Bike boxes? London, I love you! Thanks

I said in my post featuring bike safety and Grumpy Cat that I wouldn’t turn this into a bike safety blog–it’s feminism and fitness, really!

But I don’t like criticizing without also giving praise where praise is due and my city deserves praising big time. No more Grumpy Cat, here’s Happy Cat. (Scroll down for Happy Cat.)

We now have bike boxes at some intersections.

What is a bike box? “The bike box is an intersection safety design to prevent bicycle/car collisions. It is a painted green space on the road with a white bicycle symbol inside. In some locations it includes a green bicycle lane approaching the box. The box creates space between motor vehicles and the crosswalk that allows bicyclists to position themselves ahead of motor vehicle traffic at an intersection.” From the city of Seattle web page about bike boxes.

My lovely neighbourhood, Wortley Village, has a lot of cyclists, and a lot of bike racks, and a lot of businesses that cater to cyclists. It’s also very close to the main bike path that runs north/south and east/west through the city. But the connection between the bike path and the main road was not so clear. The road itself wasn’t in great shape.

In fact, I had a pothole induced bike crash on the street a few springs ago that sent me to hospital for the day.

It’s been torn up and under construction for a long while now but it’s emerged, newly smooth and repaired.

In addition to the lovely new pavement there is a bike box at the traffic lights Read here to read more how bike boxes work. Or watch this video:

I first saw bike boxes in Europe and then later in Australia. Most cyclists fear getting hit from behind but those accidents are relatively rare. Much more common is getting hit at an intersection. And bike boxes help prevent that by giving cyclists there own space at traffic lights. We’re visible and out in front of all the cars.

Thank you London! I feel like we’re on our way to being a friendlier city for cyclists.