Media

Green is not alone. Many area riders consider the bridge -- the only way to travel by bicycle between Louisville and Southern Indiana -- one of the most dangerous roadways to share with cars. But Louisville Metro government is trying to make the bridge safer for bicyclists. Pavement markings and signs, also called "sharrows," will be placed on the bridge and on narrow streets in the city where there isn't room for a separate bike lane, said Mohammad Nouri, assistant director of transportation services for the city. The markings, which will go in the center of the lane, include a white bicycle with two chevrons painted over it. Each marking is about 3 feet wide and 10 feet long. The signs will also show the bicycle and chevrons and say: SHARED LANE YIELD TO BIKES. The markings and signs, which will be the first ones placed in Kentucky, are intended to reinforce the rules of the road for motorists and cyclists, Nouri said. "We are telling a motorist that if you see a cyclist, treat it like a vehicle," he said. "That cyclist has the same rights in the travel lanes at that moment and exclusive rights to that lane." The city has obtained permission from the state, which controls the bridge, to place the signs and lane markings, Nouri said. The traffic signs are being used on an experimental basis because the federal government has not placed the sign in its Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. Louisville sent a seven-page letter to the Federal Highway Administration in April seeking permission to use the signs, and received permission July 5.

That was two days after bicyclist George Cronen Jr. was struck and killed by a van while crossing the bridge. That incident helped speed up the process of placing sharrow signs on the bridge, said Ed Tonini, vice president of advocacy of the Louisville Bicycle Club and Cronen's brother-in-law. The bridge is an ideal example of where to use the markings, Nouri said. The lanes on the bridge are 10 feet wide -- 3 to 4 feet less than a normal lane, he said. While the markings and signs won't change the laws, Tonini said they will help inform motorists that they need to exercise caution. "We're just starting a process," he said, of educating motorists that bicycles are becoming more prominent and have a right to the road. Any kind of marking on the roads that alerts motorists that a bicycle could be there is helpful, Louisville Metro Police Sgt. Todd Shaw said. The shared-lane signs compare to a yield or crosswalk sign, which catch a driver's attention, he said. "It's almost like a heads-up sign," Shaw said. Other cities, including Denver, Portland, San Francisco and Chicago, already use the sharrows markings. While Chicago would prefer to use bike lanes, David Gleason, bikeways traffic engineer for the city, said "sharrows" work well in narrow streets where cars are also parked.

Louisville will have to conduct studies on how the markings are working and submit them to the federal government, Nouri said. Putting up the signs and painting the lane markers on the bridge and selected city streets will cost about $4,000, Nouri said. The city is evaluating streets now and will begin placing markings soon, Nouri said. All city-maintained streets will be evaluated to see if markings are needed, he said. The streets being considered are:
15th Street from Kentucky Street to Wilson Avenue.
Third Street from River Road to Broadway.
Main and Market streets from Ninth to First streets.
Jackson Street from Woodbine Avenue to Broadway.
Spring/Adams Street from Mellwood Avenue to Washington Street.

While it isn't certain when the markings and signs will appear on the Clark bridge, they are expected to be up in time for a memorial ride in honor of Cronen on Aug. 12. "Yes, it's a memorial ride," Tonini said, " … but it can be a launching point of a whole new era."