I was a little hasty in proclaiming the new “Bikes May Use Full Lane” signs on Tucson Boulevard as the first in Tucson.
Turns out there are a few that have been around for several years. Astute eastside readers said they have been pedaling bike a set of the signs on Sellarole Street “for ages.”
Pima County’s Bicycle and Pedestrian program manager said the signs, which went in on a street being used as a connector for an unfinished section of The Loop, were installed at least three years ago and were actually the first ones in Tucson.
Guess I need to get to the east side a bit more.
My heart soars like a hawk to see these signs, however….
My perception of their intended use seems to be way off the application the city and county have chosen.
Bikes have no problem using the full lane. It’s allowed already and a lot of cyclists know it. Motorists are the ones who don’t know it, or don’t want to know it, and the locations for the signs featured in the two postings look like maybe a dozen cars a day go by. In this posting and for at least part of the Tucson Blvd. application there is no center line to define the lane. So bikes can ride into oncoming traffic??
My understanding of how these signs were intended to be used is as a notice to traffic of a merging of users that are at different speeds, but not greatly different. I think placement of these signs on 6th Ave. from Speedway into downtown would illustrate that. It’s a down-hill run aiding bikes to get some speed. At a limit of 30 MPH, the differential between cars and bikes is not so great. Sharrows are OK, but may not allow bikes to be seen by cars wanting to cross at intersections. Sharrows going the other direction are good because the speed differences going uphill are greater.
If I’m way off base on this, then, well….nevermind.
Would be helpful in lengthy construction zones.
sluggh Yeah…to accompany ‘Bike Lane Closed’ sign.