Goodbye Sharrows… Hello Bicycle Street…
To make riding a bicycle safer and more comfortable for more people, there are many things we can do beyond just protected bike lanes, and each little thing combines to create a bigger picture that starts to look a bit more like the Netherlands. I’m pleased to say that in the last few days, the City of Burnaby took a step beyond most other cities in North America, and rebranded one of their local street bikeways a bicycle street complete with fietsstraat inspired pavement markings!
It was just over two years ago that I posted the blog Bicycle Streets. What’s in a Name? and today that thought has become a reality… What came from me sketching on the couch one evening what a Canadian version of the fietsstraat symbol (below) might look like, made its way into concept design for our ISL project on the Frances-Union Bikeway, through detailed design, and is now clearly showing the way for people on bicycles through north Burnaby. Shout out to Khal Joyce for some of the photos…
Why is it important? The sharrow has had a bad rap for years now, but mostly due to it historically being used on busy streets as a low-cost way to mark a bike route without actually building any infrastructure. That wasn’t safe or comfortable for anyone, and I hope today isn’t used in that context.
On local street bikeways, it wasn’t so bad… The sharrow provided a bit of a wayfinding function, and to some degree, sent a small message to drivers to expect people on bicycles. Sometimes they were located at the edge of the road, sometimes in the door zone of parked cars, and more recently towards the centre of the roadway to keep people out of that door zone… But per my last post, the problem was in the name, the markings, and message it barely conveyed… A local street bikeway, a way that people on bikes are recommended to go…
Now with the bicycle street, the pavement markings and signage provide consistent, and much bolder visual cues along the entire corridor that clearly communicate, at a glance, that the street prioritizes people riding bicycles, hopefully encouraging more patient behaviour from motorists. Beyond safety, the pavement markings and signage to come strengthen the street’s branding and help integrate it as a key connection within the wider bicycle network, making the simple act of riding a bicycle feel more visible, legitimate, and encouraged.
Kudos to the ISL design team and City of Burnaby for seeing this through to implementation. I truly hope it inspires a wave of bicycle street upgrades across North America!
A few more photos below, and it’s worth noting that at this time, the project is just in phase 1 of a larger initiative that will see more traffic calming, including raised crossings on the side streets, crossing upgrades on major streets, and one new modal filter added on the corridor.