The Human Car

I was wondering if there are any examples of pavement markings to indicate bike route destinations, for example right turn for so and so park and go straight for so and so city. (pics if you have em, please.)

Oversimplified but we have some problems with the visibility of the green bike route signs amongst all the sign clutter in the city and the distinctive trail logo for the route does not stand out.

eubi

Nope. Just sharrows in Corona (see my avatar)

donnamb 

Yes. Portland is full of these.



And these.

Robert Gardner

Wow!! Those are really nice signs in Portland. Portland must be a very bike friendly town. I've never seen anything like it here in Los Angeles County. We do have bike signs marking scenic bike routes but they do not have any other discription on them.

The Human Car

Thanks Donna. That’s a nice wayfaring sign, though it does not tell me how far NE Portland is.

Does anyone have a wayfaring sign that they like better?

LittleBigMan

I think signs are great, but sometimes it takes a cyclist with an adventurous spirit to discover just how many great detours and scenic routes there are, and they aren't all marked.

(Discovery is half the fun!)

One thing I've found is that most motorists have a familiar route they follow, and know very little about side streets and detours (unless there is a simple grid pattern of streets.) As a cyclist, I've discovered I know more about every possible route from X to Y to Z than any motorist. I have tracked so many neighborhoods that I might be an authority...

unkchunk

+1. I've only lived here four years and I know it better then folks who've lived here their whole lives.

donnamb 

True, but those little circles on the streets are very handy when you're coming home from a doctor's appointment in a cold, November rainstorm through an unfamilar neighborhood.

kemmer

That's so true. One time this guy came to look bike I was selling because he wanted to start commuthing by bike. Anway, he asked for advice on how he should get to work and rattled off 3 possible routes for a 7 mile trip that included 5-10 streets each. He was pretty surprised at how complicated they were (and that I knew the routes my memory). I explained that after a couple of years you figure out what makes a good route and that one street is rarely best for an entire trip.

Joe Dog

We have M*A*S*H-like signs with arrows pointing the way to various destinations on the Minneapolis trail system. No pavement marking. The signs are useful, but there is so much on them that you pretty much have to stop to read them.

Here's an example:

kendall

portland has nice signs, but looks like slow riders

On the adventure, Every time I'm in a new area I jump in the truck or on the bike and wander around to see what I find. Know so many different ways to the same place it's confusing for people who ride with me sometimes. Some of the best rides I've been on were from getting 'lost' I use 'lost' as meaning taking new streets or trails that I'm not familiar with not actualy getting lost, (can honestly say that I've never been truly lost)

Ken

donnamb 

The signs are timed for a "no sweat pace" of 8 mph. So if you travel faster, you know you'll get there in a shorter time.

John E

I feel the same way and consider myself well-versed in the side streets and back roads of the areas I frequent. I do appreciate markings and signs when in unfamiliar territory.

LittleBigMan

You sound like an authority on that matter.

Whatever works for the locals, works. Period.

bmike

Agreed... but... we are talking about 'bicycle' streets in my town. While we all agree that every street is a bicycle street, we also all agree that heavy truck routes on narrow streets + bikes don't mix so well - so there are instances where we are discussing markings and signage denoting 'preferred' bike routes, both E-W and N-S in town... specifically laid out to get cyclists to the same destinations as drivers - but also accepting that we should probably separate them from heavy truck traffic. Our 'official' bicycle streets for commuting in and out of town will run parallel to major traffic routes - but separate from state signed truck routes.

We're looking at this as the town is rewriting their transportation plan. This includes quite a bit of verbage on 'complete' streets, and highlights many that need work to achieve the goals.

We have smaller signs similar to Portland's in some locations, marking how far to University, Lakefront, Ped Mall, etc. They are handy, but not consistent enough in application to be meaningful.

straightedge

Chicago has some signs like these: .

Often just giving you the direction of a destination, but many times it does have the distance. Nothing marked on the pavement that I've ever seen though, anywhere.

donnamb 

This article and accompanying photo gallery highlights wayfaring markings in Vancouver, B.C.

The Human Car

Thanks Donna for all your help. I’m still working on a way to get those Portland dots here (those are going to take some convincing which may take awhile.) In the meantime I think we are going to get what straightedge posted.

We went out and took a photo survey last week of signage and RR Xing issues and when the photographer post the images I’ll post something here so you can see what I am up against.