Motorists will soon find a new feature on city streets — a painted reminder to share.
Share the road with cyclists, that is.
“Sharrows” (pictured is one from Austin, Texas) are coming to New Haven, thanks to a proposal approved by the City Plan Commission at its monthly meeting on Wednesday night. The painted symbols are designed to indicate bike routes in cities and to warn cars that cyclists may need room.
Commissioners voted unanimously to approve a conceptual plan put forward by the Department of Transportation, Traffic, and Parking. The plan for “Downtown Bicycle Accommodations” includes short, medium, and long-term recommendations to make New Haven more bike friendly. Most of the short-term improvements, including sharrows, will be implemented this spring.
Sharrows will appear on State, Orange, Grove, Chapel, and George Streets, and Edgewood Avenue.
The recommendations come from a March 2009 report created by Nelson/Nygaard Consulting Associates. The city hired the company to look for ways to make New Haven better for cyclists. A year ago, the company solicited opinions from city cyclists. Read the report here.
The initial phase will cost between $100,000 and $125,000. In addition to sharrows, the city will be creating new bike routes through the city. New signs will be put in to indicate the routes. The longest of the new routes will connect downtown with Westville.
The first round of improvements will not included bike boxes, which were recommended by Nelson/Nygaard.
The project is funded by municipal bonding and by a grant from the Federal Transit Administration.
“It’s part of an effort to create culture of safety downtown,” said Traffic and Parking Director Mike Piscitelli on Thursday. Having clearly marked spaces for bikes “sends a very physical message” for drivers, he said.
Of course, it will be necessary to educate New Haven drivers, Piscitelli said. The city will be doing “quite a bit of outreach” to ensure that everyone understands the significance of sharrows, he said.
City Plan Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the plan on Wednesday. East Rock Alderman Roland Lemar called it an “exceptional first step.”