SLC's first Bike Turn Box

New intersection design on Main St. increases bicycle mobility in Downtown

SALT LAKE CITY -- Salt Lake City's improvements to bicycle infrastructure is concluding the 2011 construction season with a new, innovative treatment -- a "two-stage bike turn queue box" on Main St. at 200 South, installed Monday.

The design, known as a "bike turn box" for short, allows bicyclists to make left turns across the TRAX light rail tracks in two traffic signal phases. Bicyclists riding south on Main St. use the 7'x10' box to turn left by riding toward the south side of the intersection, waiting in the green box, and then proceeding on the green light with the traffic on 200 South.

The bike turn box is the City's first implementation of a design straight out of a new Urban Bikeway Design guide put together by U.S. cities interested in promoting new bikeway designs. The guide, published by the National Association of City Transportation Officials, was endorsed by Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker and Transportation Division Director Tim Harpst in July 2011.

According to Salt Lake City Bicycle/Pedestrian Coordinator Becka Roolf, "the endorsement represents the City's intention to continue to consider 'progressive' bikeway designs in addition to the more standard engineering manuals."

The new design provides bicyclists with a safe and legal left turn across the tracks where it is currently prohibited to automobiles due to the light rail right of way.

The bike turn box was proposed for this location by Tom Millar, an undergraduate student in Urban Planning at the University of Utah currently interning with the Bicycle/Pedestrian Program at the Salt Lake City Transportation Division. Millar said of the design, "the bike turn box simply makes what is already legal much safer and more visual for bicyclists, motorists, and pedestrians alike. The design also discourages bicyclists from illegally crossing the tracks."

Roolf said the bike turn box complements the "green shared lanes" already installed by the City on both Main St. and 200 South. "The green shared lanes remind everyone that bicyclists have the right to use a full travel lane under Utah state law," Roolf said. "Bicyclists may use the full lane any time a lane is too narrow for motorists to pass safely." Roolf noted that the shared lane design is compatible with downtown streets, particularly on low-volume, low-speed, or multi-lane roads where motorists may use another lane to pass.

The green rectangle is not actually paint, but a new epoxy product called CycleGrip which is being tested by the City for its durability under winter snow plow conditions. CycleGrip is also being tested on 1700 South and 500 East, where green rectangles highlight shared lanes.

[timeorspace]

Great Narration Tom Millar, thanks for the illustration, you'll make a great public figure one day! Let me know if you have any filming needs in the near future.

[oreosaysb]

Cool! Sometimes it's hard to move over to the left lane because the cars are going faster there. This is neat!

[DaveF]

Thanks for posting that. Q1 Why is there no equivalent for opposite direction? Q2 Do you have similar video but with vehicles turning right at the same time as cyclists?

[pgkovacs]

Why does the narrator says it is illegal toi turn left from the travel lane? Is is illegal for cyclists to merge left into the left travel lane?