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20

sharrows on Highland Ave

just got word. wanted to post this before ya'll did for once.


ha! no pics yet


erok
2010-11-12 21:21:22

The whole length?


rsprake
2010-11-12 21:23:49

they should be from ELB to the park for now


erok
2010-11-12 21:42:46

AWESOME


I'm going to go check that out right now!!!


noah-mustion
2010-11-12 22:11:45

Ha! Noticed that just now on my way home. Need them on Negley now. I almost got smashed by a car at Negley and Hampton. This was even after I waited my turn at the 4-way.


morningsider
2010-11-12 22:28:41

no one stops at that stop sign, morningsider. i do, but people just roll it and go whenever they think they should, even if they were not there first.


excited about the sharrows. may take that route over to the flock tonight.


stefb
2010-11-12 22:39:41

Ha! I texted Erok yesterday about it. Should have guessed he started a thread. I'll delete the superfluous one.


scott
2010-11-13 15:36:35

I rode them last night from Bryant Street to... East Liberty Boulevard? I know they were by Peabody but didn't notice if they continued on past that. They looked good--I think they were thermoplastic--but were a little in the door zone, not quite in the middle of the lane as on Penn Avenue. Anyone want to have a look and check my opinion on that?


ieverhart
2010-11-13 19:36:22

The Flock ride last night did Highland all the way up to the park and back to Penn. I noticed them, but as there weren't that many parked cars in either direction, I cannot state with any certainty that they are out of the door zone.


There does seem to be a lot of lane to work with on Highland. There was a minute or so during the ride up Highland when saltm513 drove alongside us and said Hi, and it seemed neither that she was crowding oncoming traffic nor that we were being pushed too far right.


stuinmccandless
2010-11-13 20:01:43

yeah highland is really wide for most of it. it goes from the park to east liberty blvd.


let's try a pic here...



stefb
2010-11-13 20:23:05

they are indeed thermoplastic!


cburch
2010-11-13 23:17:29

As for being out of the door zone, I don't think they completely are, but they are nice and noticeable even in the dark.


greenbike
2010-11-13 23:49:34

Stef, your photo looks like the sharrow is guiding people into a trap door!


rsprake
2010-11-14 00:09:36

Help a newbee out. What exactly does a sharrow do other than remind motorist that bikers exist? Is there some expected different behavior by me (the cyclist) or them (the motorist). Really I want to know. I see these marking but do not know how to react to them whether driving or biking.


eppi
2010-11-14 19:10:37

They represent where the bicyclist should be riding their bike on the road and let drivers know to expect that.


rsprake
2010-11-14 19:57:05

They remind drivers to expect significant bicycle traffic in that area.


stuinmccandless
2010-11-14 20:07:57

They represent where the bicyclist should be riding their bike on the road


That's the idea, but not necessarily. I'm not going to deconstruct the whole backstory behind the introduction of sharrows, but suffice it to say that they are a compromise between several factions of bicycle advocates and a car-chauvinist department of transportation. The theory is that while the guidance they provide may not be ideal, at least it's better than the status quo. Ultimately, the cyclist has to decide for him/her self. Skilled cyclists may know how to do better in many cases.


In an ideal world, the behavior of both cyclists and motorists on roads with sharrows would be no different from that on roads without them.


If sharrows are working, unskilled cyclists will heed them and get off the sidewalks. If sharrows are not working, skilled cyclists will be psychologically pressured into sub-optimal lane positions.


I believe that sharrows provide some consolation to authoritarians in automobiles that bicycles are officially sanctioned and aren't just anarchists' toys.


lyle
2010-11-14 20:51:54

Thanks for the useful replies. I will be more aware whether riding or driving.


eppi
2010-11-15 01:18:01

was stoked to see these this weekend!


caitlin
2010-11-15 19:10:38