Advice On Bike Infrastructure [Forum]

jthandle over at the forums has posted the following

Hi there,
In addition to being a bike commuter, I am also the GIS and database guy for a local municipality. Our local head of roads and highway just asked for help creating a map of existing and planned bicycle infrastructure. My ears perked up, significantly.

This request turned into a long conversation about the pros and cons of sharrows and marked bike lanes. I prefer “Share the Road” signs over sharrows, in many instances, as I think they are more visible to motorists. What do you think?

I’ve advised against turning 2-4 ft road shoulders into marked bike lanes because, despite being tiny, I don’t think they are cleaned of debris frequently enough for my tastes, and cars tend to get pissy when I take the lane instead of riding in a cluttered,tiny marked bike lane. Again, what do you think?

I think a marked bike lane should only be painted if there is at least 5 ft available. I’m also recommending sharrows be placed in the left lane at intersections, in addition to the lane for proceeding straight through. Again what do you think?

I have a genuine seat at the decision making table in this muni, and I’d like to make it count.

Thanks,

jthandle

Head on over and give him any advice you might have, I know a lot of planners drop by these parts once in a while and I can guess they would have lots of things to say.

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