City’s first bike box being installed at Princess and Division Streets
Kingston drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians will all notice something new happening at one of the busiest intersections of downtown Kingston.
Beginning on the morning of Friday, Oct. 18, 2019, the City of Kingston began installing its first ‘bike box’ at the intersection of Princess and Division Streets. According to the City, a bike box is a green road marking that indicates the bike-designated area at a signalized intersection. The bike box allows cyclists to move ahead of vehicles into “a safe and visible location when traffic signals are red,” the City of Kingston said in a press release on Friday, Oct. 18, 2019.
“Bike boxes are one type of cycling infrastructure the City is implementing to make it easier for residents to get around using active modes of transportation,” said Ian Semple, Director of Transportation Services for the City of Kingston. “Bike boxes make it easier and safer for a cyclist waiting at an intersection to make a left turn.”
The concept behind bike boxes is that they allow cyclists to be more visible to motorist, making drivers more aware of the presence of cyclists at intersections. Motorists cannot turn right on a red light at an intersection with a bike box, which prevents drivers from making right turns in front of cyclists that are approaching from behind.
Vehicles are required to stop behind the green bike box, and, once the signal is green, the drivers will wait for the cyclists to proceed through the intersection. If the signal is green when approaching an intersection with a bike box, it is to be treated as a normal intersection, and all traffic proceeds as usual.
The bike box at Princess and Division Streets was originally scheduled to be installed this summer, however, City engineers identified needed asphalt repairs in the area. Those repairs have now been completed. The installation of the bike box will take place over three days, and is expected to be complete by Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019, weather permitting.
For more information on the City of Kingston’s cycling infrastructure, click here.
To learn more about a bike box and how it is to be used, please watch the video below from the City of Kingston.
What a waste of tax dollars! Now you’re giving the cyclists, that don’t contribute to the infrastructure in any way, more rights than vehicle owners that pay gor all of this. On top of that now it’s hoing to slow down traffic even more when cars have to wait for cyclists to get out of the way at an intersection. Good job city of Kingston ?
OMG Matt, all this time I’ve been paying property taxes even though I don’t drive!
Yeah… I’ve gotta agree with you Matt. I’m one of the few responsible cyclists in Kingston and I already watch idiot-cyclists running stop signs and red lights (both, while I’m riding my own bike or driving my car). I watch idiot-drivers do the same thing. This just gave the idiot-cyclists the license to become bigger idiots.
It will most definitely slow down traffic and infuriate drivers as tardy cyclists misuse this “bike box”. The idiot-cyclists will be attempting to race up to a stale red along the right-hand side and then try to cross in front of cars as the light turns green. This in itself will further break down cyclist/driver relations. THEN… the idiot-cyclist needs to CLEAR the intersection before the cars are allowed to turn left? Yeah… THAT’S going to happen. I swear this is being instituted just to have MORE cyclists/drivers break MORE rules of the road.
They would be better off:
1) Making cyclists AND drivers complete mandatory cycling/driving education programs multiple times per year.
2) Significantly hiking the fines associated with road laws (applying to both cyclists and drivers).
I know, I know… it sounds just as ridiculous right? However at least this solution addresses the actual problem – people’s lack of abiding to road laws. After all, if they followed the road laws to begin with, these stupid ideas/”solutions” wouldn’t need to be implemented.
Cyclists pay taxes too, and cars already had to wait for bikes to go through intersections. It’s illegal to pass in an intersection anyway. You’re complaining about nothing.
Cyclists don’t pay licensing fees like other vehicle owners on the road. When cyclists violate laws, there’s no plate number to identify them. There are far more cyclists running red lights than drivers.
I’m a cyclist and I don’t pay property taxes? Who have I been paying $4000 a year to? I better look into this matter a bit closer. Seems odd because I also just renewed my license plate valadation sticker, I paid my income taxes, and sales taxes. I better let them know I ride a bike and get my money back!
Thank You much appreciated
Cyclists should have to pay for a bicycle license to be on our road ways made for a motorized vehicle not a stupid bicycle. Wouldn’t it be called impeding traffic as they cause a interrupted flow of traffic. I think if we citizen arrest all the bikers who break the highway traffic act time to crack down on slow pedalists
Wow! What a great step forward towards active transportation. This is great news!
No video
Who says cyclists don’t contribute? Cycling is an environmentally friendly CHOICE! Cyclists are not uniformly young, economically disadvantaged, non-taxpayers.
Yes, now start paying for fuel, taxes on tires and Insurance etc.
Because MOST motorists don’tknow how to deal safely with bicycles, this will hopefully help! I cannot countthe times whendrivers have turned right without looking if a bike was coming! Where thete is no common sense, there are bike boxes!
And if people on bikes didn’t act like they own the road there would be peace and Harmony
Those riding bicycles take some very dangerous chances – zipping in and out of lanes and running red lights are the most serious offences. Perhaps they need a reminder or two about safe and courteous driving as well.. Also, it’s not cool to ride your bike on the sidewalk – that’s for pedestrians!
Motorists will still turn right in green lights, even if there is a biker coming up beside them…..this only applies to a RED light situation
Complete bovine excrement. I’m so glad that “vehicles” that contribute absolutely nothing financially to road infrastructure gets priority over OVERpaying contributors. This will do nothing but hold up traffic and cause even more frustration than there already is, and therefore only increase the danger to cyclists.
I don’t know know why I’m worried; 99% of cyclists in Kingston use the darn sidewalk anyway, injuring and putting pedestrians at risk ALL the time, but we don’t hear about THOSE accidents. Oh, and don’t call them out on it! The cyclists will tell you to rub salt every single time. How about city police actually ticket cyclists riding the sidewalks, blowing red lights and weaving dangerously in and out of REAL vehicular traffic, huh? Hell no…then they’d have to do their jobs. .
As a cyclist I can tell you that I get very annoyed when I see cyclists on the sidewalks. I call them out on it when I can.
I like the idea of bike boxes (never heard of it before) but I can see it just causing confusion and frustration. I prefer the idea of cyclists just following the rules of the road and doing what we are supposed to do.
see Nathan’s post above Noneof
City of Kingston must not be to concerned about idling cars and emissions that much?
Complete waste of money. And will cause increase in traffic as well!
Gotta love all the salty driver tears in these comments.
So nothing was shown about both going straight,Lower Princess st has no bike lane and in all ready tight fit, can’t get around them can’t go through them,,, and oh boy if city tears it all up again,
I have only seen a handful obey the turning or stopping at a red.. they get on the sidewalk n go around the red..
Hardly any stop at a.red
Maybe this will help everyone signal properly
Stop the subsidies! License fees, gas taxes, and plate stickers are a drop in the bucket. 99.9% of Infrastructure is paid for by property and income taxes and deficits. Cars put a lot more wear and tear on the road, so I’d like to see them banned until they pay their fair share. Also, stop running over cyclists and pedestrians. Hospitals are expensive too.