Originally Posted by Helmet Head
I don't understand the question. Aside from the marking, the sharrow is nothing, because it IS a marking, period.
Apples have more in common with oranges than sharrows have with bike routes.
Really?
OK, I'll try again. A sharrow is a street with one type of marking, a bike route is a street with another type of marking. Both types of streets, as far as I can tell, are designated as streets where cars and bikes both have the right-of-way in the lane, and both types of markings, again as far as I can tell, are intended to convey this information to drivers and cyclists.
Is this correct? And if it is correct, what part of my question are you not understanding? And if it is correct, why do you say that apples have more in common with oranges than sharrows have with bike routes?
A sharrow is a painted stencil marking on the pavement that is used to supposedly tell motorists that cyclists can be in the lane, and makes novice cyclists more comfortable with being on the road (as opposed to the sidewalk).
A bike route is a designated and signed route that tells cyclists the supposedly most "bike friendly" way to go through some section of town.
I do not believe sharrows are used to mark a bike friendly route. Bike route signs do.
OK, I see where there may be a distinction, but
I believe sharrows do mark a bike-friendly route, or they would have placed the sharrow someplace else. The alternative is to place sharrows along bike-unfriendly routes, which i have a hard time believing the city would do.
I do not believe bike route signs are used to notify motorists that bikes belong on the road, or to make novice cyclists more comfortable with riding on the road (as opposed to the sidewalk). Sharrows do.
Again I see the distinction, but I disagree. I believe the sign alerts motorists that bikes will be encountered along that route.
Sharrows supposedly make a given road more bike friendly; a bike route just tells you where the more bike friendly roads are...
I think you're creating distinctions where none actually exist.