How to use a Bike Box. (Streetfilms)
This arrived from my good friend Clarence in New York. They are putting in Bike Boxes all over town.
Well, you'll be happy to know that in Toronto, the city is 'studying' the idea.
How to use a Bike Box. (Streetfilms)
This arrived from my good friend Clarence in New York. They are putting in Bike Boxes all over town.
Well, you'll be happy to know that in Toronto, the city is 'studying' the idea.
Comments
Darren_S
Sherbourne
Thu, 01/10/2008 - 12:52Is that not a bike box on Sherbourne, at the intersection of Bloor going south.
tino
Sherbourne Bike Box?
Thu, 01/10/2008 - 13:19Not sure but I don't believe there are any in Toronto as of yet.
hamish (not verified)
yup, that's a bike box (or was)
Fri, 01/11/2008 - 08:45yes, there is an effort at a bike box at the southbound Sherbourne at Bloor, but it's only done because Bloor St. narrows west of Sherbourne, and there's bit of extra space around.
I never really found it useful, and there's actually a right-turn prohibition on the southbound Sherbourne that should have a bike-exempted sign (in my view)
AlanM (not verified)
Nice signals ... not!
Thu, 01/10/2008 - 13:23Too bad this demonstration didn't include:
1) the cyclist signalling his intention to move right from the bike lane into the bike box, and
2) the cyclist signalling his intention to turn right at the intersection
Like we're supposed to guess where he's going?
Yet another example of a fine cycling facility abused, tarring all of us effective cyclists by association.
...alan
Clarence (not verified)
Bike Box
Thu, 01/10/2008 - 15:19Alan,
Hey we shot this real super fast just to get it up on the site. But just so you know as for #2) it is hard to tell from the angle, but I did have my right arm extended once I started riding thru the crosswalk. If you look close you can see it. Hard to signal when first jumping on the bike until you steady it.
Enjoy all!
Clarence
Clarence (not verified)
Official Update on # of bike boxes
Thu, 01/10/2008 - 15:22From DOT - as of today there are 60 bike boxes in NYC
tino
60 Boxes
Thu, 01/10/2008 - 15:26That's so awesome. Congrats. Toronto better catch up!!
Alan (not verified)
Right on!
Fri, 01/11/2008 - 14:14Hey, Clarence.... thanks ... I looked again (and again!) and indeed you're signalling the right turn. Good on yer mate!
Did you note any reactions from auto drivers to the bike box, or your use of it?
Given that the stop bar on the road seems to be a "guideline" in most areas, with the pedestrian crosswalk lines used as a "buffer zone" for the stop bar, I'm wondering how abused the bike box space is by motorists. Did you see any of this?
...alan
Darren_S
Bring on the feathers!
Thu, 01/10/2008 - 19:24How effective is it while doing a sharp turn to signal to stopped cars that are ahead of you? Is it even safe? The cyclist should have both hands on his handlebars to have firm control of his bike while eyeballing for peds and making eye contact with drivers if necessary. Both hands on the handlebars are even more important in wet conditions, notice the metal grate in that bike box.
Wonder what signal denotes that a tarred "effective" cyclist needs some feathers?
chephy (not verified)
Huh?
Sun, 01/13/2008 - 22:01I don't get it. You're supposed to wait for the line to turn green, and then cut across, in front of several lanes of traffic, JUST AS DRIVERS STEP ON THE GAS?? Looks like a big accident waiting to happen. There are plenty of drivers out there who love to pretend that they're racing and floor the gas pedal as soon as the light turns green.
Maybe if you scoot to the right while the light is red then that's okay, but the demo guy isn't doing that.
And then what do you do if you arrive at the intersection on a green light? Wait until the line turns red? Blocking the bike lane for cyclists trying to go straight?
Frankly, I don't understand why the bike lane is on the left anyway. The only reason that seems to make sense is that it might reduce the number of door prizes because fewer people exit the car on the passenger side (since most car trips are done with only one person in the car), but a properly designed bike lane should already be far enough away from the parking lane to avoid dooring. Other than that, I don't see a whole lot of reason to have the lane there. Yes, it eliminates right hooks makes a left turn as easy as a normal right turn. But it introduces left hooks and makes a right turn as hard as a ... normal left turn! So... what's the point? But I suppose that's not really relevant to a bike box discussion.
Ben
Wow quick turnaround
Tue, 06/03/2008 - 15:21We went from the city thinking about studying them in January to having them installed in June. Where is the lengthy environmental assesment, and angry letters to the editor from inconvenienced motorists?