Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bicycling

A Look at Chicago’s New Intersection Design Where Two Bikeways Cross Paths Downtown

1:33 PM EDT on July 28, 2017

A flaw in NYC's typical protected bike lanes is that cyclists are too exposed at intersections, where people on bikes are expected to negotiate the same space with turning motorists at "mixing zones." After Kelly Hurley was killed by a truck driver on First Avenue earlier this year, advocates called on DOT to reconsider mixing zones and implement designs more akin to Dutch "protected intersections," where drivers are compelled to take slower, tighter turns.

To improve intersection safety for bicycling, the basic goal is to reduce the potential for conflicts between cyclists and turning drivers -- with some combination of slowing down turning traffic, making cyclists more visible to drivers, and using signal timing to separate movements that could conflict. These design concepts, which the Dutch have been honing for years, are finally gaining currency in the U.S.

One American city that's been making progress is Chicago, which is implementing intersections with more robust safety features where bikeways intersect in the Loop. On a recent trip, Clarence Eckerson Jr. made a short Streetfilm of the intersection of Dearborn and Randolph streets, where the new design was completed in 2016:

In New York, the protected bike lanes most in need of attention are on wide, one-way streets with heavy turning traffic across the bikeway -- like the intersection where Kelly Hurley was killed. But the same principles have huge potential for bike lanes on two-way streets like Fourth Avenue, where DOT's proposed redesign includes features to make cyclists more visible to turning drivers.

DOT has created a new staff position dedicated to bikeway intersection design, and the agency says it will be releasing a report on intersection safety for cycling early next year that identifies 20 locations to be upgraded.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Can We Just Keep Cars Off the Queensbridge Baby Greenway?

Why do we allow car drivers to park on greenways, in parks and on tree beds?

March 29, 2024

Maximum Rage: Delivery Workers Protest Low Wages, App ‘Lockouts’

Couriers with bikes and signs urge the city to step in as Uber Eats, GrubHub and DoorDash withhold work, they say.

March 28, 2024

The Toll of History: MTA Board Approves $15 Congestion Pricing Fee

New York City's congestion pricing tolls are one historic step closer to reality after Wednesday's 11-1 MTA board vote. Next step: all those pesky lawsuits.

March 28, 2024

Company That Fought McGuinness Safety Project Wants to Seize Bklyn Street for Private Backlot

Broadway Stages to Greenpoint residents: "Street safety for me, not for thee."

March 28, 2024
See all posts