Jefferson City is on pace to see a nearly 65 percent increase in pedestrian and cyclist crashes in 2026 versus 2025, but a new ordinance passed Monday by the Jefferson City Council may help curb that trend.

The Jefferson City Council agreed to pass “Idaho Stop Laws” in Jefferson City, allowing bicyclists to treat stop signs as yield signs and stop lights as stop signs. The ordinance comes as Jefferson City has suffered 11 non-motorist crashes through the first four months of 2026, according to data provided by the Jefferson City Police Department in late April, including a fatal cyclist-car collision on April 21 that took the life of Richard Roebben.

The city saw a total of 20 non-motorist-involved crashes in 2025. At its current rate, it would see about 33 non-motorist-crashes by the end of 2026.

While some city officials are nervous about the new law and the learning curve for Jefferson City drivers, advocates told the News Tribune they believe it will make the city safer for cyclists and less frustrating for drivers.

Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, Utah and Washington have all adopted laws allowing cyclists to yield at stop signs. Arkansas, Idaho and Oklahoma also have laws allowing cyclists to treat red stop lights as a stop sign.

Arkansas state Sen. Missy Irvin, R-Mountain View, co-sponsored Arkansas’ Idaho Stop law when it passed in 2019. She said the law has benefits beyond increased pedestrian safety — it serves as a boon to Arkansas’ cycling tourism and engagement on natural cycling trails, a feature it shares with the Show Me State.

“We’ve seen just an incredible increase in cycling. I think it was just looking at what was happening in other states and working with … cyclist enthusiasts that really wanted to be proactive as possible,” Irvin said. “I think we were being more preemptive and just kind of following what other states have done in response so that we can be proactive in our approach.”

According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data, bicyclist crashes in Idaho fell by 14.5 percent the year after the law’s adoption in 1982. Delaware in 2017 passed a law that includes the stop-sign-as-yield provision, but did not change rules for red lights. Bicycle crashes at stop-sign intersections in Delaware fell by 23 percent in the 30 months after its passage, according to the NHTSA.

Irvin added that the law is a boon for rural cyclists as well as city cyclists, allowing bike riders to roll through rural roads where motorists wouldn’t expect a cyclist, and spend less cumulative time in harm’s way.

Missouri law allows cyclists to proceed through an intersection with a red light if it’s clear that the traffic signal cannot detect the bicycle and therefore will not change unless there is more weight on the sensor.

The city ordinance states a cyclist may proceed through a stop sign after yielding to pedestrians and vehicles. A cyclist may also stop at a red light and then proceed through without waiting for a green light after yielding to pedestrians and vehicles.

Community feedback

The lone dissenting vote came from Ward 5 Councilman Shane Kampeter, who said he has concerns that drivers would not know about the new ordinance and thus result in more crashes. Lt. Jason Payne of the Jefferson City Police Department also voiced concerns about having more crashes for the same reason.

Andy Besselman, a local cyclist, submitted the original request to the city’s Transportation and Traffic Commission and said he doesn’t expect many drivers would even need to know about the new ordinance. He said cyclists typically only roll through stop signs if there are no vehicles around and added the goal of the ordinance was to eliminate any fear of receiving a ticket for not stopping at a stop sign.

In Besselman’s experience with other cyclists, he said, he doesn’t expect any cyclist to run a stop sign if there is a vehicle approaching.

“Rule No. 1: If there’s a car coming, don’t go,” Besselman said.

Since a cyclist is more vulnerable on the road than somebody in a vehicle, Besselman said most cyclists are already aware of their surroundings.

Besselman said a lot of cyclists have already been practicing the “Idaho Stop” for a while now anyway. Besselman bikes to work every morning and said it’s often safer to roll through an intersection if he knows there are no other vehicles approaching and there is no risk of being hit by a car.

He said he’s heard of other cyclists getting “rear-ended” by a vehicle after sitting at a stop sign and being unable to get back up to speed quick enough.

“So for me, it was always just personal safety,” Besselman said.

He added this ordinance should also keep traffic moving because drivers will not have to wait for the cyclist to get up to speed before proceeding themself.

He added that cyclists do not have to follow the Idaho Stop Law. If a cyclist is more comfortable coming to a complete stop at a stop sign and waiting for a green light, Besselman said, they should do what feels safest.

At the City Council meeting on May 4, Kampeter said he thinks people don’t actually know many of the laws governing cyclists on the road.

Nathan Nickolaus, interim city attorney, said drivers and cyclists should defer to Missouri’s driver’s manual. The 2025 “Driver Guide” from the Missouri Department of Revenue has a section on sharing the road with mopeds and bicycles. That section states crashes with bicyclists occur most often at intersections due to drivers not noticing the cyclist.

The guide states cyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as a motor vehicle operator, and that cyclists should ride with traffic and try to stay as close to the right side of the road as possible.

For drivers who want to pass a cyclist, the driver guide states motorists should give the cyclist a full lane width.

“Do not squeeze past these road users. The bicycle is generally a slow-moving vehicle and this may require you to slow down. Wait for a clear stretch of road before passing a cyclist in a lane too narrow to share,” reads the driver guide.

Besselman said drivers should treat cyclists like “any other vehicle,” and drivers should only pass cyclists if they would also pass a car in the same location.

The next step

The most awkward part of the ordinance, a pedestrian and cyclist safety advocate said, will be the limited scope of the law. If a cyclist were to leave Jefferson City limits, the law would no longer apply to them.

However, the Capital City can serve as a model and leader in bicyclist safety for the rest of state, said Jackson Hotaling, director of policy and programs with Missourians for Responsible Transportation, a non-motorist activist and advocacy group.

“We’re already seeing our bordering states starting to implement these laws,” Hotaling said. “Particularly in Arkansas, there’s so many people that are living right up on the border with Missouri. … A lot of folks on the Arkansas side are probably going to assume that exists within Missouri, and that’s up to the state of Missouri to respond accordingly.”

“I think that having the City of Jefferson’s ordinance as a model will be beneficial for other municipalities in the state,” he added. “… Ultimately, I think it could be a reasonable goal to look at this as an ordinance for the state of Missouri as well.”

Irvin, whose Senate district comprises the northern Ozark region of Arkansas, and thus shares many roads and cycling routes with the Southern region of Missouri, said she’d like to see the state work toward its own Idaho Stop law and was willing to work across state lines to help.

“If you’re trying to be more friendly towards cyclists and take advantage of these (shared) resources, then I think it’s just better to have some consistency with your laws,” Irvin said.

Irvin added that smaller cities would benefit greatly from countywide ordinances to ensure uniform laws across the area. The Cole County Traffic and Safety Advisory Board last met on April 30 and did not discuss any bike safety ordinances. It is slated to next meet on July 16, according to the Cole County website.

Even if neither the state nor the county follow up on Jefferson City’s ordinance, Hotaling said the passage of the law and the support of City Council represent meaningful progress for non-motorists in Jefferson City.

“I just want to applaud the City Council for making this consideration and taking it upon themselves to do the research to get there,” said Hotaling, who spends much of his time cycling in the city. “To be able to have a beautiful downtown and have place that’s enjoyable and safe to walk and bike around, I think it can really inspire a lot of folks in smaller towns and suburban areas to think about what that might look like when they do visit the Capitol.”