My cycling companion and I spotted this typical pre-sharrow on Sunday. Lots of sharrows are finding their way onto Capitol Hill to advertise the presence of bikes on popular arterials.
Sharrows don’t actually *do* anything. The Seattle DOT website states that both motorists and bicyclists should “follow the rules of the road as if there were no sharrows.” Got that? Sharrows “do not designate a particular part of the roadway for the use of bicyclists.” That said, my guess is that the vast majority of cyclists and motorists DO think that sharrows indicate where cyclists should ride. I did.
This is why the placement of these pre-sharrows, most notably those coming downhill on 10th and Harvard, is terrifying! Note the deep grooves in the pavement on either side of this sharrow — grooves that no sane road-bike-riding cyclist would go near. Yet some sharrows are being placed near or even ON TOP of these grooves. So now cyclists will: a) ride on top of sharrow and risk crashing, b) avoid sharrow and risk pissing off driver who thinks cyclist should be on top of sharrow, or c) avoid sharrow and encounter understanding driver.
I hope that C is the correct answer.
Sharrows are there to remind drivers that bicycles will be on the road. When I’m riding, I don’t care where the sharrows are located, I will take up an entire lane when safe to do so (and when I can stay near the speed of cars).
sharrows=pointless
The irony of the sharrows painted all over streets that are pothole-laden and with deep grooves and cracks never ceases to amaze me as I bike around town!! I’m so glad you pointed that out! Then its just going to cost more to fix the street later on (IF they ever do) because they will have to re-pave and then re-sharrow paint!!
I have never heard the word sharrow before in my LIFE.
Sharrows 101: http://www.seattle.gov/Transportation/sharrows.htm
when I’m driving and don’t mind that they are there. Are the people here anti sharrow bikers or drivers?
They’re better than nothing but as a cyclist I’d rather have a well paved street than a gimmicky marking
sharrows look like speed boost panels in mario kart. except they don’t work.
As a driver, I appreciate the sharrows as a reminder the street is a popular bikeway. As a bike rider, I ride where the pavement is safe to do so — which sometimes means where the right tires of car typically travel. There are only a couple of spots where I’m compelled do so: 10th Ave being one of them. I agree with final answer: 10th is treacherous ride in spots!
Sharrows: better than nothing, but not the final answer. [wink]
Ha! Very funny. :-)
Thanks for this pic of the ‘insano-sharrow’. Could they not even bother to use a stencil?