Raleigh, North Carolina, officials recently announced that they have plans to allocate more space on their roads for bike lanes in the coming year. The announcement comes on the heels of a year in which there were a staggering 98 car-bicycle crashes on the city’s roads and highways.
The bike lanes will be added to streets that are heavily trafficked, such as Hillsborough Street, and will be clearly delineated with green paint to provide cyclists with a safer option for travel. The construction will be funded by a $1.1 million grant from the Federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement program.
From the calendar year between July 2013 and July 2014, North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Traffic Engineering Accident Analysis System noted a huge uptick in the number of serious crashes for bicyclists involving other vehicles. As Raleigh residents grow more environmental, budget and health conscious, more of them are utilizing bicycles for their commutes. This has resulted in an average of eight bicycle-car crashes per month with some of them being quite serious.
The fault for these accident lies with both cyclists and motorists. Bikes are safest when they ride in a street lane and behave like a car, utilizing the entire lane and stopping at traffic lights and intersections. However, cyclists sometimes ignore traffic signals and this can lead to collisions. Additionally, motorists grow impatient in lanes behind bikers due to their slower speeds. These drivers can grow aggressive and even hostile, forcing bicyclists to move to the side of the lane and often get crowded out of safe passage.
Crashes post significant hazards to bicyclists, often leading to serious injuries or death. If you or a loved one has been harmed due to a driver’s negligence, speak with a skilled personal injury attorney at Lanier Law Group, P.A. in North Carolina.