cycling – vivaNext

Everything you wanted to know about bike boxes

Crews are in the process of painting bike boxes on Highway 7 West and Bathurst & Centre in Vaughan, as well as on Yonge Street in Newmarket. Bike boxes [identified by their green paint] are spaces allocated at signalized intersections along the rapidway corridors that allow cyclists to safely wait for a signal when turning left. This is instead of waiting in the left-turn lane, making the rapidway corridors safer and more welcoming for cyclists. Here’s pretty much everything you’d want to know about them.

The purpose of a bike box

Bike boxes provide a safe left-turn option for cyclists riding in the bike lane. Rather than having to cross two or three lanes of busy traffic to reach left-turn lanes, or waiting on the sidewalk, the bike box is a safe, designated waiting area that’s tucked into the boulevard at the corner of a signalized intersection – just for bikes. Simply put, the bike box offers cyclists a place to wait for the light to change.

Here’s how they work

Cyclists wanting to turning left from, say for example, Highway 7, will proceed through the signalized east/west intersection in the bike lane. Then they simply stop in the bike box, turn their bike to the left, and wait for the next north/south signal. Once the light changes, they can cross Highway 7 along with other north/south traffic.

To learn more about how to use bike boxes, watch the “Cyclist Cedrick” segment of this video [0:58 mark].

How we build bike boxes

To accommodate bike box painting, crews close curb lanes and right-turn lanes at each intersection. Then, like bike lanes around intersections, they’re painted green with special bike lane markings to clearly identify them. Lanes remain closed for up to three days to allow the street bond to completely dry.

We’re excited to be providing these features for York Region cyclists, and know that they help to make the rapidway corridors more welcoming to all travellers, no matter how they choose to get around.

For information and updates about ongoing vivaNext projects, be sure to subscribe to email updates, and follow us on Twitter. You can also follow us on Instagram, YouTube and Facebook. Questions or comments? Comment below or email us at contactus@vivanext.com.

meet the NEW multi-use path on Highway 7 West

If you’re walking, strolling, jogging or cycling Highway 7 West in Woodbridge, there is a new multi-use path in the centre of the road to get you across the bridge over Highway 400. Watch our new video for a bird’s-eye view and a peek at what it’s like when you’re in it.

This protected path for pedestrians and cyclists has signalized intersections at each end to enable safe crossings back to the sides of Highway 7.

Separated from traffic and transit vehicles by concrete barrier walls on either side, the multi-use path is wide enough for two-way travel. By bringing travellers away from the outside of the bridge, as well as the busy ramps of Highway 400, the new multi-use path improves regular traffic flow, and crucially for pedestrians and cyclists offers an effective, convenient solution as people make connections to and from the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre and throughout Vaughan and York Region.

While centre-road travel for cyclists and pedestrians is a new concept here in York Region, they’ve been built in the U.S. and were originally inspired by the Sands Street Bikeway in Brooklyn, NY.

Integrated with the City of Vaughan’s bike lane program and York Region’s network of bike lanes, the multi-use path connects with raised bike lanes and wider pedestrian sidewalks west of Highway 400, from Famous Avenue to Bruce Street [raised bike lanes opening in 2020], and with bike lanes already constructed on Highway 7 from Edgeley Boulevard/Interchange Way to Bowes Road/ Baldwin Avenue, as well as up Millway Avenue to the subway and the newly opened SmartCentres Place Bus Terminal in the Vaughan Metropolitan Centre.

For information about ongoing vivaNext projects, be sure to subscribe to email updates, and follow us on Twitter. Questions or comments? Comment below or email us at contactus@vivanext.com.