VicRoads has launched a campaign to improve motorist behaviour at intersections with bike boxes.
Bike boxes – the safe refuge for bikes at the front of traffic – are a vital device for reducing risks to riders.
Yet, as every bike rider knows, cars and motorcycles keep forcing their way in.
Encroaching into a bike box is not only against the law, it threatens people who ride and walk.
Bike boxes exist to give riders a head start when the signals go green.
This is important because when bikes are at the front of the traffic queue, they are visible to the traffic behind.
This makes nearby drivers and motorcyclists more careful and alert.
Importantly, it helps prevent left turning cars from hooking bikes going straight ahead, as bikes stopped at the lights should have cleared the intersection already.
The advantage for pedestrians is that the bike box pushes the stop line for cars further up the street, creating protective space for walkers crossing the street, even when there are no bikes stopped at the lights.
And riders, make sure that you make use of the bike box when one is provided. It makes the streets safer for all riders when drivers and motorcyclists develop safe habits.