'Bike boxes' will appear in intersections soon

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Story Published: Feb 13, 2008 at 5:59 PM PDT

Story Updated: Feb 14, 2008 at 1:27 PM PDT

By Brian Barker and KATU Web Staff

Video

PORTLAND, Ore. - Workers are about to start installing bike boxes at 15 of the city's worst trouble spots in an effort to protect cyclists.

A bike box is designed to place cyclists out in front of vehicles that are stopped at a light so drivers see them.

"I mean, we just really want to make motorists and cyclists more aware of each other and if you can see each other, you're not going to hit each other," said Roger Geller, a bicycle coordinator for Portland.

Geller is launching a marketing campaign to educate drivers and cyclists about the rules. Drivers, for example, will not be allowed to turn right at a red light if there is a bike box in front of them.

Opinions about bike boxes are mixed - cyclists like the idea, but some drivers worry about what it will mean for them.

So how exactly does a bike box work? Heres a short video we found on YouTube that explains it all for you.

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