If this happened everyday, my blog would be publishing every day. But then, it’s not every day that common sense falls by the wayside. Oh, wait …

Arizona could become the second state in the nation to allow cyclists to yield at stop signs instead of stop if a bipartisan measure can garner enough support to become law.

But House Bill 2211 faces an uphill battle. Similar efforts have failed in previous years.

The bill would allow bicyclists 16 and older to treat a stop sign as a yield sign. Cyclists could ride through without stopping if there were no other cars around but would still have to stop and yield to any cars in the intersection.

Idaho is currently the only state with such a law.

Supporters say the bill would make Arizona much more bike-friendly and encourage more riders.

“When you’re out there riding and you know you’re coming upon a four-way stop and there’s not a car in sight, it’s really annoying to stop,” said Jeremy Stapleton, 32, an urban designer who rides to work in central Phoenix. “Hopefully this would incentivize people to ride more often.”

Read more: Arizona Bill May Loosen Rules

Let’s re-write that a bit and see if it makes sense, shall we?

“The bill would allow vehicle operators 40 and older to treat a stop sign as a yield sign. Operators could drive through without stopping if there were no other cars around but would still have to stop and yield to any cars in the intersection.”

There. Following the logic of the Mr. Stapleton, this would be a lot less annoying while driving. We wouldn’t have to stop at all those pesky stop signs if no one else was in the area. The problem with Mr. Stapleton’s statement is that currently, bicyclists treat stop signs as non-existent, even when there are cars in the intersection. More than a few times per trip downtown, I have either been nearly sideswiped by a bicyclist, or had to slam the brakes when one appeared in front of me.

Tell you what: how’s about all the users of the roads in Arizona follow the rules of the road? That way, everyone will be able to predict what someone will and won’t do on the occasion of encountering another vehicle on the road – you know, things like USING YOUR SIGNALS WHEN YOU CHANGE LANES; driving on the correct side of the road, at the correct speed; stopping at stop signs; not stopping at yield signs for no reason; staying in your lane – and these are just the bicyclists. Figure the people of this state transfer those driving abilities to how they operate a motor vehicle and no wonder we have one of the highest accident rates in the nation.

Chat ya later…

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