Sharrows

Street-level view of sharrow symbol on asphalt with parked car in background

Calls to Stop Relying on Sharrows Grow Louder

The painted symbols can not only fail to protect bike riders, but can actually make riding conditions less safe.

March 8, 2023 - Momentum Magazine

Sharrow bike markings on black asphalt two-lane road with snowy trees

Early Sharrow Booster: ‘I Was Wrong’

The lane marking was meant to raise awareness and instill shared respect among drivers and cyclists. But their inefficiency has led supporters to denounce sharrows, pushing instead for more robust bike infrastructure that truly protects riders.

January 26, 2023 - Streetsblog USA

Street-level view of sharrow symbol on asphalt with parked car in background

How Sharrows Became Cycling’s Most Hated Symbol

Originally designed as a low-cost way to encourage safer road sharing between bikes and cars, the sharrow has become a symbol of the lack of commitment to protected bike infrastructure in many cities.

August 2, 2022 - Denverite

Bike Infrastructure

Opinion: Sharrows Are 'Make Believe Infrastructure'

The road markings known as 'sharrows' are meant to make streets safer for cyclists, but critics argue they're nothing but a convenient compromise that favors drivers and fails to improve road safety.

November 11, 2021 - Medium

Los Angeles Protected Bike Lane

Study: Bike Lanes Don't Cause Displacement

A longitudinal study shows that bike facilities don't precede neighborhood change or displacement of residents.

August 19, 2021 - Bike Portland

Los Angeles Protected Bike Lane

Less Paint, More Barriers, Make for Better Urban Cycling

New research from the University of Colorado Denver and the University of New Mexico sheds light on how to make cities safer for cyclists and other road users and refutes some assumptions about bike safety, such as "safety-in-numbers."

June 3, 2019 - CU Denver Today

Bike Infrastructure

Nice Try, Sharrows

End the sharrow experiment, says this columnist.

June 21, 2018 - The Record

In Defense of Sharrows

A response to recent research that cast doubt on the effectiveness of sharrows.

March 1, 2016 - Yay Bikes

When a 3-Foot Clearance for Passing a Cyclist Is Not Enough

Sharrows and 3-foot passing laws are meant to make biking safer in streets in the absence of bike lanes. Bike activists in Iowa want to take safety a step further by requiring motorists to move to another lane, just as they would if passing a car.

February 28, 2016 - Globe Gazette

New Evidence of the Superiority of Bike Lanes Over Sharrows

A study presented last week to the Transportation Research Board shows that the quality of the bike infrastructure has a significant effect for commuting rates and safety.

January 20, 2016 - Streetsblog USA

Dallas Working to Build More Protected Bike Lanes

Not all bicycle infrastructure is created equal. Dallas planners are working to find new ways to build protected bike lanes instead of sharrows and other half-measures.

September 26, 2015 - The Dallas Morning News

DDOT's 2015 Goal: Filling Gaps in Bike Infrastructure

The District Department of Transportation's plans for 2015 include closing critical gaps in the District's bike infrastructure network.

February 23, 2015 - Greater Greater Washington

Portland to Evaluate Neighborhood Greenway Program

Portland will launch an effort to evaluate and improve its influential neighborhood greenway system of bike friendly residential corridors.

November 23, 2014 - Bike Portland

Louisville's 'Neighborways' Plan to Make Streets Bike Friendly

The Broken Sidewalk blog provides details about an ongoing plan to transform Louisville's low volume streets into "Neighborways."

November 14, 2014 - Broken Sidewalk

Super Sharrows: "Feel of a Bike Lane" or Wasted Paint?

New "sharrows on steroids" are being tested In the Allston neighborhood of Boston. Are the markings - parallel dashed lines bracketing a bicycle icon - a legitimate improvement on the controversial practice or "an underwhelming innovation"?

November 22, 2013 - Boston.com

Will Bike-Shaped Parking Racks Increase Driver Awareness?

It might be a stretch to think that attractive sidewalk bike racks will increase motorists' willingness to "share the road", but it helped a bike shop owner convince the city of Hayward, Calif. to approve the installation of the $450 racks.

July 29, 2013 - The Daily Review

Sharrows: Panacea for Improving Bike Infrastructure or Placebo?

Cities across the country are embracing the sharrow as a quick and low-cost means of expanding their bicycle infrastructure, but in at least a couple of cities, bike enthusiasts are questioning their effectiveness.

June 14, 2012 - Transit Miami

Sharrow Backlash - Are They Working?

Proliferating faster than bike lanes or bike parking racks may be the chevron symbols in the pavement with bicycle icon informing cyclists and motorists alike to "share the road". But can too many sharrows be a bad thing, asks Grist's Elly Blue.

November 18, 2011 - Grist

Sharrows Have Their Limits

Sharrows are a great way to give cyclists access to the full traffic lane without designating a bike lane, but as this case in San Francisco illustrates, not all applications are good ones. The presence of a bus-only lane created the problem.

January 31, 2011 - The Bay Citizen

Guerrilla Sharrows

In Los Angeles, wheat-pasted posters that indicate bike lanes have been cropping up on utility boxes all over the city.

April 5, 2010 - GOOD Magazine

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