New "Bike Boxes" Installed on Busy School and Commuter Routes!

The Town of Tiburon in partnership with Marin County and CalTrans recently installed "bike boxes" at the Blackfield Drive and Greenwood Cove Drive approaches to Tiburon Boulevard (State Route 131).  The aim of these new measures is to provide safer cycling and traffic conditions.

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.  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.

Why Were Bike Boxes Installed?

The bike boxes are funded through TAM's Safe Pathways to School Program to improve children's cyclist safety on the way to and from school.  The main goal of the project is to improve safety by:

1. Increasing awareness and visibility of cyclists, especially school age children.

2. Helping cyclists make safer intersection crossings.

3. Encouraging cyclists to make more predictable approaches to and through an intersection.

4. Providing space at the front of an intersection to help cyclists avoid breathing vehicle fumes.

What Motorists Should Know

When the traffic signal is yellow or red, motorists must stop behind the white stop line.  don't stop on top of the green bike box.  Keep it clear for cyclists to use.  When  the light turns green, motorists and cyclists may move through the intersection as usual, with cyclists going first.

What Bicyclists Should Know

When the traffic signal is yellow or red, enter the bike box from the approaching green bike lane.  When the lights is green, proceed as normal.