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Safer Roadways: A Complete Streets Guide
BIKE BOXES A bike box provides a space in front of stopped traffic for bikes to wait for a green phase. This allows bikes to be visible to stopped drivers, a safer situation than a bike waiting between car lanes, visible to few, if any, vehicles. Bike boxes are an effective tool for dealing with turning conflicts. For bikes turning left, positioning in a bike box that extends across all lanes can allow them to turn ahead of traffic behind them. For bikes continuing straight, positing ahead of right-turning vehicles can reduce the likelihood of right-hook collisions with unsuspecting drivers. Bike boxes should be 10-16 feet deep, with a stop line indicating to vehicles to stop prior to the box. Right-turns on red must also be prohibited to keep vehicles from entering the box during a red phase. TWO-STAGE TURN BOXES A two-stage turn box allows bikes to complete a turn through an intersection in two-stages and avoids bikes having to cross traffic lanes to position for turns. A person biking through an intersection can pull into a two-stage turn box and complete the second movement when allowed either by a traffic signal or when allowed at an unsignalized intersection. Two Stage Box and Markings
This application is most appropriate for higher speed and higher volume streets where it may be unsafe for bikes to cross traffic lanes to turn along with vehicles. It is also an appropriate treatment for cycle tracks given that their separation generally precludes bikes from changing lanes for turns at an intersection. MARKINGS Markings for bikes can be provided through the intersection to continue on-street markings before and after intersections. These treatments help to make drivers aware of the presence of bike priority space, particularly aimed at conflicts with turning vehicles. Markings can also increase the comfort of riders by providing them with confidence regarding their priority within the intersection and the proper path to take.
Bicycle Lane Extension
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