Big news for bike-lovers! The City of Austin is making some bicycle infrastructure improvements. This week the city’s transportation department announced that it will be installing special traffic signals just for bicyclists at 12 intersections around town.

So why have bike traffic signals?
Some of the signals will actually be timed to give bicyclists a few seconds head start before the light turns green for any other vehicles at the intersection. The idea is to improve safety by making bike riders more visible to other drivers on the road, as well as by giving them a few seconds to start crossing the street without the threat of a nearby car.

Along with the lights, the city is also improving equipment at 20 other intersections to better detect bikes waiting at an intersection for the light to turn green. These improvements will take place at traffic signals where the light only turns green once it senses that a car has shown up. More info>>