Sharrows Are Popping Up all Over Carlsbad and North County San Diego
The sharrows are here in San Diego, and have been popping up in different communities since 2012. We are seeing lots of them here in Carlsbad, in Encinitas, and other North San Diego coastal communities.
Better look out for sharrows appearing in your area!
No, this is not some invasive insect or plant, or a type of bird.
Those of us who are cyclists know (probably) what they are and what they mean.
A sharrow – a combination of “share” and “arrow” – is a marking on certain roads where there are no marked bike paths (common in our area).
The intent is NOT to indicate that cyclists are taking over that lane of traffic and that it cannot be used by motorists, but rather sharrows are a warning to both cyclists and drivers that the lane is to be shared by both.
The lanes marked with sharrows provide more safety for cyclists in those areas where there is no bike path and the lane may border an on-street parallel parking lane, which puts cyclists at greater risk for opening car doors or cars pulling out suddenly.
It’s also a warning to motorists to be especially watchful of cyclists in those areas who need to move over from parked cars.
And because of the shape and directionality sharrows may serve as a deterrent for those cyclists going in the wrong direction…those that don’t know about, or don’t pay attention to, the rules about cyclists on our roads. In general cyclists are to follow the same rules as motorists (which is not something they all do).
The other related item is a new law in California that will go into effect in September 2014 also requires that motorists give cyclists at least 3 feet of space when passing them.
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