Published: September 06, 2007 12:46 am      

GRIGGS: Sharrow the road

Signs are not the be-all and end-all to making us safer. I read somewhere that our national flower is the concrete cloverleaf. These loop-de-loops connect us to the interstate system and highways using arrows and signs to inform us and to send us in the right direction. As the song goes: “Signs, signs everywhere there's signs. Blocking up the scenery, breaking my mind. Signs say do this, don't do that.”

No one can deny that highway signs spoil our scenic views and at times the sheer number of signs can be a driver's distraction. We might also agree, however, that with the completion of the nearly 50,000 miles of interstate roads that we can drive from the east coast to the west coast without seeing anything.

Nevertheless, there are signs that tell us to yield, stop, do not enter, no exit, danger and those that tell us what is ahead, such as railroad crossing, bridge out, curve, or deer crossing. There are signs telling us where we can drive and where we cannot drive — no left turn, no right turn, no turns.

There are declarative signs. One in particular that I read online gave me a chuckle.

“Soft Shoulder

Blind Curves

Steep Grade

Big Trucks

Good Luck.”

There are friendly signs that give us a heads-up: “Absolutely Nothing, Next 22 Miles.” Others state the obvious: “Caution Water on Road During Rain.” What incompetent bureaucrat came up with that one?

You only need to have your eyes open to see signs all around you. Nefarious neighbors display warning signs: “No Trespassing. Violators Will Be Shot. Survivors Will Be Shot Again.” There are signs telling us how to look — “Shirt And Tie Required” or “No Shirt. No Shoes. No Service.” A recent homemade sign I spotted read: “Keep Your Dog Off Of Our Lawn.” This sign is succinct and enlightening; someone is very mad at dog owners.

In Jeffersonville, there are many four-way stops, but I am not convinced that people driving our streets understand what a stop sign means. There are the standard red octagon signs as well as the painted white markings on the pavement in large, large letters — STOP. I submit that these painted signs should be more accurately designated as rolling stops. I know these rolling stops occur because I walk everyday and there is nothing scarier than that whooshing sound as drivers rush through to beat me to the crosswalk.

There are deadly serious reasons, of course, for many of the roadway signs in our lives. Specifically, the signs that were recently added to the Clark Memorial Bridge, also known as the 2nd Street Bridge, to alert motorist that bicyclists use the right hand lane as well as vehicular traffic. In case you are not familiar with the story, tragically, a cyclist was recently killed in a crash on the bridge.

Now there are sharrows (a symbol showing a bicyclist with two chevrons above it) painted on the bridge pavement and signs that read “Shared Lane — Yield to Bikes.” While cyclists may feel good to look down and know that these fancy lane markings are there to enhance their safety, they must realize that signs are not the be-all and end-all to riders safely crossing the bridge or riding on the roadways. These signs should not give riders a false sense of security that counteracts the intended message.

In addition to the signage on the Clark Memorial Bridge, other options to improve safety are worth discussion and consideration.

1) Designate the southbound sidewalk for “Cyclists Only” (there are on/off ramps) and the north-bound sidewalk for “Pedestrians Only.” Common sense dictates that it is safer to ride on a sidewalk than to share a lane with an 18-wheeler.

2) Educate and improve riding skills of the cyclists.

3) Provide consistent enforcement of the vehicular speed limit on the bridge.

4) Ban bikes on the bridge. However, this is an impractical ban as it would deny access to cyclists crossing from one state to another. Pedestrians and bicycles are not permitted on the alternative Kennedy Bridge.

5) As a cyclist, ask yourself if the ride across the bridge is worth the risk.

6) Local and federal government move forward on turning the Big Four Bridge into a walking-biking bridge.

Picture this: On Labor Day, an SUV was stopped on the Clark Memorial Bridge with flashers on while the occupants were placing a floral commemoration, possibly to the aforementioned rider who was killed. Strangely enough, they had parked in the sharrow lane and one even wore a t-shirt with the sharrow symbol on the back. By a fluke happenstance, a cyclist came along in the sharrow lane but was forced to veer into the other lane to bypass the parked SUV. Sadly, while commemorating the death of one rider, another rider's life was endangered. Parking the SUV off of the bridge and walking to the appropriate site may have been a better idea.

Perhaps another declarative sign should be installed on the Clark Memorial Bridge:

“Cyclists Beware

Narrow Lanes,

Speeding Rednecks,

Big SUVs,

Deep Water,

Good Luck.”

Cyclists are guardians of their own lives. Ride safely.

Go to Louisvillebicycleclub.org for information relevant to the Louisville area including Southern Indiana or louisvilleky.gov/BikeLouisville/ for an abundance of information and graphics of the sharrow markings.

Sylvia Griggs retired as an editor in the sales and marketing field. She is now a freelance writer residing in Jeffersonville. Please write to her at sylviagriggs8@yahoo.com.