Sharrows. I’m sure you’ve seen them. Perhaps you’ve even heard about them. What do they mean? A “sharrow” or Shared Lane Marking is a newer addition to roadway striping. They are designed to be along major bicycle routes where a bicycle lane is impractical. The markings show that motorists should not only expect to see cyclists but they should also be further out in the lane.
The rules behind these markings are fairly simple. They must be 13′ from the curb and beyond the “door zone”. These sharrows cannot be on roadways with a speed limit greater than 35 mph, though there are some exceptions such as Park Blvd through Balboa Park, which is signed as 40 mph. When a roadway is not marked with sharrows, the rules are still the same. According to the California Vehicle Code (CVC 21202(a)), a cyclist doesn’t always have to ride to the right side of the roadway. The term used is “as far right as practicable”. This means that if roadway conditions warrant, a cyclist may travel away from the right side. When a roadway is marked with sharrows, cyclists should ride with the tires lining up with the arrows.
So, Sharrow or no, a roadway must be shared with cyclists.
Reference:
California MUTCD 2014 – Part 9, Ch. 9A, Section9C.07 – pg 1384
Page 1406 shows proper placement locations
If you google the word “sharrow”, you can find that most states or countries believe that a sharrow is not a bike lane, but is an aid for inexperienced cyclists to use to avoid the danger of a suddenly opened car door. If a cyclist senses that a motorist is to his rear and if there is a section where there are no parked cars, the cyclist should move to near the curb or right edge of the street. This is especially important if the roadway has a double line up the center, which bars passing in the other lane.