A bike box is a designated area at a signalized intersection for bicyclists to wait in front of motoring traffic to improve bicycle visibility and to help prevent bicycle/car collisions.

Bike boxes have finally arrived in the City of Eau Claire. And no, we don’t mean the boxes that bikes come inside: Bike boxes are the boxes painted on the street that are designed to keep bicyclists safe from collisions with motor vehicles. The first pair of bike boxes was “installed” Nov. 3 at the intersection of Keith Street and Brackett Avenue. The boxes – which you’ll now see in the northbound and southbound lanes of Keith Street on either side of the intersection – feature green-painted boxes marked with white bicycle symbols. So what exactly are these newfangled blacktop markings for? According to a city press release, “A bike box is a designated area at a signalized intersection for bicyclists to wait in front of motoring traffic to improve bicycle visibility and to help prevent bicycle/car collisions. It is a painted green space on the road between the crosswalk and the stop line. The bike box has white bicycle symbols inside which designates a space and guides bicyclists where to stop and wait when the signalized intersection is red.” City traffic engineer Leah Ness says the Keith-Brackett intersection was chosen both because it’s busy and because it lies between the bike trails that run alongside Clairemont Avenue and Hastings Way. Ness says the city will collect information on how the boxes are being used. Depending on what they determine, we may see more bike boxes popping up in the around the city. You can learn more about bike boxes here.