We are finally on to the next stage of our Sharrows Campaign! Four routes have been identified as candidates for sharrow placement:

Ventura Blvd, from Lankershim to Valley Circle Venice Blvd, from Flower St to Crenshaw Santa Monica Blvd, from Sunset to Harvard Sepulveda Blvd, from Ohio to National

How did we decide on these routes? After identifying the nine most popular streets for sharrows, we needed to verify that these streets meet the requirements, set by the state, for sharrow placement. The primary requirement is that on-street parking is allowed at all times. While most streets don't qualify for their entire length, the above four routes meet the requirement for significant sections.

Many thanks to the volunteers who scouted all of the potential routes, as well as to those serving on the Sharrows Campaign Committee. This project couldn't happen without you!

What is the next step?

We have scheduled a meeting with the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT), where we will seek approval of sharrows placement along the four proposed routes. Meanwhile, we are working on garnering support from community members in each of the four areas.

Initially, the placement of sharrows will be considered a pilot program, whereby the markings will be studied for their efficacy. If the pilot program proves effective, then sharrows may be considered for use throughout the City.

ABOUT SHARROWS

Already successfully used in other cities like San Francisco, Shared Use Arrows (sharrows) are road markings placed in regular traffic lanes, away from parked cars. Studies have shown that they are an effective way to provide a safer environment for cyclists and drivers to co-exist. They indicate where it's safe for bikes to ride, promoting awareness for both drivers and cyclists. Safer roads will encourage people to ride bikes more often.

The Sharrows Campaign is a volunteer-based effort coordinated by LACBC, Cicle.org, and the Bicycle Kitchen. The idea is to engage bicyclists and encourage local government to implement a pilot program to test the effectiveness of sharrows in Los Angeles. The goal is to get sharrows painted on three routes.

If you would like to learn more about sharrows, this article provides a good introduction.

The Sharrows Survey

Information for the Sharrows Campaign was obtained over a four month period through (1) hand written surveys that were passed out at a number of bike rides and events and collected directly, or (2) online participation. Of those that participated in our online survey, there were two secondary groups. The first group represents those that were encouraged to respond through flyers advertising the survey and/or through email blasts to various list serves. The second group comprised those who responded through articles posted on one of two participating websites notifying readers of the campaign: the LACBC website and Cicle.org.

Throughout the course of our survey we received a total of 365 responses. Each respondent was allowed to suggest up to five streets where they would like to see sharrows placed. Some people suggested five streets and others only one or two, so that in the end, we received a total of 1,324 individual street suggestions. From the responses, we were able to generate a list of nine streets that were most frequently suggested and would be likely to succeed as part of this pilot project. Five of these streets are already designated Class III bike routes.

These streets are:

Santa Monica Blvd. Sunset Blvd. Wilshire Blvd. Sepulveda Blvd. Figueroa St. Glendale Blvd./2nd St. Ventura Blvd. Olympic Blvd. Venice Blvd.

For everyone who participated in the Sharrows Campaign Survey, we at the L.A. County Bicycle Coalition, the Bicycle Kitchen, and Cicle.org would like to extend our appreciation for your valuable time and input. Many survey participants may wonder why Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) is not included in our list. As a necessary component to the campaign's success we have sought to involve the interests and capacities the City of Los Angeles and the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT). PCH, however, lies under the jurisdiction of CalTrans and not the City of L.A. Therefore, we cannot propose PCH as part of the pilot project. This does not mean PCH is being ignored. PCH is the focus of an ongoing campaign involving the LACBC, Velo Club LaGrange, and State Senator Shelia Kuehl's office to make PCH safe for cyclists. This separate campaign may eventually include sharrows and/or other improvements.