Shared Lane Marking ("Sharrows")

Description
Bicycle symbols that are placed in the roadway lane indicating that motorists should expect to see and share the lane with bicycles. Alerts road users of the lateral location bicyclists are likely to occupy within a shared lane. Sharrows ("shared-use arrow") are authorized for use within the state of California in accordance with Section 9C.103 of the California MUTCD.


Issues Addressed

  • Bicycle safety


Applications

  • For roads that are too narrow to accommodate a dedicated bike lane and whose lanes are too narrow for a motor vehicle and a bicycle to travel side by side.
  • In shared lanes with on-street parallel parking in order to reduce the chance of a bicyclist’s impacting the open door of a parked vehicle.

Advantages

  • Low implementation cost


Disadvantages

  • Not understood by most drivers.
  • Marking might not be recognized by drivers until they are almost directly on top of it.


Evaluation Considerations

  • Not suitable for arterials
  • Bike lanes preferred where road width allows

Design/Installation Considerations

  • Encourages unsafe riding unless placed clearly to the left of the door zone.
  • Sharrow must not be made too narrow or put too far to the right. Placed at a mininum 11 feet from curb face or edge of paved shoulder.
A "chevron" style shared lane marking.
JFK Drive, San Francisco