Use of Bicycle Signal Faces in Applications with Concurrent Turning Traffic

Bicycle infrastructure is expanding rapidly across the United States. Conflict involving bicyclists and other users at urban intersections is a growing safety concern. Various signalization strategies have been employed to govern bicycle and turning-vehicle movements, but the use of the bicycle signals has been restricted to locations where bicycle movement is phase-separated from turning traffic. Because dedicated bicycle phases can substantially reduce green time for both cyclists and turning vehicles, the added delay may reduce red-signal compliance or encourage cyclists to use less-protected routes or ride in mixed traffic. Research is needed to better understand the safety and operational effects of bicycle signals. This includes evaluating tradeoffs for cyclists and drivers when phase separation is required; documenting current methods that allow cyclists to proceed concurrently with turning vehicles, with or without bicycle signal indications; and comparing compliance and crash outcomes associated with different signalization strategies. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this research is to explore the feasibility and implications of configuring bicycle signals to permit bicycles to move concurrently with turning traffic.

• Record URL:
  • http://apps.trb.org/cmsfeed/TRBNetProjectDisplay.asp?ProjectID=6032

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Proposed
• Funding: $600,000.00
• Contract Numbers:

  03-160

• Sponsor Organizations:

  National Cooperative Highway Research Program

  Transportation Research Board
  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO)

  444 North Capitol Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001

  Federal Highway Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Project Managers:

  Zhao, Yi

• Start Date: 20261001
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Bicycle safety; Signalized intersections; Traffic signal intervals; Turning traffic; Urban areas; Vehicle mix
• Subject Areas: Operations and Traffic Management; Pedestrians and Bicyclists; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01991748
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: Transportation Research Board
• Contract Numbers: 03-160
• Files: TRB, RIP
• Created Date: Jun 2 2026 2:44PM