Share The Road going green

Your favorite street signs, Share The Road, are changing color.

Under proposed guidelines, they will change from yellow to florescent green.

The the Federal Highway Administration published a Notice of Proposed Amendment in the Federal Register containing a proposal for a new edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices.

What does that mean in English? Updates for bike signs and their use. The Bike Commuters Blog from Orlando pulled out some relevant items listed below.

If you'd like to comment on any of these before their approval, Trafficsign.us says you may do so by visiting www.regulations.gov and searching for "28977" (the regulatory number assigned to the new MUTCD). Then follow the instructions on the webpage. Note: When submitting comments, it's usually a good idea to provide thorough justification for for proposed revisions to the draft MUTCD content, and include references or citations to applicable research or studies as needed. The deadline for comments on this proposed revised MUTCD is Thursday, 31 July 2008.

Section 9B.06 Bicycles May Use Full Lane Sign (R4­11)

Option:
The Bicycles May Use Full Lane (R4­11) sign (see Figure 9B­2) may be used on roadways where no bicycle lanes or adjacent shoulders usable by bicyclists are present and where travel lanes are too narrow for bicyclists and motor vehicles to operate side by side.

The Bicycles May Use Full Lane sign may be used in locations where it is important to inform road users that bicyclists might occupy the travel lane.

Support:
The Uniform Vehicle Code (UVC) defines a “substandard width lane” as a “lane that is too narrow for a bicycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the same lane.”

Section 9C.07 Shared Lane Marking

Option:
The Shared Lane Marking shown in Figure 9C­9 may be used to:
A. Assist bicyclists with lateral positioning in a shared lane with on­street parallel parking in order to reduce the chance of a bicyclist’s impacting the open door of a parked vehicle,
B. Assist bicyclists with lateral positioning in lanes that are too narrow for a motor vehicle and a bicycle to travel side by side within the same traffic lane,
C. Alert road users of the lateral location bicyclists are likely to occupy within the traveled way,
D. Encourage safe passing of bicyclists by motorists, and
E. Reduce the incidence of wrong­way bicycling.

Guidance:
The Shared Lane Marking should not be placed on roadways that have a speed limit above 50 km/h or 35 mph.

Standard:
Shared Lane Markings shall not be used on shoulders or in designated bicycle lanes.
If used in a shared lane with on­street parallel parking, Shared Lane Markings shall be placed so that the centers of the markings are at least 3.4 m (11 ft) from the face of the curb, or from the edge of the pavement where there is no curb.

Guidance:
If used on a street without on­street parking that has an outside travel lane that is less than 4.3 m (14 ft) wide, the centers of the Shared Lane Markings should be at least 1.2 m (4 ft) from the face of the curb, or from the edge of the pavement where there is no curb.

If used, the Shared Lane Marking should be placed immediately after an intersection and spaced at intervals not greater than 75 m (250 ft) thereafter.

Section 9B.18 Bicycle Warning and Combined Bicycle/Pedestrian Signs (W11­1 and W11­15)

Support:
The Bicycle Warning (W11­1) sign (see Figure 9B­3) alerts the road user to unexpected entries into the roadway by bicyclists, and other crossing activities that might cause conflicts. These conflicts might be relatively confined, or might occur randomly over a segment of roadway.

Option:
The combined Bicycle/Pedestrian (W11­15) sign (see Figure 9B­3) may be used where both bicyclists and pedestrians might be crossing the roadway, such as at an intersection with a shared­use path. A TRAIL XINGThis is from the proposed amendments to the MUTCD (Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices). The comment (W11­15P) supplemental plaque (see Figure 9B­3) may be mounted below the W11­15 sign.

A supplemental plaque with the legend AHEAD or XX METERS (FEET) may be used with the Bicycle Warning or combined Bicycle/Pedestrian sign.

Guidance:
If used in advance of a specific crossing point, the Bicycle Warning or combined Bicycle/Pedestrian sign should be placed at a distance in advance of the crossing location that conforms with the guidance given in Table 2C­4.

Standard:
Bicycle Warning and combined Bicycle/Pedestrian signs, when used at the location of the crossing, hall be supplemented with a diagonal downward pointing arrow (W16­7P) plaque (see Figure 9B­3) to show the location of the crossing.

Guidance:
A fluorescent yellow­green background color with a black legend and border should be used for Bicycle Warning and combined Bicycle/Pedestrian signs and supplemental plaques.

When the fluorescent yellow­green background color is used, a systematic approach featuring one background color within a zone or area should be used. The mixing of standard yellow and fluorescent yellow­green backgrounds within a zone or area should be avoided.

Comments

[Chip Haynes]

I think these are all great ideas. We need more signage out there informing drivers about bicycles on virtually every road, and that hi-viz yellow/green is the best color going to get people's attention. Here's hoping we start to see these around the Tampa Bay area soon!

[Hillbilly Bob]

I think that cyclists should completely avoid roads where it's too narrow for bikes and cars to safely use the lanes at the same time. There are plenty of other roads that bicyclists can use without having to use narrow roads. You're just asking for troulbe riding on narrow roads if you ask me.

[cultured Bob]

I think motorists should park their cars for a month and use public transportation , bicycles or walk. Sorry hbb there are NOT enough wide roads to make everyone happy. Let's be honest you're asking for trouble just waking up in the morning.

[Kimberly]

Not travel on narrow roads?

For us who don't have cars, that wouldn't work. We must go everywhere motorists go.

I try to bicycle on roads that have at least two lanes going in the same direction. Cars travel from light to light in packs. After the pack clears out in the left lane, the motorists behind me can move into the left lane and pass.

If I bicycled on a road that had one lane going in one direction and one lane going in the opposite direction, the motorist behind me would need to move left and pass facing on-coming traffic.

When gas got to $2.60/gallon, motorists started carpooling and riding the buses. Some routes are standing room only now. People started bicycling, too.

When gas hit $3.70/gallon, the switch from driving to bicycling to work was even more pronounced.

I wonder what we'll see when gas hits $4.70/gallon.