Skip to Content
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Streetsblog Los Angeles home
Log In
Streetsblog.net

Want to Increase Cycling? Sharrows Won’t Cut It

Shared-lane stencils for bikes, a.k.a. "sharrows," definitely have their place in a balanced and healthy street system. But these friendly reminders to drivers to share the road have their limits as a tool to boost safety and create more inviting streets for biking.

false

A 2010 study by the FHWA [PDF] found sharrows do not encourage people to take up cycling, the way bike lanes and cycle tracks do.

That's why communities should not rely on sharrows when more effective interventions are called for. Unfortunately, Sam Ollinger at Bike San Diego says her city has fallen into this trap:

In the last year, San Diegans have seen the increasing number of shared-lane markings, also called "sharrows." Sharrows are appearing everywhere: Adams Avenue, Park Boulevard, Broadway, El Cajon Boulevard, Grand Avenue, Voltaire Street, Chatsworth Boulevard, Hotel Circle South, Pacific Highway and more. However, these sharrows are being used as a cheap band-aid instead of implementing real change on our roadways that would increase the number of people riding their bicycle for transportation or recreation.

For starters, San Diego’s Bicycle Master Plan recommends sharrows on roadways that are too narrow for bike lanes. Sharrows are recommended on roads that have a minimum width of 14 feet. Bike lanes are recommended on roads that have a minimum of 15-17 feet. El Cajon Boulevard, for example, has three travel lanes in each direction – it has more than enough room for a bike lane.

So how can the City of San Diego increase the percentage of people who ride a bicycle? A recent report [pdf] from the Mineta Transportation Institute, an institute that was established by Congress to research "multimodal surface transportation policy and management issues," concluded that in order to attract a wide segment of the population, a bicycle network’s "most fundamental attribute should be low-stress connectivity, that is, providing routes between people’s origins and destinations that do not require cyclists to use links that exceed their tolerance for traffic stress, and that do not involve an undue level of detour."

Elsewhere on the Network today: The Urbanophile asserts that Chicago is on the wrong track by aspiring to be a "global city," and offers some ideas to turn things around. American Dirt talks about how street art, or public murals, can make cities more inviting. And the Transportationist shares a study finding that pedestrians are injured less frequently at unmarked crosswalks because they act more cautiously around traffic.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog Los Angeles

Metro Expands Bus Lane Automated Ticketing to Olive/Grand in DTLA

Never park in a bus-only lane. Never park at a bus stop.

May 13, 2025

Bike-Share Should Belong to the People Who Need It Most

If we want bike-share to thrive, we have to treat it as the public good it is. That means public investment, strong labor standards, meaningful community partnerships, and deep respect for the people who make the system work.

May 13, 2025

This Week In Livable Streets

CicLAvia Pico Union, Rail-2-Rail opening, Metro board committees, Bike to Work Day, and more.

May 12, 2025

Beach Streets West Long Beach – Open Thread

Long Beach's first West LB Beach Streets saw thousands of people take to the car-free streets, mostly via bicycle, but also many on foot, skates, scooters, and more

May 12, 2025
See all posts