We’ve had the sharrows on Washington Ave, New Scotland Ave and Delaware Ave for a while now. There are still a lot of questions about what they are and the message they are supposed to give.

In short, sharrows are pavement markings that improve cycling safety on streets that are too narrow for traditional bike lanes. These markings indicate to drivers that the road is a preferred bicycle route, and that they should be prepared to share the road with cyclists.  The placement of the sharrow shows cyclists where they can ride to avoid traveling in the door zone of parked cars. The following video from the Iowa Bicycle Coalition provides a brief overview of sharrows.