The Town of Blacksburg is restriping the Prices Fork Road/Toms Creek Road/Stanger Street intersection and making this intersection more bicyclist friendly by adding new pavement markings called bike boxes to the intersection.
A bike box is a designated area at the head of a traffic lane at a signalized intersection. It is installed to reduce conflicts between people bicycling and people driving. The main goal is to prevent crashes between right-turning vehicles and bikers moving through the intersection. Bike boxes also increase visibility and awareness and help bikers clear an intersection more quickly.
To use the bike box, drivers should stop behind the bike box for a yellow or red signal and should not turn right on red if this requires crossing the bike box. When the signal turns green, drivers should not pass bikers while in the intersection and should watch for bikers, especially in front and to the right.
If the light is green as drivers approach, they may move through the intersection as usual.
Bikers should enter the bike box from the approaching bike lane at a yellow or red signal. They should stop before the crosswalk and position themselves in the appropriate lane depending on the direction they are travelling. When the signal turns green, bikers may proceed through the intersection as usual but should be aware of right-turning vehicles.
Bikers may move through the intersection as usual if the light is green as they approach.
