Putting cyclists in boxes: An analysis of the bike box

• We study the use of the bike box in Sweden and the Netherlands. • We make use of a questionnaire study and video observations. • We find that cyclists going straight do not use the bike box as intended. • This can lead to a false sense of safety when implementing the bike box. Recent years have seen an uptake in cycling and, with it, an increase in cyclists being involved in crashes. One particularly problematic area is that of urban signalised intersections, which are responsible for a majority of the crashes involving cyclists. One reason is the increased complexity at such locations. The bike box has been hailed as an infrastructure measure to help increase the safety and visibility of cyclists at intersections, most importantly by reducing the risk of blind spot conflicts. Results on the safety benefits are, however, inconclusive. For the bike box to have the desired safety benefits, it is important that cyclists use it as intended. The study presented here uses observations and questionnaire data collected in the Netherlands and Sweden to better understand the use of the bike box. We find that cyclists going straight ahead do not use the bike box as intended, standing to the right-hand side of the cars. Cyclists turning left do use the bike box as intended, but are less common in all the observed locations. This suggests that the bike box can have a positive effect, but the most common users do not position themselves as intended and still risk being involved in blind spot conflicts. Furthermore, this dual use of the bike box can be misinterpreted by drivers, who expect to see cyclists in front, ignoring their presence on the right-hand side. These results can help inform the actual effectiveness of the bike box in increasing the safety of cyclists at signalised intersections.