Sharrows and CitiBikes

Bike lanes have been around for a generation.  They are the simple, off-to-the-shoulder, narrow lanes for bike riders only.  And now we have—drum roll please—sharrows.  Yes, sharrows or sharrowing.  Sharrows are starting to appear on roads that have no room or availability for independent bike lanes.  Sharrows are roads that are open to both vehicle and bicycle traffic.  These lanes are “shared roads.”  There is nothing more to it than that, bike riders have no special dispensation to the road and automobiles do not have to adhere to some new set of rules.  Sharrows use a new design with prominent placement in the center of the lane alerting bikers and drivers that bikes will be riding in traffic.  

Look for sharrows coming to a town or big city near you.  Speaking of big cities, the biggest of them all New York City unveiled just this month the Big Apple’s new bike share program, known as CitiBike (thanks to a cash infusion from Citi).  And just as the bikes are being deployed to bike share stations throughout the boroughs they are being stolen.  In fact the first bike stolen was nabbed by a crook as it was being lowered from the truck delivering the machine.  The SBT has already written about the notoriety of Paris bike thieves.  The North American equivalent is New York City.  Similar to cars being stolen so they can be cut up in “chop shops” the same thing happens with bikes.  They are stolen for parts and sold illegally.  Soon, by the end of this week, 6,000 bikes will be deployed through New York City’s CitiBike stations.  The New York Times has been all over the story and they did a comprehensive study of the new bike share system that debuted in Paris not long ago.  What they discovered is that roughly 80% of all bikes in the Paris system have been stolen.  Many are also damaged.  The Times also chatted with an NYPD flatfoot who stated that in his years walking a beat he never, not once, caught a bike thief.  

New York officials claim they have learned from Paris, and Montreal, and Toronto and have ordered bikes with unique components making them worthless in the resale market.  New York has also invested in titanium locks at the docking stations.  New York is confident that the CitiBikes will be safe and secure.  What that means is that private bikes are in greater danger of being stolen.  If the crooks can’t steel the CitiBikes, then they will steal yours or mine.  What you might need to invest in is a good lock.  Kryptonite makes one.  They call it the New York Lock.  Comforting.   

Some good news…  The CitiBikes have been so popular riders are coming to the docking station who never learned to ride a bike.  New York has created a half hour workshop at selected stations where people can learn to ride.  CitiBikes are $10 per day or $100 for a one year membership.

Please visit our website at www.stickybottleteam.net for a video about Sharrows in Southern California.  A kind old man enters the conversation at the :38 second mark with thoughtful gratitude in praise of the program.  Well, maybe not.