Lesson:Protected Intersections for Bicyclists/ExerciseD1

Listening Exercise

<quiz display=simple> {Watch the video and complete the text according to what you can understand. |type="{}"} Urban planners and designers have { finally_8 } figured it out: If your city is designed so that you can bike instead of { drive_6 }, it will be a happier, { healthier_10 } place to live. We know that { protected_10 } bike lanes are the key to getting the average { person_7 } to consider traveling by bike. Sharing busy traffic lanes with cars is absolutely unacceptable. And separation by a line of paint is { often_6 } not enough. Protected bike lanes - also called cycle tracks - use curbs, planters or { parking_8 } to buffer { bicyclists_11 } from moving cars. But there's still a problem. The protected bike lanes lose their benefits when they { reach_6 } intersections. The buffer falls away and you're faced with an ambiguous collection of { green_6 } paint, dashed lines and bicycle markings. One popular configuration is { called_7 } the mixing zone. Where cars and bikes share the lane. It doesn't { matter_7 } how safe and protected your bike lane is, if intersections are risky stressful experiences. We need to make { intersections_14 } just as safe and secure as the { lanes_6 } that lead into them. What the protected bike lane needs, is the protected intersection. Modeled after Dutch intersection design, the Protected Intersection brings the { physical_9 } protection along with you as you ride { through_8 } the crossing. A collection of design elements makes left turn simple and secure. Right turn is protected and { fast_5 } and provide straight through movement that minimize or { eliminate_10 } conflicts from turning cars. With this design, riders will never feel { stranded_9 }, exposed or unsure of where to go and how to get there. There are four { main_5 } elements to protected Intersection designs: A corner refuge island; a forward stop bar for bicyclists; a setback bike and { pedestrian_11 } crossing and bicycle-friendly signal phasing. The corner refuge island is the key element that makes these intersections { function_9 }. This island brings the protective barrier from the bike lane far into the intersection. Think of it like a curb extension for bicyclists. The island physically { separates_10 } bicyclists as they make right turns. And { provides_9 } a secure refuge for those { waiting_8 } at a red signal protected from moving cars. Paired with the corner refuge { island_7 } is a forward stop bar for bicyclists. While people { driving_8 } must stop back { behind_7 } the crosswalk, people on bikes may yield to { pedestrians_12 } and stop at a waiting area farther ahead in the intersection. Bicyclists { turning_8 } left also use the space to wait when making a { left_5 } turn. The advantage of this design is threefold: the forward stop location makes bicyclists incredibly { visible_8 } to drivers waiting at a red { light_6 }; the physical distance - ahead of cars - gives bicyclists an { effective_10 } head start when the light turns green. And the { distance_9 } to the road the bicycles need to cross is greatly { reduced_8 }. In Protected Intersections, the bike lane bends away from the intersection, { creating_9 } a setback bicycle and pedestrian crossing. In contrast to { conventional_13 } bicycle crossings that run next to moving cars, the setback { crossings_10 } provide the space and time for { everyone_9 } to react to potential conflicts. The critical dimension is one car length of space { between_8 } the traffic lane and the bicycle crossing: Around six { meters_7 }. This space is often already present in the { parking_8 } and buffer space of the protected bike lane. With this design, drivers turn 90 { degrees_8 } to face the bike lane before they even cross it, making people on bikes highly { visible_8 } and out of the drivers' { blind_6 } spot. To allow for adequate reaction time for all users, use a small effective { corner_7 } radius to encourage a slow driver turning speed of five to { ten_4 } miles per hour. The last { element_8 } of a Protected Intersection is the use bicycle specific signals and bicycle { friendly_9 } signal phasing. Just as important as the { physical_9 } design of the intersection is the use of signals to { control_8 } how and when different people can proceed. At its most { secure_ 7 }, a protected signal phase for bicyclists will use red signals to { prevent_8 } any conflicting car turning movements. There's no risk of right or left hooks from cars when they are { prohibited_11 } from turning where bicyclists are { travelling_11} through. A variation of the protected signal phase is to give all car movements a red signal and all bicyclists movements a green. This { simultaneous_13 } green phase gives full reign of the intersection to bicyclists, allowing through movements in all directions at { once_5 }.Left turns in one stage and even full u-turns through the intersection. Even at high volumes, bicyclists are good at { negotiating_12 } shared space and will have no { trouble_8 } staying out of each other's way. When it's not possible to prohibit conflicting movement entirely, an alternate { approach_9 } is to provide a leading bicycle interval. This is a head start green light for bikes of anywhere from two to five seconds. It { provides_9 } them a little extra time to get rolling, enter the intersection and { maybe_6 } even clear it completely before people driving start to move. Taken { together_9 }, these design elements create a safe clear experience for all people using the street. Signals control movements, refuge islands create protected spaces and proper positioning of crossings and conflict points provides everyone with the time and space necessary to { react_6 } to potential risks. While the Protected Intersection design is unconventional and non-standard in the US, so were protected bike lanes only a few years ago. Using these design concepts, planners, designers and { engineers_10 } can bring the protection of their bike lane to the space where people need it the most. And finally provide a { safe_5 } place for people of all ages and abilities to { ride_5 }.