If bicyclists sometimes appear to be reluctant to stop at stop signs, it's most
likely because they are. Slowing down and stopping means that a rider loses all
momentum. Having to stop and start every block is discouraging and time consuming
for cyclists. http://www.uctc.net/access/access18lighter.pdf
Consequently, cyclists may often pick routes that have fewer stop signs, and will
lobby to have routes created that minimize such obstacles. Bicycle boulevards
are quite common in bicycle-friendly cities such as Palo Alto, Portland, and Seattle.
(Go to Chapter 18-5 of FHWAs Course on Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation).
There is a tendency for cyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs if they
occur quite frequently and are at intersections with little traffic. The danger
may come when a cyclist behaves this way at a busier intersection and fails
to yield to a motorist. One solution might be to reevaluate the use of stop
signs in the community to determine whether they are all necessary or whether
some could be changed to yield signs - leaving stop signs at the intersections
where they are really needed. The MUTCD supports this approach. The 2000 edition
of the Manual says, for example, that Stop signs should not be used for speed
control and that at intersections where a full stop is not required at all times
consideration be given to using less restrictive measures such as yield signs.
(Section 2B.05).
On trails, or shared use paths, many agencies automatically erect stop signs
at every trail/roadway intersection regardless of the importance of the road
being crossed by the trail. In these situations, the impact of the stop signs
is lost because they are being used in too many inappropriate locations, such
as low volume streets or even driveways. The MUTCD, in Part 9, says:
"When considering STOP sign placement, assignment of priority at a shared-use
path/roadway intersection should consider the following:
A. Relative speeds of shared-use path and roadways users;
B. Relative volumes of shared-use path and roadway traffic; and
C. Relative importance of shared-use path and roadway.
Speed should not be the sole factor used to determine priority, as it is sometimes
appropriate to give priority to a high-volume shared-use path passing a low-volume
street, or to a regional shared-use path crossing a minor collector street.
When assigning priority, the least restrictive control that is appropriate
should be placed on the lower priority approaches. STOP signs should not be
used where YIELD signs would be acceptable."
http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/pdfs/millennium/06.14.01/9ndi.pdf
