Dutch Bike Signals

[US71]

Dutch Bike Signal



(Not my photo: just something I stumbled across)

[froggie]

Something less than a mile from me.  DC proper has at least 2 (that I know of) and Arlington County has at least 1.

[english si]

There's one here (you can't see it as it's on red and British rules have it that only the green is shaped).

[realjd]

Are these used to control a bike lane separate from regular travel lanes and pedestrians?

[NE2]

I'm confused by the presence of both a red light and a yield.

[US71]

Are these used to control a bike lane separate from regular travel lanes and pedestrians?

The bike paths (at least the ones here) appear to be totally separate from regular travel lanes except in instances where they cross.

[Zmapper]

Is it me or do some of the bike symbols point left and some point right?   

[Duke87]

I'm confused by the presence of both a red light and a yield.

I think the yield is for car traffic to the right of the island while the light is for bike traffic to the left of the island.

[realjd]

I'm confused by the presence of both a red light and a yield.

In Europe, they sign a backup sign that comes into effect if the light goes out for a power outage or something.

[Brandon]

And the critical massholes will still blow through them on red. 

Seriously though, they are rather neat.  Wouldn't mind seeing them around here.

[Chris]

Almost every traffic signal-controlled intersection in the Netherlands has a separate set of signals for bicyclists.

[US71]

And the critical massholes will still blow through them on red. 

A few might, but it's their funeral...literally

[Brandon]

^^  Very much so.  A few years ago a driver was proceeding through an intersection on green up on Chicago's north side and hit one of these fools who was involved in a guerrilla bike race on city streets.  With folks like this, I'm starting to wonder if having a license for a bicycle is not a bad idea.  At lease it would make tickets easier to issue.

[NE2]

We license motorists because bad driving can cause danger to others.

[agentsteel53]

We license motorists because bad driving can cause danger to others.

I've been damn near run over, as a pedestrian, by a bicyclist who thought that doing 20mph on the sidewalk, contraflow to traffic, was some kind of a Good Idea.

[Alps]

It'd be awesome if we could get back on topic and talk about bike signals (and perhaps bike signage, as well) rather than driving behavior. Let's aim for that?

[agentsteel53]

It'd be awesome if we could get back on topic and talk about bike signals (and perhaps bike signage, as well) rather than driving behavior. Let's aim for that?

fair enough.  you can delete everything starting with "massholes". 

[NE2]

I don't know if it's possible. Would one expect a thread about NMSL signage to stay away from discussion of the politics of the NMSL? Or a thread about signage of the Perkins Union to stay away from its laws?

[agentsteel53]

Or a thread about signage of the Perkins Union to stay away from its laws?

dude, we both know that discussion of the laws of the Perkins Union is punishable by death.

[NE2]

Fortunately they don't have any extradition treaties.

[US71]

FWIW: some cities have Pedestrian/Bike Signals that are only a flashing yellow for through traffic and flashing red for Bikes/Pedestrians. Plus they are "push button" signals: they only work if you press the button (not unlike crosswalk signals).

There are some an hour north of me, so I guess I need to check them out one of these days.

[agentsteel53]

Fortunately they don't have any extradition treaties.

they have no need for them.  once they determine the magnitude of your crime, you are quietly vanished out of our space-time continuum.  this is of course independent of where you may be geographically located when you commit your unthinkable crimes.  

your only hope for perpetuating your criminal mischief is to cleverly position yourself in the space-time continuum into which they send folks. 

[Zmapper]

Maybe this thread and the NACTO one should be merged into a more general "Bicycles and Road Design" topic?

[Chris]

Are these used to control a bike lane separate from regular travel lanes and pedestrians?

It is quite common to have separate traffic signals for motorized traffic, cyclists and pedestrians, though cyclists and pedestrians usually go within the same phase. In most situations, cyclist traffic signals have priority over other traffic. I know instances where cyclists get a green phase 3 times within one traffic signal cycle. If cyclists cross a road with more than 20 000 vehicles per day or 4 lanes or more, there is usually a cyclist tunnel or bridge.

Cyclist tunnels are a win-win situation. They are safer and faster for cyclists, and motorized traffic gets rid of the cyclist phase, speeding up traffic. I know instances where traffic jams disappeared almost completely once the cyclist phase was removed from an signaled intersection.

[NE2]

Cyclist tunnels are a win-win situation.

Agreed, if they're designed well (e.g. wide enough, no sharp turns) and don't close at night