A bill that would allow bicyclists to run certain red lights could get the green light from state lawmakers. Substitute Senate Bill 5438 seeks to address some of the broken or aging traffic signals that are unable to detect bicyclists, and as a result, often don’t change from red to green when they’re supposed to.
The bill went before the House Committee on Transportation Monday afternoon for a public hearing. It’s scheduled for a vote in that committee tomorrow.
While most bicyclists at the hearing supported the change, a few said it might lead to safety issues of bicyclists thinking they can run any red light and pedestrians thinking they can walk against the light because bicyclists did.
The bill would require bicyclists to wait through one full cycle of the traffic signal before they’re legally able to proceed through a red light, with caution. King 5 news has reaction from bicyclists on the bill.