left turn – 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.

intersections are changing: u-turns and 2-stage crosswalks

On Highway 7 West and Davis Drive in Newmarket, important changes are on the way for how drivers and pedestrians use intersections and travel along the road. Each rapidway project is at a different stage, and along the Highway 7 East rapidway in Markham and Richmond Hill, these road and intersection changes have been in effect for about two years.

Aside from rapidways for fast, convenient transit, projects include wider sidewalks and attractive landscaping. Each project helps to connect York Region, and manage future growth for generations to come. Once construction is underway in the centre of the road on Highway 7 West and Davis Drive, here are some of the changes that you need to watch for, and follow the signs:

Dedicated left-turns

Dedicated left-turn lanes at rapidway intersections
Dedicated left-turn signals – motorists can only turn left when the left-turn arrow is illuminated

Right-turn access, via intersections with u-turn signs

To access to mid-block destinations on the opposite side of the road, motorists will make u-turns at intersections.
Rapidway intersections with u-turn signs will allow drivers to make a u-turn from the left turn lane, once the left-turn arrow is illuminated.
Global studies of traffic control have shown this to be a safer way to turn left on a multi-lane road.

Shared lanes for right-turn and through traffic

Curb-side lanes will be shared by right-turning and straight-through traffic.

Two-stage pedestrian crossings

Intersections will be wider with the new rapidway lanes.
Pedestrians may cross intersections in two stages if unable to cross in the first signal.
A waiting area will be in the middle of the crosswalk, where pedestrians can press the “walk” button and wait for the next signal.
Pedestrians will need to press the “walk” button for the “walk” signal to be displayed.