city living

Sharrow the road bullies. What you say? Inspired by the gorgeous weather Cleveland has been having & the new bike I’ve been dreaming of, I decided to go on long ride today. Now maybe you’re still wondering what these sharrows are all about. In short they are Shared Roadway Markings. Now you may be saying to yourself “obviously.” However, until today I didn’t realize exactly how much of the road motorist are supposed to be sharing. I have been enlightened by what I learned today while searching for info on the Tow Path & The Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway. After seeing the diagram, *see below, Franklin Boulevard came to mind. I have traveled it many times, like most West Siders have, and repeatedly I get some guff from drivers from riding in the street. It can range anywhere from a very irritated revving of the engine to indicate that yes their car can go faster than my bike, to out right yelling out the car window to get on the sidewalk. Now why on a road that specifically indicates to share is there so much confusion? Let me try, unofficially of course, to clear some of it up. According to the diagram, we cyclists are to be riding over the Sharrow symbol, not directly smack dab against the parked cars. I think since the symbols are in the center of the lane on Franklin the motorist think it is just a reminder to them, or a merely a suggestion. Where in actulality, the cyclest have the right to the lane & the dotted line running down Franklin Boulevard should indicate to the drivers to pass the bikes (nicely) if they need to get by. This allows for us not to be hit by a suddenly opened car door. Although it is the motorist’s responsibility to check before opening their door, riding too close to parked cars is still a common mistake that can lead to serious injury. On second thought, I guess I already knew this, but I began to second guess myself after all the bulling. Perhaps if there was some sort of sign of explanation other than the phrase “share the road” to let motorist know sharing isn’t optional, it’s required. The City of Cleveland Planning Commison says “The purpose of these road markers is to remind cyclists and motorists alike that bicycles have an equal-right to the road while indicating the presence of a bicycle route.” After all, these Sharrows have been successful in Seattle, Portland and San Francisco. I just don’t know what is going wrong here. So stay strong fellow riders, don’t give in to the bullies. And I will keep dreaming of the Bianchi Pista Via Brera with the cork grips I saw at Spin on Saturday.

Some links on bike safety: City of Cleveland Bikeway Sharrow, Cleveland Bike Lane Guide,  Sharrow FAQ,

p.s Does anyone know where I can find info/diagrams on biking on streets with bus lanes for Down Town Cleveland?