Throughout the U.S., bike lanes are being proposed and installed to help protect bicyclist from cars. More than 700 cyclists were killed in the U.S. in 2012 in traffic related accidents, according to data released from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Bike lanes are helping, but are they enough?

Nick Falbo, a Portland-based urban planner doesn't think so. 

“We know that protected bike lanes are the key to getting the average person to consider traveling by bike. Sharing busy traffic lanes with cars is absolutely unacceptable, and separation by a line of paint is often not enough. Protected Bike Lanes, also called cycle tracks, use curbs, planters, or parking to buffer bicyclists from moving cars,” Falbo said. “But there is still a problem; the protected bike lanes lose their benefits when they reach intersections. The buffer falls away, and you're faced with an ambiguous collection of green paint, dashed lines and bicycle symbols.”

During a transportation challenge organized by Georg Mason University's School of Public Policy, Falbo proposed the plan for a protected intersection.

Based on Dutch intersection designs, The Protected Intersection keeps a cyclist physically protected throughout the intersection. It makes left turns simple and safe; and right turns protected and fast, while eliminating possible conflict with cars.

“With this design, riders will never feel stranded, exposed, or unsure of where to go and how to get there,” Falbo said.

There are four main elements to a protected intersection

1.       Corner Refuge Island - This is the key element in the intersection. It is an actual island in the intersection that creates a physical, protective barrier that separates cars and bicycles.

2.       Forward Stop Bar for Bicyclists – This is a bicycle waiting area farther ahead in the intersection which allows bicyclists to be visible to cars at red lights, it creates a physical distance for cyclists in front of cars which gives the bicyclist a head start, and it also reduces the distance of road a cyclist has to cover.

3.       Setback Bike and Pedestrian Crossing – Rather than a conventional bike lane that runs next to moving cars, the bike and pedestrian lane are setback at least one car-length between the traffic lane and bicycle crossing, creating a buffer zone.

4.        Bicycle Friendly Signal Phasing – To reduce accidents, this type of signal would have specific signals for when cyclists should or should not proceed through the intersections.  

All of these elements work together to create a corner refuge island to protect cyclists by forcing traffic farther into the intersection, giving cyclists a lead time before cars to cross the street  and creating a setback for cyclists and pedestrians to allow cars a greater viewing path.

For more information visit:

Protected Intersections 

Fast Code Design

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Attorneys Jason Waechter and Sean Murphy are Michigan attorneys specializing in the area of bicycle accident and personal injury litigation. Waechter's firm has collected millions of dollard in settlements, awards and verdicts for his clients over the past 20 years. As well as contributing significantly to safety education and accident prevention.

If you or your loved one have been involved in a bicycle accident, call us for help! 1-800-708-5433

Recently, Matthew Cutrone, a 17-year-old from New York, contacted local lawmakers to request bike lanes to be added to roadways after his mother was injured while riding her bicycle.

Matthew's mother, Sandy Cutrone, was hit by a van on Montauk Highway in West Islip, September 19, 2013, breaking her shoulder and cracking her helmet. She said that she could have died.

On December 16^th, Matthew wrote a letter to Suffolk County Legislator Thomas Barraga asking for consideration of putting in bike lanes.

_{Photo courtsey of StreetsBlogSF}

“My mom made sure she was doing everything right, she was wearing her helmet, and she was following the proper bike laws of the road,” Matthew wrote. “On the day she was hit, she was biking on Montauk Highway, the traffic light was green, but because the driver must have been in a hurry he jumped the oncoming traffic to make a left turn and hit my mother claiming he never saw her.”

Matthew also wrote that some people have suggested his mother ride her bike on the sidewalk, but under New York State law, riding a bicycle on the sidewalk is illegal. Matthew said drivers do not always know the laws for cyclists and that is why there should be a bike lane or signs to watch for cyclists.

Legislator Barraga responded to Matthew's letter on January 29, 2014. He wrote that bike lanes and signs would not solve the problem of bicycle accidents, and stated that, in fact, no one should be riding bicycles or motorcycles in Suffolk County.

“I have lived in West Islip most of my life and my personal feeling is that no one who lives in our hamlet or for that matter in Suffolk County should ever ride a bicycle or motorcycle,” Barraga wrote. “I cannot tell you how many constituents over the year have told me that they are taking up bicycling for pleasure and exercise. I have told them not to do so but they usually do not listen – 90 percent of those people eventually were hit by an automobile, many like your mother with serious physical injuries.”

He also wrote that cars were not used to looking for bicyclists or motorcyclists, only other cars and called Suffolk County “a suburban automobile community.”

Barrage concluded his letter with this statement: “Reality at a time can be difficult for some to come to grips with but giving false hope would be inappropriate.”

Sandy Cutrone was shocked by Barraga's response.  She feels as though she is being blamed for the crash by riding her bicycle.

“I read it again, just to make sure I was understanding what I was reading,” she said in an interview.

Barragga said that was not the letter's intent

“All I'm saying is that Suffolk County is a very, very tough place for bicyclists,” said Barraga.

For more information or to read the letters, click here. 

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Attorneys Jason Waechter and Sean Murphy are Michigan attorneys specializing in the area of bicycle accident and personal injury litigation. Waechter's firm has collected millions of dollars in settlements, awards and verdicts for his clients over the past 20 years. As well as contributing significantly to safety education and accident prevention.

If you or your loved one have been involved in a bicycle accident, call 1-800-708-LIFE for help!

Bicycle accidents happen when you least expect it.  Are you prepared?

Here are 9 essential items that every cyclist should carry:

1.   Water – Always, always pack water. If nothing else, pack water.

2.    First Aid Kit –

·         Sterile gauze

·         An assortment of adhesive bandages

·         Self-adhering elastic wrap

·         Alcohol or Iodine Prep Pads

·         Antibacterial ointment

·         Burn cream

3.    Spare Tube – The most likely problem you will have while riding is a flat tire. A spare tube is compact and easy to change. Make sure you bring a tube specific to your tire and you will be back on the trail in no time.

4.     Patch Kit – Carrying a patch kit is a back-up to your spare tube. Just in case you use your tube and you get another flat, you will be fine.  Plus, you may be able to help out a fellow cyclist. Patch kits are fairly small and work for any type of bicycle.

5.    Tire Levers – This tool will help you if and when you get a flat tire. They slide under your tire and help pull it off the rim so you can easily replace the tub or patch a hole.

6.    Pump – If your tire goes flat, you will need a way to put air back in. You can buy a pump that clamps to your frame for easy storage.  Some riders choose CO2 cartridges instead of pumps. They are battery-sized tubes that give a burst of gas to refill tubes. They are lighter than pumps, but can blow out your tube if you are not careful.

7.    Multi-Tool – This tool contains everything you need to take along with you for any type of ride. They come in various sizes and include Allen wrenches, hex bolt wrenches, screw drivers and more.

8.    Cell Phone – Cell phones can be used to call in case of emergency or to track your route.

9.    Identification and Insurance Card – In case you are ever in an accident, you or emergency responders will have the information they need. 

_{^{(Photo courtesy of http://blog.codyapp.com/bicycling-to-lose-weight/)}}

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Attorneys Jason Waechter and Sean Murphy are Michigan attorneys specializing in the area of bicycle accident and personal injury litigation. Waechter's firm has collected millions of dollars in settlements, awards and verdicts for his clients over the past 20 years. As well as contributing significantly to safety education and accident prevention.

If you or your loved one have been involved in a bicycle accident, call 1-800-708-LIFE for help!

 

• Slow down on the approach of a roundabout or junction. Even if the road seems empty. Changing speed will allow you to see vehicles that would otherwise be invisible to you.
• A glance is never enough. You need to be as methodical and deliberate as a fighter pilot would be. Focus on at least 3 different spots along the road to the right and left. Search close, middle-distance and far. With practice, this can be accomplished quickly, and each pause is only for a fraction of a second. Fighter pilots call this a “lookout scan” and it is vital to their survival.
• Always look right and left at least twice. This doubles your chance of seeing a vehicle.
• Make a point of looking next to the windscreen pillars. Better still, lean forward slightly as you look right and left so that you are looking around the door pillars. Be aware that the pillar nearest to you blocks more of your vision. Fighter pilots say ‘Move your head – or you're dead'.
• Clear your flight path! When changing lanes, check your mirrors and as a last check, look directly at the spot which are going to maneuver.
• Drive with your lights on. Bright vehicles or clothing is always easier to spot than dark colors that don't contrast with a scene.
• It is especially difficult to spot bicycles, motorbikes and pedestrians during low sun conditions as contrast is reduced.
• Keep your windscreen clean – seeing other vehicles is enough of a challenge without a dirty windscreen. You never see a fighter jet with a dirty canopy.
• Finally, don't be a clown – if you are looking at your mobile telephone then you are incapable of seeing much else. Not only are you probably looking down into your lap, but your eyes are focused at less and every object at distance will be out of focus. Even when you look up and out, it takes a fraction of a second for your eyes to adjust – this is time you may not have.

• Recognize the risk of being in a saccade. High contrast clothing and lights help. In particular, flashing LED's (front and rear) are especially effective for cyclists as they create contrast and the on-off flashing attracts the peripheral vision in the same manner that movement does. There's nothing wrong with leaving these on during the day.
• The relatively slower speed of bicycles means that they will be closer to a point of collision if a vehicle begins to pull into their path. Turn this to advantage – when passing junctions, look at the head of the driver that is approaching or has stopped. The head of the driver will naturally stop and center upon you if you have been seen. If the driver's head sweeps through you without pausing, then the chances are that you are in a saccade – you must assume that you have not been seen and expect the driver to pull out!
• Recognize that with a low sun, a dirty windscreen or one with rain beating against it drivers are likely to have less of a chance of seeing you.
• Take a cycle training course – this will teach you where you need to be positioned on the road, how to use your eyesight to make sure drivers pay you attention and other useful techniques that can minimize dangers.

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If you have a fall, have been in an accident or have law or insurance questions, don't hesitate to call Bicycle Accident Lawyers USA! 1-800-708-5433