City follows Duke's lead, installs Bike Sharrows

Courtesy streetswiki.

According to this press release, the City is beginning to follow Duke's lead in installing bike “sharrows”on city streets. Bike sharrow is a type of pavement marking indicating that a bicyclist may use the full lane. (as an interesting aside, the name sharrow was coined by Oliver Gajda, of the City and County of San Francisco Bicycle Program, and is a portmanteau of share and arrow.^[wikipedia]) The first one were installed on Chapel Hill Street between Kent Street and the bridge over N.C. Highway 147. They are planning to expand the program to Lakewood soon. My hope is that Broad Street, which is perfect for bike sharrows and has considerable bike traffic, is high on the city agenda.

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The full press release is after the break.




News and Noteworthy Details
Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Durham Installs Pavement Markings to Improve Bicycling Conditions on City Streets First Shared Lane Markings Installed Along Chapel Hill Street

The City of Durham Transportation Department continues to take steps to improve bicycling conditions in the city. Last week, the department began installing the first bike “sharrows” on Chapel Hill Street between Kent Street and the bridge over N.C. Highway 147.

Bike sharrows, also called shared lane pavement markings, consist of a large chevron and bicycle symbol. The pavement markings are used to improve bicycling conditions on roads where bike lanes are desirable but roads are too narrow to stripe bike lanes.

Sharrows are a simple, visible indication that motorists and cyclists should share the travel lane. The markings reinforce safe cycling habits and can help reduce wrong-way bicycling. Cyclists should ride through the center of the sharrow to ensure safe positioning in the lane. Motorists are expected to slow down and wait for the cyclist to turn off the roadway or wait until they can pass the cyclist safely. The sharrows are located at regular intervals in both directions.

According to the City’s Transportation Department, sharrows are approved for installation on Lakewood Avenue, between Duke Street and Roxboro Road. Additional locations are recommended for sharrows installation in the Durham Comprehensive Bicycle Transportation Plan. In the past few weeks, Duke University has installed sharrow markings on several campus streets.

For more information about cycling in Durham, contact Dale McKeel, bicycle and pedestrian coordinator with the City’s Transportation Department, at (919) 560-4366 , ext. 36421 or by email at Dale.McKeel@DurhamNC.gov.