Good news is headed to Circle City cyclists, as Indianapolis recently announced its plan to enhance its bike lanes throughout the city’s roadways through the use of Bike Boxes. Bike Boxes are a designated area at the beginning of a traffic lane at a signaled intersection that provide bicyclists with a safe and visible way to turn ahead of stalled traffic at red traffic lights.
If a traffic signal is green, bicyclists use the bike lane as they normally would. However, if the traffic signal is red, bicyclists are able to move to the front of vehicular traffic within the Biker Box boundaries. Once the light turns green, cyclists then have the right-of-way to turn either left or right. Once the cyclists have made their turn, vehicle traffic can then proceed. Bike Boxes promote bicycle safety; bicyclists fortunate enough to be in a Bike Box do not need to worry about turning while being surrounded on all sides by motor vehicle traffic.
The City of Indianapolis hopes that using Bike Boxes will decrease accidents and collisions involving motor vehicles and bikes. In recent years, Indiana cities and towns like Indianapolis, Carmel, and Fishers, to name a few, have taken action such as this to improve the safety and efficiency of traffic while also promoting the use of bicycles on Indiana streets. Bicycling Hoosiers should be proud of the strong bicycle culture that continues to grow in our state. With new traffic features like Bike Boxes, it becomes even more important to “Share the Road” and be aware of cyclists, pedestrians, runners, and other modes of transportation lawfully using the roadways.
The Indianapolis BikeLawyers at Caress Law Group are committed to making sure that bicyclists stay safe. Please pop in regularly at our blog, www.IndianaBicycleLaw.com, for updated information on new bicycle-friendly traffic features and other updates.
If you have a question about Indiana personal injury or medical malpractice law, please contact Indianapolis Bicycle Attorney Tim Caress by calling him at 317-255-5400 or emailing him at Tim@CaressLaw.com. All conversations are free.