Will Extending Green Lights Help Cyclists?

The Rise in Cycling

In Cedar Park, a town in Texas, local lawmakers are considering extending green light times on several heavily cycled roads in order to make it easier for their booming community of cyclists. Over the years, Cedar Park, and indeed many towns across the United States, have seen a dramatic rise in cyclists due to this mode of transportation being a cheaper option, better for the environment, and with a myriad of health benefits.

However, while many communities have made laws to protect cyclists, extending green light times in Cedar Park would be one of the newer law innovations made cater in cyclists. Yet, the question stands, how does extending green light times help?

This particular innovation proposes that at three of the city’s more popular cycling roads they install detection technology so that when bikes are present, the green lights are longer. In effect, this gives cyclists a longer time to cross the intersection since it does take a cyclist longer to start after they have come to a dead stop than your standard motor vehicle.

Safety

For advocates of the new installations, they say there is a safety and comfort factor in play. Cyclists often try to rush through an intersection because no one likes to feel like they are holding up traffic while they get going. Furthermore, there will always be drivers that want to rush off from a light the second it changes. They may not realize that a bike is going slower than they anticipate at these junctions.

Not only will this installation be more comfortable and likely safer for cyclists, but it hopes to attract even more new riders to the road as well. For novice road cyclists, often crossing the intersections is the most stressful part, and this will help ease the strain.

While this is a great way to address growing cycling communities in Cedar Park, Texas, accidents will still probably happen. If you were a cyclist hurt in an accident due to the fault of another, you deserve compensation. Contact us today to see what the Law Office of Gary Brustin can do for you.