There's a new sharrow in town.
 

So... they just added sharrows for two blocks on Main Street downtown. Main Street is not significantly different in the the mile or two it stretches in each direction from the section with sharrows. There are no other sharrows for many miles around in any direction. I have often ridden through that section of Main Street before the sharrows were there. What purpose do these sharrows serve?

To the best of my knowledge, the main impact is on people's thinking. When motorists are made tangibly aware that the area they're driving in is intended by the designers to be used by both cars and bikes, they're more likely to behave like the area they're driving in is intended to be used by both cars and bikes. Does that actually work? I have no idea, but it costs almost nothing to implement, and I'd be shocked if it had negative effects.

Edit - Here's a quick US DoT summary: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/publications...0044/10044.pdf

Sharrows are strictly psychological. They do not affect anyone's rights or rules on the road, they're just there as a reminder to car traffic that there are such things as bicycles and they are allowed to be on the road.

Some municipalities use them to indicate preferred bike routes, and some drivers may think that means that bikes are not allowed where there are not sharrows, but in reality they mean nothing from a legal point of view.

They're like those silly signs that say things like "right turning traffic must yield to pedestrians in crosswalks". They don't really say anything that everybody shouldn't already know, but people seem to require reminders.

did you ever get honked at on main street? have any other cyclists? is your city concerned about cyclists on the sidewalks?

They make Bek feel like he is loved.;)

I donno CB... frankly I like seeing sharrows... and I am seeing more and more of them. Yeah, they really do mean nothing, but like this stupid sign I keep posting...

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=322724

Sharrows just serve to remind motorists that they are not the only road users out there... just as the jagged lines in HI remind motorists to watch for peds.

It all comes down to either having to constantly remind drivers or go the full Monderman route and seeing what happens.

For many motorist, at least to them, Sharrows and bike lanes indicate the only roads cyclist are allowed on.


That is only Hilo as far as I currently know and how well did the jagged lines work?

All over Kona and along the highway too. How well did they work... hard to say as I don't know what it was like before... but like sharrows, it is simply something else on the street that grabs attention, and certain makes one look twice.

Look lets face it, if we have to post signs at corners to tell motorists what they should already know... well there is an issue... do we continue down the route of more signs and lines or what. Apparently there is a perceived need for this stuff by road engineers.

As far as motorists thinking that these are the only roads that cyclists are allowed upon... well then we need those markings on every road. Or need to train motorists better, because they seem to think cyclists belong on sidewalks.

Yeah I've seen your "favorite" bike lanes in HI and certainly there are issues with those. The BL in Kona side however are a dream... but of course those are geared for Ironman obviously.

I still don't get sharrows......I understand intellectually, but at a gut they seem to be less than useful without extensive driver education and I would bet that the majority of drivers don't know what they are or the meaning they are intended to convey.

Has anyone observed sharrows with education and any ideas of the results?

The irony of course is that with "extensive driver education," no markings or signs at all would work just fine...

I am sure I am wrong on this, but my take on sharrows is that they serve no purpose. I'v ridden and driven so long that sharing the road is so burned into me, that the idea of a road marking seems superfluous. Those that are willing to accept bikes on the road do so without the sharrow, and those that believe that bikes are nothing but an impediment to smooth traffic flow will never be affected by a road marking. I am thinking that Ive had too much skin in the game to be objective.

PCH in Leucadia recently had sharrows painted on the right lane. I go through there with a club (20 to 40 riders) almost every week. Before the sharrows, every week at least one jackass would be yelling at us to get out of the road. Since then, that hasn't happened. So in my opinion, it's a real improvement.

Then they just painted the ones in Kona. I will see if I can note a difference in driver behavior next time I am there.

I can believe they were just done... I had the impression that there were many recent road improvements in the area, including special flashing crosswalk signs. So yes, very likely these are new.