Sharrows on Montevideo Drive
What is the newest bicycle facility improvement in town?
As part of the Citywide Bicycle Network Improvements and Enhancements project (CIP 905613), Shared Lane Markings (Sharrows) were installed on Montevideo Drive between Alcosta Boulevard and San Ramon Valley Boulevard. Montevideo Drive is classified as a Class III bicycle route in the Bicycle Master Plan, which was approved by the City Council in 2018.
What is a Sharrow?
A ‘‘Sharrow” is a shared roadway pavement marking with a bicycle symbol and chevron arrows. It is a traffic control device adopted by Caltrans and the Federal Highway Administration for use in bicycle routes where there are no bike lanes and the lane is too narrow for the bicycles and automobiles to ride side-by-side safely. The Sharrows indicate a shared lane environment for bicycles and automobiles. The bicycle stencil indicates where bicyclists are expected to position themselves for safe lateral positioning.
What are the traffic safety benefits?
Sharrows reinforce the legitimacy of bicycle traffic on the street, recommend proper bicyclist positioning to avoid hazards such as opening of doors by parked vehicles, provides a wayfinding guidance along bike routes, reduces the incidence of wrong-way bicycling as well as encourages safe passing. The Sharrows support a complete and connected bicycle network in San Ramon.
Can bicyclists take control of the lane?
There are situations where bicyclists may take control of the lane. An example of these situations are on streets classified as Class III bicycle route facilities, such as Montevideo Drive. Caltrans adopted the Sharrow striping and developed traffic signs to help convey that bicyclists may take control of the lane. Look out for SHARE THE ROAD and BICYCLES MAY USE FULL LANE signs.
CVC 21200. (a) Every person riding a bicycle upon a highway has all the rights and is subject to all the provisions applicable to the driver of a vehicle.
CVC 21202 (a) Any person operating a bicycle upon a roadway at a speed less than the normal speed of traffic moving in the same direction at that time shall ride as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway except under any of the following situations:
(3) When reasonably necessary to avoid conditions (including, but not limited to, fixed or moving objects, vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, animals, surface hazards, or substandard width lanes) that make it unsafe to continue along the right-hand curb or edge, subject to the provisions of Section 21656. For purposes of this section, a “substandard width lane” is a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane.
Please share the road and be courteous to all road users.
For more information on Sharrows and other bicycle network improvement projects, please email Raoul Roque at [email protected] or by phone at (925) 973-2654.