New law allows "rolling stops" for bicyclists at stop signs

ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Starting Aug. 1, bicyclists in Minnesota will no longer need to fully stop for stop signs if there are no cars around.

Lawmakers approved the change as part of a transportation bill passed during the legislative session. Gov. Tim Walz is expected to sign it into law.

"A bicycle operator who approaches a stop sign must slow to a speed that allows for stopping before entering the intersection or the nearest crosswalk," the new law reads. "...if there is not a vehicle in the vicinity, the operator may make a turn or proceed through the intersection without stopping."

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The law defines "in the vicinity" as "located in an intersection or approaching an intersection in a manner that constitutes a hazard of collision during the time that a bicycle operator would occupy the intersection." The so-called "rolling stop" only applies at stop signs, not stop lights. 

According to the Department of Public Safety, in 2021 -- the most recent year in which data was available -- there were 511 crashes between bicyclists and motor vehicle drivers. Eight of those crashes were fatal, and 458 of them resulted in injury. Per DPS, half of the crashes occurred when bicyclists were "cycling across traffic." The most common contributing factor in bicycle-vehicle crashes was the driver's failure to yield to right-of-way, DPS said.