http://www.cityofmadison.com/news/view.cfm?news_id=2043
City to Install First Red Bike Box Today Demonstration Project at Intersection of Williamson and Wilson with Blair and John Nolen Drive Beginning Tuesday, May 18, City Traffic Engineering will begin installing new, red bike boxes at the intersection of Williamson and Wilson Streets at their intersection with Blair Street and John Nolen Drive. "I'm excited to implement our first project from our European fact-finding trip and thanks to Flint Trading, we're able to eliminate most of the cost to the city," Mayor Dave Cieslewicz said. "We all know this is a busy intersection and we hope new red bike boxes will improve safety and ease for bicyclists." Since it's Madison's first use of color in bike boxes, Flint Trading, which is providing the material, will also be training City crews on the new material so in the future the City will be able to install the special colored material themselves. A Bike Box (or Advanced Stop Line) is an intersection design treatment that allows bicyclists to move in front of motor vehicles that are stopped at signalized or stop-controlled intersections. It consists of an advanced stop bar for motorists, a bike lane for approaching bicyclists and an attached special waiting area for bicyclists. Bike boxes are used to make bicyclists more visible at intersections and to reduce the risk of conflicts between bicyclists and motorists. Bike boxes have been adopted primarily in Europe, with some applications in North America. At a bike box, when the traffic signal is yellow or red, motorists must stop behind the white stop line behind the bike box. Don't stop on top of the bike box. Keep it clear for bicyclists to use. When the light turns green, motorists may move through the intersection as usual, with bicyclists going first. After about 100 feet, bicyclists have had a chance to get into their bike lane or turn and motorists will be able to pass safely. Remember that motorists have to give bicyclists at least three feet of clearance when passing. Madison already has some bike boxes, which are not colored. These bike boxes are outlined in white paint. The coloring helps drivers to be more aware of the bike box and of bicyclists on the road. It is an indication that bicyclists have rights and responsibilities on public roads, similar to other vehicle operators. Green is a popular color to use for bike boxes, but other colors may be used. In this case, Madison is piloting red as it is the exclusive color used in the Netherlands and Amsterdam, the bicycle capital of the world. Red is also a natural aggregate used in red-colored concrete and potential future use in red asphalt. The subject intersection is one of the City's busiest for bicycles and motor vehicles. It is a junction point for the Isthmus/Capital City Path and connections between downtown and the near east side. Flint Trading, Inc., a company out of North Carolina, is paying a special visit to Madison to help launch the new application. Flint said, "We welcome the opportunity to work with City of Madison on this innovative new bicycle safety marking. There are very few cities in the US that have done anything similar." Using the link below to visit the Traffic Engineering website, under "Traffic Engineering Announcements": Click "City to Install First Red Bike Box," for diagrams, pictures and other information related to this project. Robbie Webber Bike Walk Madison Steering Committee www.bikewalkmadison.org (back soon) Join our group on Facebook! _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
