SHARROWS:Sharing the streets with Bicycles

What are sharrows? • Shared lane pavement markings • Are comprised of an image of a bike

with chevrons to indicate that motorists and cyclists share the traffic lane.

• Can be used in conjunction with “Share the Road” signs

• History – Denver developed a “bike in house” logo in 1995.

• San Francisco began using a modified version of the logo in 1998

• Many other cities have followed

What do they provide? • Assist bicyclists with lateral positioning in a shared lane with on-street

parallel parking in order to reduce the chance of a bicyclist’s impacting the open door of a parked vehicle;

• Assist bicyclists with lateral positioning in lanes that are too narrow for a motor vehicle and a bicycle to travel side by side within the same traffic lane;

• Alert road users of the lateral location bicyclists are likely to occupy within the traveled way;

• Encourage safe passing of bicyclists by motorists; and• Reduce the incidence of wrong-way bicycling.

A study of shared roadways showed:

• Increase distance between cyclists and parked cars

• Increase distance between motorists and cyclists

• Reduce number of cyclists on sidewalks • Reduce the number of cyclists riding the

wrong way on road

Which cities have Sharrows? • Denver, CO • Gainesville, FL • San Francisco, CA• Seattle, WA • Pittsburgh, PA • Atlanta, GA • Portland, OR • Ann Arbor, MI • Spartanburg, SC • Austin, TX • And many more cities

Sharrows in Tampa, Florida• You're looking at the first

"sharrows" in the city of Tampa -- shared-road markings painted on Euclid Avenue between Bayshore and Westshore. They have been in the works for several months now after Mayor Pam Iorio killed the plan for bike lanes on Euclid. City staff replaced the bike lane plan with sharrows and signs along Euclid that tell drivers that bicyclists will be in the traffic lane.

Miami, Florida

• Here’s a photo from Eddie Suarez of the TriLocos, trying out the new Shared Use Lane Markings (sharrows) on Washington Avenue in Miami Beach:

North Carolina & Georgia• CHAPEL HILL, N.C.-The town of

Chapel Hill installed pilot bicycle travel lanes on one stretch of Martin Luther King, Jr. boulevard. “Sharrows” are designed for busy streets upon which there aren’t room for dedicated bicycle lanes, particularly those with parallel parking. Sharrow markings indicate that motorists are to share the lane with cyclists, and are to wait for cyclists to turn, or are to wait for a clear moment to pass. A series of chevron markings on the roadway show cyclists the “channel” they’re entitled to, which is safely away from the danger of opening car doors.

• The fix is in - Atlanta's first sharrows ("shared lane markings") were installed on Jackson Street. A local company that makes sharrow symbols plans to install a small demonstration project in front of a downtown building so there will be more awareness of what these symbols mean. Sharrows are coming soon to a prominent local bridge as well as other streets around the city of Atlanta. Sharrows have been officially accepted by the national symbols and signs guidelines.

Georgia & Louisianna• News: Sharrows Coming

Soon to Clifton Road August 18, 2010. Soon DeKalb County will be installing shared-lane or “sharrow” markings along with bicycle signage on Clifton Road. Sharrows will be added to the segment of Clifton Road between Briarcliff and North Decatur roads.

• Baton Rouge cyclists are receiving more attention as residents notice new bike paintings on the streets around the University."Share the road arrows" — or "sharrows" — were painted on roads such as Highland and Burbank and throughout Baton Rouge as part of East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Kip Holden's Healthy City Initiative.Sharrows are stenciled symbols placed on the road to indicate proper positioning for cyclists and to remind motorists and cyclists of travelers' rights.Sharrows are located on bicycle-friendly paths with minimal traffic, low speed limits and narrow roads.

Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices

• Now includes provisions for sharrows • http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/htm/2009/part9/p

art9c.htm#section9C07

Dimensions for SharrowFrom the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices The Shared Lane Marking should not be placed on roadways that have a speed limit above 35 mph.

Shared Lane Markings shall not be used on shoulders or in designated bicycle lanes.

Space allowed for car doors to open Provides space for car doors to open and for bikes to pass without being “doored” by a car.

How many are needed?

• The number should correspond to difficulty of cyclists trying to take proper travel path.

• Example: – In a quiet neighborhood with wide lanes, markings

can be placed every 250’ or more– On a busy street with narrow lanes and heavy

traffic, place markings every 100’ or less.

Factors to consider

• Motorists traveling 30 mph (or ~45 feet per second) will pass a marking placed 200’ every ~4.5 seconds

Do they work?

• A 2003 study in San Francisco showed – cyclists moved further away from parked cars– passing motorists moved further away from cyclists than

in the absence of sharrows. – The California Traffic Control Device Committee recently

adopted sharrows as a statewide standard roadway treatment, and San Francisco has already painted hundreds of them on their streets. Many cities nationwide such as Portland, Oregon and Chicaco are also now incorporating sharrows into their cycling toolbox.

What’s wrong with bike lanes?

• Nothing• But… sharrows can be used where there isn’t

enough room for a bike lane because of on-street parking

• They are an alternative to bike lanes.

Costs

• Thermoplastic sharrows were purchased for $123 each and were installed by a crew of five City of Austin employees for $69 each. In a single day, the crew could install up to 30 markings for a total cost of $5,760.

Costs

• San Francisco used Methylmethacralate • Cost per marking: $150 – includes

planning/engineering and paint shop labor and material, somewhat conservative estimate.

• Maintenance : 2-5+ years, depending on care of installation and location.

Possible places to begin in Tuscaloosa

• University Blvd. • Queen City Ave. • Greensboro Ave.• Hackberry Lane• 13th Street• 12th Ave.

• Campus Dr. (from Univ. Blvd.)

Resources • Evaluation of Shared Lane Markings Technical Report • Effects of Shared Lane Markings on Bicyclist and Motorist Behavior along Multi-Lan

e Facilities • Bicycling and on street Parallel Parking