Bikers in Bellingham enjoy the luxury of new Green Blocks
designed to make traffic flow easier and bike riding safer for the many
residents who choose a bike as their mode of travel. Cornwall Ave, one of the
borders of the Lettered Streets Neighborhood was the first area in Bellingham
to try out these new bike boxes that have become popular throughout the
country.
Bike boxes are specialized markers in the pavement that are
meant to create more space between the bikers and cars around them on busy
streets. By designating a space for bikers to stop at lights and lanes for them
to travel down, safety has increased because fewer bikers are struggling to get
where they need to be and getting injured in the process.
Studies throughout the world show that bike boxes have a
great economic benefit for the area, and may bring more revenue to the Lettered
Streets Neighborhood. More people will begin to ride bikes around and drivers
feel safer when the bikers are in their own area.
Many residents were unsure how to use the bike lanes and struggled
to use them properly. With both bike lanes and these green bike boxes, drivers
found the lack of specific direction to be difficult to navigate these new
spaces. With more signs and directions, the overall flow and awareness that
both cars and drivers are riding down roads together, and they need to be safe
about where they are on the road. More instruction is coming from the city of Bellingham about how to better use the bike boxes for both drivers and bike riders.
Links for further reading:
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/news/local/article34120173.html
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