Jim,
My own opinion on this, which I've probably expressed before, is that roads are for people, - not just people in cars. Signs can only help to a certain extent as a reminder of what motorists should have been taught in drivers' ed. More important is to make sure that the message is in the drivers' ed class - If the road is unsafe for cyclists to share when the driver is going at the posted speed then the driver should slow down. We all pay for roads, we're all entitled to safe use of them. If there aren't sidewalks or shoulders then the roads weren't adequately designed for safe multi-mode use - then it take a behavior change to make an unsafe road safe. If motorists have to slow down to allow everyone to get by each other safely that's what they should do until the route can be adequately re-engineered and modified.
Signs are good if everything else has been done well but if they aren't helping a situation, different signs won't help much either.
About share the road signs, including specific experiences in Marin Cty,
CA
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.
- 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
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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