Maryland 2025 Regular Session

Maryland House Bill HB7 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

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		-	Underlining indicates amendments to bill.
6		-	Strike out indicates matter stricken from the bill by amendment or deleted from the law by
7		-	amendment.
8	5		hb0007
9	6
10	7		HOUSE BILL 7
11	8		R5 5lr1192
12		-	HB 511/24 – ENT (PRE–FILED) CF ~~SB 627~~
	9	+	HB 511/24 – ENT (PRE–FILED) CF 5lr1193
13	10		By: Delegates Boyce and Stewart
14	11		Requested: October 11, 2024
15	12		Introduced and read first time: January 8, 2025
16	13		Assigned to: Environment and Transportation
17		-	Committee Report: Favorable
18		-	House action: Adopted
19		-	Read second time: February 11, 2025
20	14
21		-	~~CHAPTER ______~~
	15	+	A BILL ENTITLED
22	16
23	17		AN ACT concerning 1
24	18
25	19		Vehicle Laws – Bicycles – Operation at Intersections 2
26	20
27	21		FOR the purpose of authorizing a person operating a bicycle that is approaching a stop sign 3
28	22		at an intersection on certain highways to cautiously make a turn or proceed through 4
29	23		the intersection without stopping if the person reduces the speed of the bicycle to a 5
30	24		reasonable rate and yields the right–of–way to certain vehicles under certain 6
31	25		circumstances; and generally relating to the operation of bicycles on highways. 7
32	26
33	27		BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 8
34	28		Article – Transportation 9
35	29		Section 21–707 and 21–1202 10
36	30		Annotated Code of Maryland 11
37	31		(2020 Replacement Volume and 2024 Supplement) 12
38	32
39	33		SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 13
40	34		That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 14
41	35
42	36		Article – Transportation 15
43	37
44	38		21–707. 16
45	39
46	40		(a) [Unless] EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SUBSECTION (C–1) OF THIS SECTION, 17
47	41		AND UNLESS otherwise directed by a police officer or traffic control signal, the driver of a 18
48		-	vehicle approaching a stop sign at an intersection shall stop at the near side of the 19 2 HOUSE BILL 7
	42	+	vehicle approaching a stop sign at an intersection shall stop at the near side of the 19
	43	+	intersection at a clearly marked stop line. 20
	44	+
	45	+	(b) [Unless] EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SUBSECTION (C–1) OF THIS SECTION, 21
	46	+	AND UNLESS otherwise directed by a police officer or traffic control signal, the driver of a 22
	47	+	vehicle approaching a stop sign at an intersection shall stop at the near side of the 23 2 HOUSE BILL 7
49	48
50	49
51		-	intersection ~~at a~~ clearly marked stop line. 1
	50	+	intersection and, if there is no clearly marked stop line, before entering any crosswalk. 1
52	51
53		-	(b) [Unless] EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SUBSECTION (C–1) OF THIS SECTION, 2
	52	+	(c) [Unless] EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SUBSECTION (C–1) OF THIS SECTION, 2
54	53		AND UNLESS otherwise directed by a police officer or traffic control signal, the driver of a 3
55		-	vehicle approaching a stop sign at an intersection shall stop at the near side of the 4
56		-	intersection and, if there is no clearly marked stop line, before entering any crosswalk. 5
	54	+	vehicle approaching a stop sign at an intersection shall stop at the near side of an 4
	55	+	intersection and, if there is no crosswalk, at the nearest point before entering the 5
	56	+	intersection that gives the driver a view of traffic approaching on the intersecting roadway. 6
57	57
58		-	(c) [Unless] EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SUBSECTION (C–1) OF THIS SECTION, 6
59		-	AND UNLESS otherwise directed by a police officer or traffic control signal, the driver of a 7
60		-	vehicle approaching a stop sign at an intersection shall stop at the near side of an 8
61		-	intersection and, if there is no crosswalk, at the nearest point before entering the 9
62		-	intersection that gives the driver a view of traffic approaching on the intersecting roadway. 10
	58	+	(C–1) WHEN APPROACHING A ST OP SIGN AT AN INTERS ECTION WITH A 7
	59	+	HIGHWAY WITH TWO OR FEWER LANES FOR MOVING TRA FFIC, A PERSON OPERATING 8
	60	+	A BICYCLE MAY CAUTIO USLY MAKE A TURN OR PROCEED THROUGH THE 9
	61	+	INTERSECTION WITHOUT STOPPING IF THE PERS ON OPERATING THE BIC YCLE: 10
63	62
64		-	(C–1) WHEN APPROACHING A ST OP SIGN AT AN INTERS ECTION WITH A 11
65		-	HIGHWAY WITH TWO OR FEWER LANES FOR MOVI NG TRAFFIC, A PERSON OPERATING 12
66		-	A BICYCLE MAY CAUTIO USLY MAKE A TURN OR PROCEED THROUGH THE 13
67		-	INTERSECTION WITHOUT STOPPING IF THE P ERSON OPERATING THE BICYCLE: 14
	63	+	(1) REDUCES THE SPEED OF THE BICYCLE TO A REA SONABLE RATE ; 11
	64	+	AND 12
	65	+
	66	+	(2) YIELDS THE RIGHT–OF–WAY TO: 13
	67	+
	68	+	(I) ANY VEHICLE IN THE IN TERSECTION; AND 14
	69	+
	70	+	(II) ANY APPROACHING VEHIC LE ON ANOTHER HIGHWA Y THAT 15
	71	+	IS NEAR ENOUGH TO TH E INTERSECTION THAT IT POSES AN IMMEDIAT E DANGER. 16
	72	+
	73	+	(d) The driver of a vehicle approaching a yield sign at an intersection, if required 17
	74	+	for safety to stop, shall stop at the near side of the intersection at a clearly marked stop 18
	75	+	line. 19
	76	+
	77	+	(e) The driver of a vehicle approaching a yield sign at an intersection, if required 20
	78	+	for safety to stop, shall stop at the near side of the intersection and, if there is no clearly 21
	79	+	marked stop line, before entering any crosswalk. 22
	80	+
	81	+	(f) The driver of a vehicle approaching a yield sign at an intersection, if required 23
	82	+	for safety to stop, shall stop at the near side of the intersection and, if there is no crosswalk, 24
	83	+	at the nearest point before entering the intersection that gives the driver a view of traffic 25
	84	+	approaching on the intersecting roadway. 26
	85	+
	86	+	21–1202. 27
	87	+
	88	+	(a) Every person operating a bicycle or a motor scooter in a public bicycle area 28
	89	+	has all the rights granted to and is subject to all the duties required of the driver of a vehicle 29
	90	+	by this title, including the duties set forth in § 21–504 of this title, except: 30
	91	+
	92	+	(1) As otherwise provided in this subtitle; and 31
	93	+
	94	+	(2) For those provisions of this title that by their very nature cannot apply. 32
	95	+	HOUSE BILL 7 3
	96	+
	97	+
	98	+	(b) (1) Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3) of this subsection, a person has the 1
	99	+	rights and is subject to the restrictions applicable to pedestrians under this title while the 2
	100	+	person is lawfully operating a bicycle, play vehicle, or unicycle: 3
	101	+
	102	+	(i) On a sidewalk or sidewalk area; or 4
	103	+
	104	+	(ii) In or through a crosswalk. 5
	105	+
	106	+	(2) At an intersection, a person operating a bicycle, play vehicle, or unicycle 6
	107	+	is subject to all traffic control signals, as provided in §§ 21–202 and 21–203 of this title. 7
	108	+
	109	+	(3) Section 21–506 of this title does not apply to a person operating a 8
	110	+	bicycle, play vehicle, or unicycle. 9
	111	+
	112	+	(C) NOTWITHSTANDING § 21–707(A) THROUGH (C) OF THIS TITLE, WHEN 10
	113	+	APPROACHING A STOP S IGN AT AN INTERSECTION WITH A HIGHWAY WITH TWO OR 11
	114	+	FEWER LANES FOR MOVI NG TRAFFIC, A PERSON OPERATING A BICYCLE MAY 12
	115	+	CAUTIOUSLY MAKE A TU RN OR PROCEED THROUG H THE INTERSECTION W ITHOUT 13
	116	+	STOPPING IF THE PERS ON OPERATING THE BIC YCLE: 14
68	117
69	118		(1) REDUCES THE SPEED OF THE BICYCLE TO A REASONABLE RA TE; 15
70	119		AND 16
71	120
72	121		(2) YIELDS THE RIGHT –OF–WAY TO: 17
73	122
74	123		(I) ANY VEHICLE IN THE IN TERSECTION; AND 18
75	124
76	125		(II) ANY APPROACHING VEHIC LE ON ANOTHER HIGHWA Y THAT 19
77	126		IS NEAR ENOUGH TO TH E INTERSECTION THAT IT POSES AN IMMEDIAT E DANGER. 20
78	127
79		-	(d) The driver of a vehicle approaching a yield sign at an intersection, if required 21
80		-	for safety to stop, shall stop at the near side of the intersection at a clearly marked stop 22
81		-	line. 23
82		-
83		-	(e) The driver of a vehicle approaching a yield sign at an intersection, if required 24
84		-	for safety to stop, shall stop at the near side of the intersection and, if there is no clearly 25
85		-	marked stop line, before entering any crosswalk. 26
86		-
87		-	(f) The driver of a vehicle approaching a yield sign at an intersection, if required 27
88		-	for safety to stop, shall stop at the near side of the intersection and, if there is no crosswalk, 28
89		-	at the nearest point before entering the intersection that gives the driver a view of traffic 29
90		-	approaching on the intersecting roadway. 30
91		-
92		-	21–1202. 31
93		-
94		-	(a) Every person operating a bicycle or a motor scooter in a public bicycle area 32
95		-	has all the rights granted to and is subject to all the duties required of the driver of a vehicle 33 HOUSE BILL 7 3
96		-
97		-
98		-	by this title, including the duties set forth in § 21–504 of this title, except: 1
99		-
100		-	(1) As otherwise provided in this subtitle; and 2
101		-
102		-	(2) For those provisions of this title that by their very nature cannot apply. 3
103		-
104		-	(b) (1) Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3) of this subsection, a person has the 4
105		-	rights and is subject to the restrictions applicable to pedestrians under this title while the 5
106		-	person is lawfully operating a bicycle, play vehicle, or unicycle: 6
107		-
108		-	(i) On a sidewalk or sidewalk area; or 7
109		-
110		-	(ii) In or through a crosswalk. 8
111		-
112		-	(2) At an intersection, a person operating a bicycle, play vehicle, or unicycle 9
113		-	is subject to all traffic control signals, as provided in §§ 21–202 and 21–203 of this title. 10
114		-
115		-	(3) Section 21–506 of this title does not apply to a person operating a 11
116		-	bicycle, play vehicle, or unicycle. 12
117		-
118		-	(C) NOTWITHSTANDING § 21–707(A) THROUGH (C) OF THIS TITLE, WHEN 13
119		-	APPROACHING A STOP S IGN AT AN INTERSECTI ON WITH A HIGHWAY WI TH TWO OR 14
120		-	FEWER LANES FOR MOVI NG TRAFFIC, A PERSON OPERATING A BICYCLE MAY 15
121		-	CAUTIOUSLY MAKE A TU RN OR PROCEED THROUG H THE INTERSECTION WITHOUT 16
122		-	STOPPING IF THE PERS ON OPERATING THE BIC YCLE: 17
123		-
124		-	(1) REDUCES THE SPEED OF THE BICYCLE TO A REA SONABLE RATE ; 18
125		-	AND 19
126		-
127		-	(2) YIELDS THE RIGHT –OF–WAY TO: 20
128		-
129		-	(I) ANY VEHICLE IN THE IN TERSECTION; AND 21
130		-
131		-	(II) ANY APPROACHING VEHIC LE ON ANOTHE R HIGHWAY THAT 22
132		-	IS NEAR ENOUGH TO TH E INTERSECTION THAT IT POSES AN IMMEDIAT E DANGER. 23
133		-
134		-	SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 24
135		-	October 1, 2025. 25
	128	+	SECTION 2. AND BE I T FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 21
	129	+	October 1, 2025. 22