They're Here! Sharrows: Implemented in Belmont Shores.

For those of us that are highly trained on vehicular cycling techniques Sharrows seem unnecessary, however this treatment can be a good learning tool for beginning and intermediate level cyclists who are untrained and often times take a dangerous path on the street or avoid the street all together. Vehicular cyclist are a lot like a professional golfer who has the ability to see the line from his ball on the green to the cup and doesn't require special markings to identify the correct path.

On the other hand, intermediate and beginning cyclists are like amateur golfers who stray all over the place on the journey to the cup. The difference is when cyclists stray from the proper position they can end up in a life threatening situation while the amateur golfer just has an elevated score. In my view, Sharrows provide a sense of belonging and safety while simultaneously training cyclists the best slot to ride in on the street. It would be interesting to see if novice cyclists take the correct lane position on unmarked streets after using lanes marked with Sharrows for awhile. Only time will tell, cheers to Long Beach for leading the charge and thanks to Russ Roca for the video footage.

Sharrows FAQ's

This comes to us from Long Beach, CA. The city is making strides to be more bike-friendly following in the foot steps of its recent Bronze award from the League of American Bicyclists.

If anyone has had a chance to bike on the new Sharrows please let us know if they help or hinder your forward progress.

Pedestrian-Friendly Cyclist

Tips for "civic cycling" in the Spring 2009 issue of Reclaim from Transportation Alternatives NYC. This is a great reminder that cyclists must also yield to the most vulnerable street users - Pedestrians.

Food, Inc. premiers in Los Angeles June 12, 2009 before going nationwide starting June 19. Check out the trailer above. This is a critical issue for everyone, especially cyclists since food is our primary source of fuel.