Are Shared Lanes for Bikes and Cars a Good Idea?

An article by Christopher Smart in yesterday's Salt Lake Tribune described a pilot program in which Salt Lake City will designate certain traffic lanes as shared bicycle/automobile lanes, or "sharrows." Per the article, "The green lane would carry the white bicyclist's symbol and chevrons (markers shaped like an inverted V) to alert motorists to expect to share space with two-wheelers."

The idea behind sharrows is to maximize available space for both bicycles and cars while alerting drivers that they should drive cautiously and expect to see cyclists in their traffic lanes. Tim Harpst, director of transportation for Salt Lake City, states "We want bicyclists out in the center of the lane... We want them to take ownership of the lane."

A "sharrow" in Montreal
Photo from UrbanPhoto/Christopher DeWolf

The article states that sharrows have been implemented successfully in cities in Europe and North America, but I still have reservations. Perhaps cyclists could share traffic lanes safely with Smart cars and 500cc Fiats in Europe, but the thought of sharing a lane with clueless drivers in Escalades and Suburbans scares the dickens out of me. In fact, I have noticed that any time I see a "Share the Road with Cyclists" sign on a street or road in Los Angeles county, it can be taken as a warning that things are about to get really dangerous for folks on bicycles. These signs, put up by transportation officials, are generally placed where bike lanes end in heavily trafficked areas or where there is no shoulder whatsoever.

Do not misunderstand. I am not dismissing the idea of sharrows. I am adopting a "wait and see" attitude until we know whether they are a real solution or just a "feel good" idea that does not have a beneficial impact on cycling safety.