About share the road signs, including specific experiences in Marin Cty, CA

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Ronald Eck 1/11/2007 12:18 PM >>>

Jim,

Thought this would be of interest to you. I share this fellow's thoughts. To me, a good Share the Road sign/message should accomplish the following. 1) Define to motorists the likely presence of bicyclists; 2) Encourage cooperation between motorists and bicyclists and; 3) Reduce conflicts and crashes, including verbal altercations, projectiles, etc. In the absence of an accompanying publicity/educational campaign, I am not sure that the existing signs do this. As I understand it, the national sign committee is considering development of a different and/or more understandable STR sign. I think this would certainly be a positive step. Ron

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Eric Anderson eanderson13@yahoo.com 1/9/2007 12:56 PM >>>

Marin County CA has over 60 STR signs in place, in various locales including narrow rural roads and heavily travelled bike lane streets. To my knowledge no formal study has been done in Marin county of the effectiveness of reducing crashes or improving motorist/cyclist behavior in the area of the signs.

Historically signs have been installed for at least two reasons: concern by locals about the need to get cyclists to "Share the Road" on routes that are heavily used by large groups of recreational cyclists on the weekends; many signs were also installed at the request of advocates, as a part of a countywide "Share the Road" program that has gone through several different incarnations.

In one sense, the messaging of the signs is appropriate to Marin County or any location with an active "Share the Road" program. The signs, combined with flyers, websites and stickers promote the phrase and make it recognizable as part of a traffic safety initiative. At this point it's pretty difficult to imagine people who live in Marin who drive or bike on routes used by cyclists not being aware of this campaign.

The gap in the messaging is definitely in the interpretation of the sign by people who haven't been exposed to the sign or are unaware of the context of the larger campaign. As a warning sign, the message is unclear. Is it directed at bikes, telling them to "Share the Road" as many Marin motorists assert? If that's the case, there is nothing in the sign (or frequently in the roadway design) that guides or informs cyclists as to how they should be "sharing". Does the message target motorists, using the bike icon to inform them of the presence of bikes on the road and the need to "Share the Road" with them? Is it targeted at both groups simultaneously (everyone "Share the Road")?

My analysis of the STR signs at the 10 year mark is that they are much more effective as an element of a larger outreach campaign, and that they are less effective as a traffic control device or warning sign. Signs with clearer messaging, such as those used in San Francisco to inform users that bicycles are allowed use of the full lane, or those in use in Portland that simply state "Bikes on Roadway" are more effective at warning motorists of the presence of cyclists. In terms of targeting cyclists the Share the Road signs are effective if the cyclists who see them are aware of what is entailed with legally sharing the road. Otherwise it's just a catchphrase, rather than a device that guides you to a specific behavior.

Eric Anderson Alta Planning + Design

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