Protected Intersection in Berkeley, CA. Photo: Melanie Curry and Stretsblog California
Protected Intersection in San Francisco, CA. Photo: The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, sfbike.org
December 2016 brings two protected intersections to the San Francisco Bay Area. One is in Berkeley at Hopkins and The Alameda, the other in San Francisco at Ninth and Division.
Protected intersections are a revolutionary (for the United States) way to make intersections safer for cycling. They improve sight lines between drivers and cyclists, shorten the crossing distance and give cyclists a safe space to wait for a red light to turn green.
Two South Bay Cities are also currently designing protected intersections. Palo Alto is planning to build one at El Camino and Embarcadero, and Mountain View will build one at Shoreline Boulevard and Middlefield Road as part of upgrades to make way for a center-running bus lane on Shoreline.
The Bay Area seems to be following a national trend. The US now has 12 protected intersections, up from 4 last year. As huge protected intersection fans, we are happy to see this design gaining in popularity.