Bicycle Signal
ELM-BCS-16 Bicycle Signal
Related Media
The items below come from outside the Commonway System, external videos, podcasts, and articles related to this page's topic, not part of the guidebook itself.
Dutch-style intersection design: bike-friendly
Shows the protected-intersection design vocabulary, continuous cycle tracks, corner refuge islands, separated signal phasing, that underpins CS's Protected Intersection pattern and the Corridor retrofit paths built around it.
Why the Dutch Wait Less at Traffic Lights
Breaks down Dutch traffic-responsive signal timing, independent phasing, transit signal priority, and no-right-turn-on-red as a pedestrian/cyclist safety measure.
Why this pattern exists
Where a bicycle facility crosses or interacts with an intersection in a way that a shared vehicle or pedestrian phase does not safely accommodate, a dedicated bicycle signal resolves the conflict explicitly rather than leaving cyclists to interpret a signal meant for another mode. This pattern exists to document where that dedicated treatment is warranted.1
Key considerations
- Most appropriate where a protected bike lane or cycle track meets an intersection with a conflicting turning movement that a shared phase cannot resolve safely
- Should be clearly distinguishable from the vehicle signal to avoid driver confusion about which indication applies to them
- Leading bicycle intervals (giving cyclists a head start before conflicting vehicle movements) are a common and effective use of this pattern2
Related patterns
Traffic Signal (ELM-TFS-14) (the vehicle control this pattern separates from); Protected Bike Lane/Cycle Track (ELM-PBL-37) (the facility type most commonly paired with this treatment)
References
- Legal / regulatory MUTCD 11th Edition with Revision 1 (FHWA, December 2025; effective March 5, 2026), Chapter 9D, "Signals for Bicycle Facilities." The current binding standard; bicycle signals existed only as FHWA Interim Approval IA-16 (2013) until the 11th edition made them standard.
- Precedent-based NACTO Urban Bikeway Design Guide, 3rd ed. (2025), "Bike Signal Design." Leading bicycle interval and actuation-versus-recall design guidance.