Colin Bogart, LA County Bicycle Coalition PLACE Grant Coordinator (818) 334-9731 colin@la-bike.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 17, 2009

Shared Roadway Markings commonly known as “sharrows”, have recently appeared on Glendale area streets. A relatively new street marking for Los Angeles County, Glendale joins a small but growing list of cities to implement this innovative, bike-friendly street symbol.

According to Colin Bogart of the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition, the new markings suggest where cyclists should ride to avoid being hit by car doors being opened by motorists. “These new markings remind motorists and bicyclists alike that they share the road,” says Bogart. “Sharrows also help prevent wrong-way riding and provide a visual cue for motorists to expect cyclists in the roadway.”

These markings will be used primarily on streets designated as part of the Glendale bicycle network, particularly on streets that do not have sufficient street width to allow for bicycle lanes and have a safe speed limit. Sharrows cannot be painted on streets with bike lanes (Class II) or on streets with a posted speed limit at or above 40 mph.

The new markings in Glendale have been painted on Grandview Avenue from Glenoaks to the intersection at Brand Park. The decision to paint sharrows on Grandview is part of the PLACE Grant: Safe and Healthy Streets collaboration of the City of Glendale and the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition which seeks to make Glendale better and safer for bicyclists and pedestrians. Grandview was a proposed Class III bicycle route in the Glendale Bikeway Master Plan, and is part of a network of streets in the plan, also being considered for sharrows and other bike-friendly improvements. Sharrows were painted on Grandview in conjunction with an existing street improvement project.

Long Beach, Pasadena, and Hermosa Beach have also painted sharrows in their communities. Other cities include San Francisco, Berkeley, Oakland, Palo Alto, Denver and Portland.

The PLACE Grant: Safe & Healthy Streets Plan is a collaboration of the L.A. County Bicycle Coalition and the City of Glendale. For more information about the Safe & Healthy Streets Plan, go to www.la-bike.org/glendale, or contact Colin Bogart at (818) 334-9731 or colin@la-bike.org.

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