Bicyclist Stop-as-Yield in Maryland needs your support today!
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In the next few days we have a chance to bring Bicycle Safety Yield to Maryland. The legislation—also known as Stop as Yield—would allow a bicyclist to maintain momentum and proceed through a Stop without stopping, after yielding to pedestrians and other vehicles that have the right of way. Eleven states and the District of Columbia allow Bicycle Safety Yield, and we’d like to add Maryland to the list.
Please contact your state legislators to ask them to advance the bill. Use this action set up by our partners at Bikemore to send a message to House and Senate committee members for your district.
And please share this with your Maryland friends who ride bikes!
Whether or not your district is represented on the relevant committees, please also ask Sen. Will Smith, the chair of the Senate Judicial Proceedings Committee, to bring the bill to a vote. You can call Senator Smith’s office at 301-858-3623 or email will.smith@senate.state.md.us with the message, “Please bring SB 826, Bicycle Safety Yield, to a JPR vote. I’m a Maryland resident, and I support this bill, which will make our roads safer for everyone.”
A bit more detail: Multiple studies show that allowing a bicyclist to proceed through an intersection without stopping reduces the number of crashes. This measure also smooths traffic flow for motor vehicles. But note that bicyclists would still be required to stop if there are pedestrians in the intersection or other vehicles have the right of way.
Refer if you wish to a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration fact sheet and to a FAQ doc put together by Bike Maryland.
The legislative schedule is tight, so please act quickly!
Thank you so much for supporting better biking in Maryland!