One of the ongoing complaints among cyclists over the years when discussing the old evergreen discussion, “Should cyclists be able to proceed through red lights?”, has to do with a lack of legal alternatives when your bike doesn’t trigger a red light.
Well the legal landscape of this situation could soon change, if Gov. Nathan Deal signs a bill passed this session by the Georgia Legislature.
WABE reports that the General Assembly passed a bill that makes it legal for cyclists and motorcyclists to proceed through red lights if they don’t believe their bike is triggering the stoplight. Bikers are still required to make a complete stop at intersections and the burden of proof will be on them if their actions result in an accident.
The bill also makes it the law that cars stop for pedestrians in crosswalks with flashing signals.
Photo “Atlanta Cycling” by Tim – Flickr: Canyon. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Chaos ensues!