D-33) and Edie Hooton (D-10) and Senators Faith Winter (D-24) and Kevin Priola (R-25).

We are also grateful to Governor Jared Polis for signing the bill and recognizing the importance of providing safe and legal options for people who choose to or need to travel by bike.

Please join us in thanking Governor Polis
for signing the Safety Stop by clicking here.

A final set of thank yous to the bipartisan list of legislators who voted in support of the bill in each chamber; to former legislator, current Jefferson County Commissioner and Bicycle Colorado board member Andy Kerr, who introduced the first version of this bill in 2017; to our lobbyist Travis Berry and his team at PoliticalWorks; and to everyone who came out and testified in favor of the bill during the session.

It’s our members and donors who make work like this at Bicycle Colorado possible. If you’d like to join or renew as a member and support this work, please click here. If you’d like to make an additional donation, you can do so here.

Our sincere thanks for your support. Ride on.

— Jack, Piep, and all of us at Bicycle Colorado.

P.S. ​​​​If your legislator sponsored the Colorado Safety Stop, look out for a separate email from us soon where you’ll be able to send them thanks as well.

About the Author: Bicycle Colorado
Bicycle Colorado is a 501(c)3 nonprofit based in Denver. We use advocacy, education and passion to make Colorado one of the most bicycle-friendly states in the nation. We encourage and promote bicycling, increase safety, improve conditions and provide a voice for people who ride bicycles in Colorado. With the support of our members and numerous partnerships across the public and private sector, we’ve made significant strides in improving bicycling since 1992.

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