I don’t think any cyclist here in Portland thinks that they are bike-lane surrogates or tries to ride their bike over the top of each one or whatever is supposed to make them dangerous. They’re just indicators that the street is a high bike traffic area. And no, they don’t change (and aren’t supposed to change) driver behavior.

If there’s a problem with them it’s that politicians or DOT people in cities with lousy bike infrastructures might see them as a cheap solution-surrogate to their bigger problems related to bicycling infrastructure. Sharrows are a small reinforcement or component of bike planning, not a good solution to any particular problem by themselves. And I’m not sure they’re a good starting place for a bike plan.

Riding in the regular traffic lanes is almost always my preference. Then again, it’s not for everyone, so I think bike lanes and sharrows and whatnot are great (just not where I want to be if given the option). I guess that’s the beauty of it; your city can lay out a bike lane and you can use it, but you aren’t confined to it.

I have mixed feelings about these, but for the most part, I don’t find “sharrowed roads” any more safer the “non-sharrowed roads”. Now, I’m not saying that sharrows are necessarily a bad thing. Nor should they be banished off the face of the earth. It’s just that they just give a false sense of safety.

For example, and this happens to me all the time. Traffic is stopped at a red light. I am happily cruising past numberous A/C lovers, enjoying the fact that I don’t own a car and will never be stuck in said traffic. Then BAAAM! Off the side walk, out from between the parked cars, comes a pedestrian crossing in the middle of the street. My two choices are to drop a shoulder or swerve and clip the closest rearview mirror. Neither of which are very pleasant. This, although stupid, cannot really be fully blamed on the pedestrian. Traffic stopped? I think I’ll save some time and cross here…

See what I mean? False sense of safety. Just because your city has graciously placed a marked lane for you to cruise your two wheeled craft in, it doesn’t necessarily mean the ride is going to be as smooth as an Olympic victory lap.

And don’t even get me started about double parking, FedEx/UPS/Fresh Direct trucks, open car doors, cyclist riding wrong way, or the occasional wheel chair pan handler. All of whom enjoy “my” lane.

Personally, I prefer riding in “non-sharrowed” lanes. No one assumes anything and there are no exceptions to traffic laws.

Thanks for including Maus’ quote about cyclist riding skill, etc, as the most important aspect. Just as a helmet won’t necessarily keep you from getting hurt in an accident, a sharrow won’t protect you from an inattentive (or malicious) driver.

Any official validation of bikes on roads will help (at least in a small way) engender some change in the worldview of our crazy coexistors on the roads…