Some of you might have noticed these new road markings on Rhodenite Drive. They are called “Sharrows” (Share-Arrows). These marking are an initiative between the Juan De Fuca Cycling Coalition and the District of Sooke. The purpose is to increase awareness of the fact that people on bicycles can and will be using the road. They are becoming popular with many municipalities all over North America and are used in the following situations;
• Where there are not enough cyclists to justify bike lanes;
• It is too expensive to install bike lanes;
• Use of bike lanes would require loss of parking; and/or
• Use of bike lanes would require road widening;
The idea is that a cyclist should “take the lane”. In other words, ride the bike in the area of the markings. This is designed so that the cyclist is in full view of motorists, and far enough away from the curb and parked cars so that there is no chance of them running into an opening parked car door.
For motorists, this means sharing the road with bicycles, slowing down, and passing only when it is safe to do so. On a street like Rhodenite, the speed limit is 40km, so this really should not disrupt traffic flow in any significant way. Particularly in this area there can be many young children on bicycles, so please slow down (well below the speed limit in many cases) when you see children on their bikes and pedestrians)
If you have any question or comments please feel free to contact the Juan de Fuca Cycling Coalition at www.jdfcycle.blogspot.com or phone 250-664-6492.