Bike Boxes

Bike Boxes

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A bike box is a colored area at a signalized intersection that allows bicyclists to pull in front of waiting traffic. Designed to be used only at red lights, the box is intended to reduce car-bike conflicts, increase cyclist visibility and provide bicyclists with a head start when the light turns green.

Of particular concern is the “right hook” collision that can happen when drivers turn right as a bicycle starts straight through an intersection. In the U.S., right hook collisions are implicated in 4.7% of bike crashes, 11% of which are fatal, and 3.6% are Right Turn On Red collisions, of which 6% are fatal [10]. Bike boxes have been shown to be most effective when paired with a brightly colored bike lane that extends through the intersection, to remind motorists that cyclists may be traveling straight. Bike boxes are called “advance stop lines” in Europe and Asia, where this safety device was first employed. The concept is now gaining popularity in cities in the U.S.A

How a Bike Box Works

In most cases, the bike box is a 14-foot wide rectangle marked in front of the stop line for motorists, but behind the pedestrian crosswalk. The box typically extends the width of one or more travel lanes and provides room for several bicyclists. Bike boxes are also often used in conjunction with bike lanes, from which bicyclists pedal directly into the box. The boxes have no intended function when traffic is already in motion.

Bike boxes work best at intersections with a high volume of bicyclists. They improve cyclists' visibility. They reduce delay for cyclists by providing space for "jumping the queue" of waiting vehicles. They allow a left-turning bicyclist to reach a better position for making a safe turn. They allow bicyclists to reduce exposure to vehicle tailpipe emissions, and are also thought to elevate the "status" of bicyclists relative to motor vehicles.

Often when the bike box is employed, bicyclists are allowed to turn right on red, but motorists are not. This reduces the risk of the "right hook" collision. On one-way streets, a bike box and bike lanes can be employed on both sides of the roadway. Bicyclists on the left side can use the bike box to move safely to the right side before making a right turn. In at least one case in Groningen, The Netherlands, two bike lanes, one on the right side of traffic and one between traffic lanes, are used with a bike box to give bicyclists more options, depending on their direction of travel. [1] A design that Portland, Oregon is using includes coloring bike boxes green, and extending the coloration to the portion of the bike lane close to the box and a section of the intersection into which bicyclists ride when the light turns green. Copenhagen, Denmark

History of Bike Box Use

Bike boxes have been in use since the late 1980's in Europe and Asia, and less widely in the U.S. and Canada since 2000. They were officially allowed in Belgium as of 1992 and in the U.K. beginning in 2002. Danish road engineers published one of the first significant studies regarding the use of bike boxes in 1994 [9].

As of early 2008 at least 60 bike boxes had been installed in New York City. Portland, Oregon was planning 15 boxes in 2008, at a total cost of $150,000 [citation needed]. A few scattered bike boxes can also be found in San Francisco and Berkeley, California; Eugene, Oregon; Madison, Wisconsin; and Cambridge, Mass. Portland launched its program in 2008 following the deaths of two bicyclists in 2007. Both fatalities resulted from right hook collisions involving large trucks [2].

Are Bike Boxes a Good Thing?

With nearly 40% of daily commuter trips taken by bike, Copenhagen, Denmark is generally considered the world's most bicycle-friendly city. Having been working with bike boxes for nearly 20 years, studies by Danish road engineers and transportation planners have found that bike boxes significantly reduce the number of crashes between right-turning motorists and bicyclists going straight through the intersection [9]. The City of Copenhagen has concluded that bike boxes are most effective when combined with a brightly colored lane continuing straight through the intersection to help alert right-turning motorists to the fact that bicycle riders may be traveling straight through the intersection along their right side [Jan Gehl].

Bike boxes have only been used for only a short period of time in the United States, and in only select cities in Europe and Asia. Research on their effectiveness in the U.S. is therefore both limited and pending. No study, however, has ever suggested that bike boxes are a safety hazard, or that they have increased collision rates (contrary to some anecdotal discussions in the blogosphere [3]). Safety tests so far either show some safety benefit after bike box installation [5,11] or little change [4]. The boxes are not supposed to address every possible intersection safety hazard. Rather, they attempt to provide improved visibility and positioning for cyclists when stopped at a red light.

A Eugene, Oregon study videotaped cyclists on one-way streets before and after bike boxes were installed. The specific goal of this treatment was to assist cyclists in migrating to the bike lane on the opposite side of the street, across several lanes of traffic. While the study found no overall change in the collision rate, it did reveal that no vehicle-bicycle conflicts took place when the box was being used as intended.

A 2002 New Zealand study found that intersections treated with bike boxes and other safety designs reduced the collision rate and therefore met “an effective performance standard from the collision analysis” [11]. Furthermore, it was recommended that bike boxes be employed at all intersections in the city of Cambridge, UK after it was reported that several bike boxes were working well for cyclists [1].

A study of about 50 London intersections found no significant change in collisions when averaged over all intersections, but did find reductions at several individual sites [4]. Portland, Oregon's Department of Transportation reports the same result [Greg Raisman, Portland DOT, personal communication], although detailed studies by the University of Oregon were still underway as of 2008.

Problems and Challenges

1. Many road users do not know what they are.
To really prevent collisions, both motorists and cyclists must know the rules of the road well. Both must instinctively know what to do when they approach a bike box. Some drivers have reported confusion, claiming that the box makes the field of view “busier” and obscures bicycle visibility [3]. It has also been reported that some, perhaps less experienced, bicyclists try to move into a bike box during a green light, in front of moving traffic [4]. Another study in Eugene, Oregon observed the use of a bike box to cross several lanes of traffic on a one-way street. It found that many cyclists had the opportunity to use the box but did not take it, likely because they were unsure of how it worked [5].

2. Cars tend to encroach into the bike box [4,5,6].
A survey commissioned by Transport for London found encroachment by only 14% of cars but 60% of motorcycles [4].

3. They do not address moving right turns.
Designed to work when traffic is stopped at a signal, the boxes provide little guidance while traffic is moving. This is particularly true if bike lanes are not extended through intersections to caution drivers who are making right turns. In addition, a small percentage of right-turn collisions involve cyclists in the right-hand crosswalk, a driveway, or traveling illegally against traffic [10], none of which are helped by the bike box.

4. They usually do not assist bicyclists making left turns.
Unless a bike box extends across all travel lanes in a given direction, it does not provide a proper space from which bicycles can turn left. (Regardless, when the light is green, it is crucial that cyclists wait for the red light before entering a box to turn left).

5. Making cyclists visible to motorists is an ongoing challenge.
Some additional visibility is inherent in the bike box concept, but one concern is that, for trucks, the driver's view of the bike box area can be obstructed by the truck's hood.

Other Concerns:

1. Right turn on red (RTOR) remains a threat.
While bicyclists are waiting in the box, drivers might attempt to turn right on red, squeezing between the bike lane and the road shoulder [7]. This can be a hazard to bicycles approaching the intersection, particularly as the light turns green.

2. Cyclists may shy away from the boxes.
Feeling safer waiting close to the curb. The London study [4] found that many cyclists were avoiding them.

Recommendations

1. Nearly every study of bike boxes stresses that, for this treatment to function as intended, motorist and cyclist education is of paramount importance [4,5,6]. Education efforts may include the use of signs, brochures, billboards, public service announcements, television news features and newspaper articles. Before unveiling its bike box program, Portand’s Department of Transportation conducted a comprehensive media campaign involving radio, television and newspaper outreach [Greg Raisman, Portland DOT, personal communication]. They also posted billboards and signs at each bike box location, in advance of the installation. Finally, Portland police enforced bike box rules and helped to educate the public by distributing brochures.

2. Bike boxes should be brightly demarcated because they must be easily identified [1,5]. Colored surfacing, rather than simple outlining, is the most effective treatment. Portland bike boxes are painted bright green while New York bike boxes are simple white lines; Portland's boxes are easier to read.

3. The boxes should be paired with an approach lane (also known as a feeder lane) [1] as well as a lane that extends through the intersection. Brightly surfaced entrance and exit lanes have been installed on bike boxes at some of Portland's most dangerous intersections [12].

4. Bike boxes should be at least 14 feet deep to expand the field of view for trucks and buses, and to accommodate a large number of bicycles [4].

5. Motor vehicle encroachment can be reduced by moving the stop line a few feet further behind the box [5]. As with any street innovation, it will take time to educate motorists to keep clear of bike boxes.

6. A bike box is not intended to alleviate all possible intersection hazards. Most notably, the moving right turn remains an ongoing problem.

Conclusions

In Copenhagen, Denmark, the world city where cyclist intersection safety has been studied longest and with the most depth, bike boxes have been demonstrated to improve bicyclist safety [9]. Studies from other cities also seem to indicate that bike boxes are a cost-effective method for reducing right-hook collisions and making cyclists more visible to motorists at intersections. Nevertheless, their deployment - and methods for educating the public on their proper use - continue to be studied and refined. Because individual intersections vary greatly in geometry, traffic demands, and bicycle volumes, each must be treated separately. It is best to revisit each bike box installation after an education campaign has been conducted and roadway users have adapted, to see if there is still a convenience and safety advantage for both motorists and bicyclists.

ALSO ON THE LIVABLE STREETS NETWORK

Eyes on the Street; Bike Boxes on Brooklyn's Broadway (Streetsblog, 5/20/08)

Eyes on the Street: Portland Bike Boxes (Streetsblog, 3/25/08)
Drivers Ed Campaign to Accompany Portland's Bike Boxes (Streetsblog, 2/14/08)
How to Use a Bike Box (Streetsblog, 1/10/08)
How About Two Bike Lanes Per Street (Streetsblog, 1/9/08)
New Bike Boxes Send Cyclists to the Front of the Line (Streetsblog, 6/19/07)

REFERENCES

Each source is referred to by the same number every time it is cited. Please keep citation style consistent.

[1] "Advanced Stop Lines" Cambridge Cycling Campaign. July 1998.

[2] Yardley, William. "Portland, Ore. Acts to Protect Cyclists." The New York Times. 10 Jan 2008.

[3] Does Green Box Biking Reduce Right Hook Collisions? Treehugger.com. July 15, 2008.

[4]Advance Stop Line Variations Research Study. Atkins Services commissioned by Transport for London. May 2005.

[5] Hunter, William W., 1998. Evaluation of an Innovative Bike Box Application in Eugene, Oregon. Transportation Research Record. Paper Number 00-0271.

[6] Capacity implications of Advanced Stop Lines for cyclists. UK Transport Research Laboratory, 2003.

[7] The New Bike Box – What Do You Think So Far? Bike Portland. March 18, 2008.

[8] Schubert, John. Portland’s Agony: Two cyclists died as a result of poorly designed traffic-control devices. Adventure Cyclist. April 2008.
(article available for download at Bike Portland)

[9] Herstaddt, 1994. Herrstedt, L.; Nielsen, M.A.; Agústson, L.; Krogsgaard, K.M.L.; Jørgensen, E.; and Jørgensen, N.O. Safety of Cyclists in Urban Areas: Danish Experiences, Danish Road Directorate, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1994.

[10] National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data summarized by Ken Kifer's Bike Pages.

[11] Newman, Alix, 2002. The Markings of Advance Cycle Lanes and Advance Stop Boxes at Signalized Intersections (pdf). Chistchurch City Council. Christchurch, New Zealand.

[12] Improving Bicycle Safety in Portland(pdf). Portland Office of Transportation. October 2007.