Sharrows

Shared Lane Pavement Marking

A shared lane pavement marking or Sharrow is a bicycle symbol that indicates locations where bikes and motor vehicles can share the same travel lane. They are carefully placed to guide bicyclists to the best place to ride on the road and avoid car doors. Most importantly, the Sharrow alerts a driver to expect to see bicyclists using and sharing the lane. Unlike bicycle lanes, sharrows do not designate a particular part of the street for the exclusive use of bicyclists. The most popular “advisory cycle marking” is a bike symbol with two chevron arrows on top. These are usually located where there may be limited road width for separate facilities or the cycling route may be on a very quiet street where there is no need to install a dedicated bike lane.

A Federal Highway Administration study of Sharrows showed that the markings increased the operating space for cyclists, both in the distance from parked cars and in vehicle passing space. Sharrows reduced sidewalk cycling and they reduced wrong-way riding. They generally slowed drivers down. They even caused drivers to stay farther from parked cars even when bikes were not present.

Motorists Tips:

• Expect to see bicyclists on the street.
• Remember to give bicyclists four feet of space when passing.
• Follow the rules of the road as if there were no Sharrows.

Bicyclists Tips:

• Use the Sharrow to guide where you ride within the lane.
• By riding a bicycle over the center of the Sharrow, cyclists will be riding at a safe distance from parked cars.
• Follow the rules of the road as if there were no Sharrows.