The Rolling Stop at a Four-Way With a Cyclist
You are driving north on Pine Street approaching a four-way stop. A pickup truck is already stopped in the eastbound lane to your right, waiting to go straight. A cyclist is riding westbound in the bike lane on the far side of the intersection, approaching the stop line but still about 30 feet back and moving steadily. You intend to turn left onto Oak. You slow to about 5 mph, see the pickup truck's driver wave you through, and the cyclist is still a comfortable distance away. Your lane is clear ahead, and you have your left turn signal on.
1. Whose turn is it, and does the pickup driver's wave change your obligation?
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At a four-way stop, the first vehicle to stop and come to a complete halt has the right to proceed first. If you and the truck arrived at roughly the same time, the vehicle on the right - the truck - has the right-of-way, and you should yield to it. A hand wave is a courtesy, not a legal transfer of right-of-way, and it does not release you from the duty to yield. More importantly, the wave only addresses the truck; it says nothing about the cyclist. Before moving, confirm that all conflicting movements are actually safe - not just that one driver gestured.
2. As you begin your left turn, what must you do about the westbound cyclist?
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A left-turning driver must yield to oncoming traffic going straight or turning right, and a bicycle in the roadway is traffic with the same rights as a motor vehicle. Thirty feet at typical cycling speed closes quickly once you commit and accelerate through the turn, and the cyclist's path crosses yours. The correct move is to wait until the cyclist has either passed or clearly stopped. Do not assume the cyclist will slow for you, and do not cut the turn tight across the bike lane. If you cannot complete the turn without forcing the cyclist to brake or swerve, you do not have a safe gap.
3. Suppose you roll through at 5 mph without a full stop because the intersection looks empty. What is the risk beyond a citation?
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A rolling stop removes the pause you need to re-scan for the cyclist, pedestrians, and the truck's actual movement. At 5 mph you are still covering ground while your attention is split, and the cyclist approaching from the far side is easy to miss against background clutter. A complete stop buys you the scan and gives other road users a predictable cue. The citation is the least of it: the real exposure is a right-of-way collision with a vulnerable road user.