Green Lights for Bikes

The Melbourne office of SKM engaged ViaStrada to peer review its draft report Green Lights for Bikes, a report on how road authorities can use a range of techniques to provide for bike riders at traffic lights. SKM's client for the report was Bicycle Victoria. ViaStrada provided several additional examples of techniques for this report. The majority of the techniques described will be relevant to urban road controlling authorities in New Zealand.

The introduction of the report reads:

In recent years engineers have implemented a number of changes to traffic signals especially to assist bike riders. Many of these changes are not widely known because they are not prominent nor have they been publicised. Practising traffic engineers, traffic signal engineers, cycling advocates, local government staff and local government councillors often need to know how to improve conditions for bike riders at traffic signals. This report describes a number of techniques to help bike riders at traffic signals, which we hope will assist in informing each of these professionals and communication between the various agencies. Good communication means staff responsible for upgrading signals or installing new signals will be alert to the opportunities available to improve signals for bike riders at particular locations. Changes at traffic signals to assist bike riders often indirectly affect other road users such as pedestrians as well as priority measures for trams and buses, which are also discussed in this report.

A description of the final report, and the report itself are available on the Bicycle Victoria website. ViaStrada's work was undertaken by Megan Fowler and Axel Wilke.