Skip to Content
Streetsblog California home
Streetsblog California home
Log In
Streetsblog SF

In S.F., “Bike Yield” Passes Without Enough Votes for Veto Override

Photo: SFBC/Flickr
Photo: SFBC/Flickr
false

The Bike Yield ordinance was heard by the full San Francisco Board of Supervisors yesterday. It passed, with six “ayes” and five against -- two “ayes” short of what's needed to override Mayor Edwin Lee's veto pen.

The San Francisco Examiner reports that mayoral spokesperson Christine Falvey was ready with a response. “The mayor believes this endangers pedestrians and other cyclists and he said he will veto it in the interest of public safety,” Falvey said right after the vote.

The legislation would instruct the police to make ticketing cyclists who cautiously roll through a stop sign, while still yielding to others, a low priority. Yet District 2 Supervisor Mark Farrell said he was voting against it because he doesn't want an “Idaho Stop,” referring to that state's traffic laws, which allow cyclists to treat stop signs as yields. He noted that San Francisco is denser than Idaho.

Idaho isn't the only place that gives cyclists more discretion at traffic control devices, however. Paris also permits cyclists to do rolling stops in some locations. In fact, Paris even allows cyclists to treat some red lights as yields. Paris is roughly three times denser than San Francisco.

Supervisor Scott Weiner, a sponsor of the bill, tried to get the arguments back on point, reminding others that the ordinance can't change state traffic laws, and was written to dissuade cops from cracking down on cautious cyclists. “I don't think that's how we should be using our law enforcement resources while people are getting hit and dying on our streets,” he said.

“When there's an anti-bicycle bias within the police -- and it's not just one or two cops—it's counter to Vision Zero,” said Supervisor Eric Mar, who was also trying to focus the debate back on the purpose of the ordinance. “Unsafe bicycling is an issue but compared to the culture of speeding in cars, it's like night and day.”

The supes will vote again on January 12. Then the mayor has until January 22 to veto. The Board of Supervisors can override, but as a legislative deputy at City Hall explained about Tuesday's vote: “Whatever happens today will signal the fate of the Bike Yield law. If Farrell or Peskin join those in opposition, then it won’t have the votes to survive a veto.”

So it doesn't look like this legislative remedy for poor SFPD enforcement priorities is going to pan out. But the question of how to tailor traffic laws to account for the differences between bikes has newfound prominence, and yesterday's vote showed there's significant political support for change. This won't be the last time that adjusting the current rules comes up for debate.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog California

Friday’s Headlines

With all the press about gas prices and the annual inflation tax increase, I'm actually stunned to hear prices are down in this fiscal year.

July 18, 2025

L.A. City Approves Measure HLA Ordinance

Both City Council and Mayor approved the city HLA ordinance, which goes into effect on August 18.

July 17, 2025

Op-ed: It’s Time to Fix Polk Street

Polk Street’s Bike Lane at 10: iteration promised, disappointment delivered.

July 17, 2025

Trump and Duffy Continue Assault on California and the Environment, Officially Cancel Federal Funding for High-Speed Rail

“Canceling these grants without cause isn’t just wrong — it’s illegal,” said CAHSRA CEO Ian Choudri.

July 17, 2025

Talking Headways Podcast: Reclaiming the Road

Ohio elected official and geographer David Prytherch on his new book, Reclaiming the Road: Mobility Justice Beyond Complete Streets.

July 17, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines

It's hardly news that California has to go it alone on modernizing our transportation system.

July 17, 2025
See all posts