Maryland 2024 Regular Session

Maryland Senate Bill SB826 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2
3	3	EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
4	4	[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
5	5	sb0826
6	6
7	7	SENATE BILL 826
8	8	R5 4lr3361
9	9	HB 1289/23 – ENT CF HB 511
10	10	By: Senator Smith
11	11	Introduced and read first time: February 2, 2024
12	12	Assigned to: Judicial Proceedings
13	13
14	14	A BILL ENTITLED
15	15
16	16	AN ACT concerning 1
17	17
18	18	Vehicle Laws – Bicycles – Operation at Intersections 2
19	19
20	20	FOR the purpose of authorizing a person operating a bicycle that is approaching a stop sign 3
21	21	at an intersection on certain highways to cautiously make a turn or proceed through 4
22	22	the intersection without stopping if the person reduces the speed of the bicycle to a 5
23	23	reasonable rate and yields the right–of–way to certain vehicles under certain 6
24	24	circumstances; and generally relating to the operation of bicycles on highways. 7
25	25
26	26	BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 8
27	27	Article – Transportation 9
28	28	Section 21–707 and 21–1202 10
29	29	Annotated Code of Maryland 11
30	30	(2020 Replacement Volume and 2023 Supplement) 12
31	31
32	32	SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 13
33	33	That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 14
34	34
35	35	Article – Transportation 15
36	36
37	37	21–707. 16
38	38
39	39	(a) [Unless] EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SUBSECTION (C–1) OF THIS SECTION, 17
40	40	AND UNLESS otherwise directed by a police officer or traffic control signal, the driver of a 18
41	41	vehicle approaching a stop sign at an intersection shall stop at the near side of the 19
42	42	intersection at a clearly marked stop line. 20
43	43
44	44	(b) [Unless] EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SUBSECTION (C–1) OF THIS SECTION, 21
45	45	AND UNLESS otherwise directed by a police officer or traffic control signal, the driver of a 22
46	46	vehicle approaching a stop sign at an intersection shall stop at the near side of the 23
47	47	intersection and, if there is no clearly marked stop line, before entering any crosswalk. 24 2 SENATE BILL 826
48	48
49	49
50	50
51	51	(c) [Unless] EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SUBSECTION (C–1) OF THIS SECTION, 1
52	52	AND UNLESS otherwise directed by a police officer or traffic control signal, the driver of a 2
53	53	vehicle approaching a stop sign at an intersection shall stop at the near side of an 3
54	54	intersection and, if there is no crosswalk, at the nearest point before entering the 4
55	55	intersection that gives the driver a view of traffic approaching on the intersecting roadway. 5
56	56
57	57	(C–1) WHEN APPROACHING A ST OP SIGN AT AN INTERS ECTION WITH A 6
58	58	HIGHWAY WITH TWO OR FEWER LANES FOR MOVI NG TRAFFIC, A PERSON OPERATING 7
59	59	A BICYCLE MAY C AUTIOUSLY MAKE A TUR N OR PROCEED THROUGH THE 8
60	60	INTERSECTION WITHOUT STOPPING IF THE PERS ON OPERATING THE BIC YCLE: 9
61	61
62	62	(1) REDUCES THE SPEED OF THE BICYCLE TO A REA SONABLE RATE ; 10
63	63	AND 11
64	64
65	65	(2) YIELDS THE RIGHT –OF–WAY TO: 12
66	66
67	67	(I) ANY VEHICLE IN THE IN TERSECTION; AND 13
68	68
69	69	(II) ANY APPROACHING VEHIC LE ON ANOTHER HIGHWA Y THAT 14
70	70	IS NEAR ENOUGH TO TH E INTERSECTION THAT IT POSES AN IMMEDIAT E DANGER. 15
71	71
72	72	(d) The driver of a vehicle approaching a yield sign at an intersection, if required 16
73	73	for safety to stop, shall stop at the near side of the intersection at a clearly marked stop 17
74	74	line. 18
75	75
76	76	(e) The driver of a vehicle approaching a yield sign at an intersection, if required 19
77	77	for safety to stop, shall stop at the near side of the intersection and, if there is no clearly 20
78	78	marked stop line, before entering any crosswalk. 21
79	79
80	80	(f) The driver of a vehicle approaching a yield sign at an intersection, if required 22
81	81	for safety to stop, shall stop at the near side of the intersection and, if there is no crosswalk, 23
82	82	at the nearest point before entering the intersection that gives the driver a view of traffic 24
83	83	approaching on the intersecting roadway. 25
84	84
85	85	21–1202. 26
86	86
87	87	(a) Every person operating a bicycle or a motor scooter in a public bicycle area 27
88	88	has all the rights granted to and is subject to all the duties required of the driver of a vehicle 28
89	89	by this title, including the duties set forth in § 21–504 of this title, except: 29
90	90
91	91	(1) As otherwise provided in this subtitle; and 30
92	92
93	93	(2) For those provisions of this title that by their very nature cannot apply. 31
94	94
95	95	(b) (1) Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3) of this subsection, a person has the 32 SENATE BILL 826 3
96	96
97	97
98	98	rights and is subject to the restrictions applicable to pedestrians under this title while the 1
99	99	person is lawfully operating a bicycle, play vehicle, or unicycle: 2
100	100
101	101	(i) On a sidewalk or sidewalk area; or 3
102	102
103	103	(ii) In or through a crosswalk. 4
104	104
105	105	(2) At an intersection, a person operating a bicycle, play vehicle, or unicycle 5
106	106	is subject to all traffic control signals, as provided in §§ 21–202 and 21–203 of this title. 6
107	107
108	108	(3) Section 21–506 of this title does not apply to a person operating a 7
109	109	bicycle, play vehicle, or unicycle. 8
110	110
111	111	(C) NOTWITHSTANDING § 21–707(A) THROUGH (C) OF THIS TITLE, WHEN 9
112	112	APPROACHING A STOP S IGN AT AN INTERSECTI ON WITH A HIGHWAY WI TH TWO OR 10
113	113	FEWER LANES FOR MOVI NG TRAFFIC, A PERSON OPERATING A BICYCLE MAY 11
114	114	CAUTIOUSLY MAKE A TU RN OR PROCEED THROUG H THE INTERSECTION W ITHOUT 12
115	115	STOPPING IF THE PERS ON OPERATING THE BIC YCLE: 13
116	116
117	117	(1) REDUCES THE SPEED OF THE BICYCLE TO A REA SONABLE RATE ; 14
118	118	AND 15
119	119
120	120	(2) YIELDS THE RIGHT –OF–WAY TO: 16
121	121
122	122	(I) ANY VEHICLE IN THE IN TERSECTION; AND 17
123	123
124	124	(II) ANY APPROACHING VEHIC LE ON ANOTHER HIGHWA Y THAT 18
125	125	IS NEAR ENOUGH TO TH E INTERSECTION THAT IT POSES AN IMMEDIAT E DANGER. 19
126	126
127	127	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 20
128	128	October 1, 2024. 21
129	129