Sharing
Sometimes when I see “Share the Road” on signs I think there needs to be a silly cartoon character to go with the message:
Don’t get me wrong, in a world without cycle tracks sharing the road is obviously a necessary thing. But on a sign it’s a little simplistic. It isn’t actually clear what type of sharing is supposed to happen- that’s left open to interpretation.
Perhaps there could be more “Bicyclists May Use Full Lane” signs. We can leave messages about sharing (and squeaky cartoon characters) to the kids.
I agree that there needs to be PSA with cartoon mascots reminding the kiddos (and their parental units) that roads are made to be shared, and I will post some scripts to my blog this Sunday. I nominate the name Sammy the Sharing Squirrel for the mascot, but the outfit (helmet and hi-viz vest) are already perfect.
I’ve often felt that “Bicyclists may use full lane” signs should really say “Bicyclists MUST use full lane” to, you know, reflect the reality that I don’t have a choice.
Actually, the initial draft of the R4-11 sign said “(bicycle symbol) USE FULL LANE”, but the Regulatory and Warning Sign Committee noted that this was telling the bicyclist they gotta use all of the dang lane, even if they weren’t entirely comfortable doing so – hence the change to the only-slightly-longer MAY USE FULL LANE.
And sharrows!! Otherwise people driving don’t get it when cyclists NEED to use the full road when necessary for their safety.