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H0508
Idaho Law Changes for Bicycle and Pedestrian Projects
Last scannedAug 24, 2026, 7:59 AM
In one sentence
This law updates Idaho rules to limit when bicycle and pedestrian facilities can be built on highways, requiring them to serve as secondary benefits or meet specific safety needs.
What it does
- Defines 'primary benefit of motor vehicles' as projects that reduce traffic congestion, travel delays, engine idle time, and unproductive fuel consumption by improving vehicle flow.
- Limits new or improved bike and walk paths to cases where they provide a secondary benefit to car travel, receive federal funding, are needed for compliance with federal law, or improve safety near schools, parks, or other designated areas.
- Requires that the right-of-way of any highway be at least 50 feet wide, except when complying with applicable laws or in exceptional cases.
- Restricts county commissioners from increasing the width, straightening, or relocating non-residential collector or arterial highways unless required by federal law.
Who it affects
- County commissioners who plan and approve highway projects
- State transportation agencies managing public roads
Limits and unknowns
- The law does not specify which areas are officially designated as pedestrian or bicycle zones.
- It is unclear what specific steps agencies must take if federal laws conflict with state rules about road width, other than complying with the federal requirement.
Plain language
Terms to know
- Primary benefit of motor vehicles
- Projects designed mainly to help cars by reducing traffic jams, delays, engine idle time, and fuel waste.
- Right-of-way
- A right-of-way open to the public under the jurisdiction of a highway agency where the agency may maintain it or post signs but has no obligation to construct it.
Official record
Sources
Official summary
Bike, ped projects, fed funds
Official activity
Bill history
- LAW