But what about sharrows, I asked. As many of you know, the South Florida Bike Coalition has been preparing to take legal action on this corridor and we feel that additional traffic calming measures, plus sharrows and effective signage could make wide curb lanes on Sunset a safe alternative. Gus Pego said, “Oh, we are planning on putting in sharrows.” What!? He explained that they didn’t mention it because FDOT felt people were not aware what a sharrow was but sure, he assured me, he is ready to say that we should expect sharrows on Sunset Drive.

You read it here first.

UPDATE

So, why do we like sharrows? Full disclosure. I love sharrows. I freely admit that I have a favorite street lane treatment and sharrow it is.

1. Sharrows encourage people to ride where it is safest, in the lane.
2. Sharrows communicate effectively to motorists where they should expect to see people on bicycles.
3. Sharrows reduce the number of people bicycling in the wrong direction (“salmon”).

I could go on and on… So what could be wrong with this miraculous idea?

According to the MUTD guidebook: “Guidance 02 The Shared Lane Marking should not be placed on roadways that have a speed limit above 35 mph.” The portions of Sunset Drive in this project have posted speeds of 40mph and, as we all know, see motorists regularly speeding at greater speeds than this. This is only a ‘guidance’, but it has its place. As Director of the South Florida Bike Coalition, I support the choice of the sharrow, WITH the implementation of the signage you see above and to the left AND increased law enforcement to reduce speeding in the area. This is my position after reviewing this project, after riding in ‘undesignated bike lanes’ on high speed roads in other cities and listening to what members have expressed to me. What is your reaction to this news?

On another note: The City of Miami Bicycle Master Plan calls for the implementation of sharrows throughout the city. You can download the plan and search through for shared use lane markings at www.miamigov.com/bikes.

Workers will repave and restripe the road; widen the bridge and road shoulder; build a new sidewalk on the north side of Bird Road as well as upgrade sidewalks and curb ramps.

Crews will also make drainage improvements to alleviate water buildup in the swale area. Landscaping will improved. Lighting will be improved and new traffic and pedestrian signs and signals installed.

A pedestrian bridge will be built. Workers will remove existing guardrail and installing new guardrail at various locations.

There is no mention of new bicycle facilities. I have contacted Transit Miami sources within the City of Miami and the County and they are unaware of any bicycle infrastructure improvements.  The $2.5 million improvement project on Bird Road will occur between Red Road and Southwest 38th Avenue. Coral Gables High School happens to be on this stretch of roadway. Connecting a high school with bicycling infrastructure would be the smart thing to do; it encourages students to bike to school. Also, there is a bridge that crosses a canal on this stretch of roadway.  Bridges are often the most dangerous areas for cyclists; they must converge on bridges to cross any body of water.  I’m glad to see a pedestrian bridge will be incorporated in the design plans, but the transition should also be seamless for cyclists too.

For the record, FDOT has recently completed 2 resurfacing projects which are second-rate (MacArthur Causeway, Coral Way). FDOT seems very hesitant to accommodate cyclists on Sunset Drive and now it appears that cyclists were not considered in the Bird Road project at all.  This is not a pretty track record.  Please contact Transit Miami ally Coral Gables Commissioner Ralph Cabrera and FDOT District 6 Secretary Gus Pego and ask them why provisions for bicyclists were not made to this very important route.

The Transit Miami eye is watching every FDOT project closely.

For more on this story, check out the post from StreetsblogLA.

In short, sharrows are an on-pavement marking comprised of a directional arrow or “chevron,” and a bicycle symbol identical to those seen in bicycle lanes. Sharrows demonstrate that bicyclists should “take the lane” by directing them into safe, shared lane positioning. The sharrow is designed to reduce bicyclist/motorist conflict along medium-speed thoroughfares and help bicyclists safely avoid the door-zone. Sharrows are appropriate wherever unmarked travel lanes are too dangerous to share safely (think Biscayne Boulevard or Calle Ocho) and when bicycle lanes are not feasible due to available street width. Sharrows are also a great tool for mixed-use pedestrian-oriented districts as the continuation of an existing bicycle lane (I happen to think this will be the best solution for the Design District portion of the planned Northeast Second Avenue bicycle lane, as such a marking will not take away any precious retail parking spaces. Ditto for Alton Road.)

Born in Denver, and applied earnestly in San Francisco, several cities are now part of a Federal experiment to apply sharrows, including Miami Beach (apparently on Washington Avenue, but not yet implemented. We here at Transit Miami will keep our eyes on this one)

Studies in San Francisco, which began implementing sharrows in 2004, demonstrate improved lane positioning for cyclists and an improved amount of passing distance by motorists overtaking bicyclists. By virtue of their clear pavement marking sharrows also cut down on the number of sidewalk cyclists and riders traveling illegally against traffic. The official 2009 Manual on Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD), a guiding federal policy document for municipalities, will apparently include sharrows as an approved traffic control device. Thus, expect sharrows to become widespread in the not to distant future.

Presenting at the International Making Cities Livable Conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico this week, I was able to observe the sharrow in action. Santa Fe is one of America’s oldest urban settlements, dating back to the 11th century. This means the city existed for eight centuries before the rise of the automobile and the chaos that wrought on most American cities and towns. Fortunately, the powers that be have respected this history by not bastardizing the city’s excellent thoroughfare network. Thus, streets remain narrow and very pedestrian-friendly. But because the streets are proportioned correctly, most do not have the right-of-way space available for bicycle lanes.

Enter the sharrow. Most of the principle streets in Santa Fe use the sharrow to increase safety and awareness, as well as direct cyclists to the best routes through the city. They work beautifully. Cars, never able to move quickly due to the narrow lanes, not only expect to share the lane with bicyclists, they also yield to them.

Sharrows have not made their way to the City of Miami yet. However, it seems we will soon have a model in Miami Beach. Regardless, I can guarantee that they will be a recommended, and essential part of the Miami Bicycle Master Plan.