The Arizona Stop

This website is dedicated to bringing the Idaho Stop bicycle law to Arizona

BREAKING NEWS: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration just released a report supporting adoption of the Idaho Stop (March 2022):

https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/2022-03/Bicyclist-Yield-As-Stop-Fact-Sheet-032422-v3-tag.pdf

The "Arizona Stop" is a proposal to bring new bicycle laws to Arizona based on the highly successful Idaho Stop.

The Idaho Stop allows Bicycles to treat Stop lights as though they were stop Signs. Stop signs are treated like yield signs.

These laws have actually increased Bicycle safety according to some reports and have never been shown to increase the danger.

Meanwhile, the Idaho Stop encourages rapid transit by Bicycle while at the same time reducing frivolous tickets against bicyclists.

Learn more from the Wikipedia Page on the Idaho Stop

Here's a video about how the Idaho stop works

Bicycles, Rolling Stops, and the Idaho Stop from Spencer Boomhower on Vimeo.

Here's a great video about why states should adopt the "Idaho Stop"

History of the Arizona Stop

The idea for the Arizona Stop comes from the original Idaho Stop.

In 2005, then Legislator Doug Quelland introduced a bill to bring the Idaho Stop to Arizona. 

Representative Quelland would daily bike from North Phoenix to the Arizona Capital in downtown Phoenix. 
He is an avid cyclist and proponent of better cycling laws.  Unfortunately, he was the only one of the 90 legislators that commuted on a bicycle. 
Most of the Legislators just didn't take an interest in or have an understanding of cycling issues.  The Bill stalled in committee.

In 2009 a similar bill was introduced as HB2479.  It addressed stop signs but did not address stop lights.
Additionally if an accident occured due to the bicyclist failing to yield, he would be at fault (this rule already exists for cars failing to yield).   
The bill failed in the Military Affairs and Public Safety Committee (MAPS) on a 3-5 vote.

In 2010 the bill was reintroduced in the House with six legislators sponsoring it (HB2633), but it was held in committee and was not allowed to progress.
(Committee Chairman can stop a bill from progressing).    This year the requirement for treating stop signs as yield signs had the additional provision that the bicyclists must be at least 16 years old.

In 2011 the same legislation was reintroduced as HB2130 but again stalled in the Transportation Committee

In 2012 the same legislation was reintroduced as HB2211 and actually made it out of the Transportation Committee on a 6-2 vote, but stalled in the next committee (MAPS committtee).

For 2025 we are attempting to get the Idaho Stop reintroduced as a bill in the Arizona legislature with support form individuals, bicycle shops and organizations.

"Same Road - Same Law"

This is a typical argument for bicyclists being forced to obey the same laws as cars.  However this is an invalid argument for the following reasons:

1.  Bicycles only weigh about 30 pounds cars weigh over 4000 pounds.  Pickup trucks weigh over 5000 pounds and are the most likely to "right-hook" a bicycle.

2.  Bicycles do not have motors.

3.  No one is afraid of being killed or injured by a bicycle crashing into their car.

4.  A car can be considered a deadly weapon, a bicycle cannot be except under the most bizarre of circumstances (I suppose someone could use one as a club!)

5.  Bicycles do not have the acceleration to be able to speed out of the way of danger.

6. Bicycles are allowed to ride on the sidewalk. Cars are not allowed on sidewalks.

7.  You have to be at least 16 years old to drive a car.  But a 3 year old can ride a bicycle.