While I'm not happy about the word "May"--since it might imply that signed areas are the only places where you can take a lane--it is nevetheless a great addition. If you left out "May" it might sound like a command to do so, and some bicyclists might feel uncomfortable integrating with traffic. Then again, if it's that unsafe to be riding right that you'd need a sign, maybe "May" should be left out.

I'm also concerned about the language setting up the proper use of the sign, since it concentrates on using it in situations where road lanes are too narrow for a bike to travel to the right with a car in the lane and mentions lanes with no shoulders. While this may imply lanes with parallel parking or other impediments, I'd like to see the recommendations for use be more specific. (For instance, I think something like this would be great for use on sections with construction that wipe out shoulder space with blockades.)

There's also the inclusion of sharrows, which is more good news, although again, the concentration is on areas with parallel parking and it still carries the philosophy of making the sharrow as far right as possible under the standards. (more on sharrows in another post)

As a followup, you can review the following:
http://www.trafficsign.us/npa.html  -- Good, organized collection of revisions

Revisions affecting bicyclists (keep scrolling all the way down to see the edits proposed, followed by art for all the signs)
http://www.lobv.org/docs/part09compl.pdf

Explanation of some of the proposed revisions concerning bicycle issues
http://www.lobv.org/docs/MUTCchangesoutlined.pdf

League of American Bicyclists magazine article
http://www.lobv.org/docs/american_bicyclist_signage.pdf

A great look at some rather unusual bike treatments
http://www.ite.org/education/IBT/BikeSlides(color).pdf

I did like the sign idea, but maybe it's not the best answer.  All I am saying is something has to be the right answer.

Taking note of close calls is the primary reason I started taking the full lane years ago.  I couldn't find any solution that had better results than taking the full lane.

Paying attention and evaluating retrospectively each close call helps improve safety for many other dangers to bicyclists as well.

I found this wonderful website by Ken Kifer, and he paints such an optimistic view of riding, and I think he travelled about 75-100,000 miles by bike, so he would know.  And I started thinking I am too pessimistic, maybe I should be more optimistic like him.

Then after reading loads and loads of articles, I decided I wanted to pop him a note and tell him how much I enjoyed his site.

Turns out he died in 2003, killed by a drunk driver who was released from jail 4 hours previous to killing ken, for a DUI.

Anyway.  My point is I want to be more optimistic about drivers and our law enforcement (they REALLY dropped the ball on that one), but the world keeps proving my optimism as foolishness.  The only things most motorists seem to listen to are signs.  If a sign tells them the speed LIMIT is 55 and the car in front of them is going 40mph, they get angry.  VERY angry, it does not even matter if there are 2 empty lanes that they can pass the slower traffic on, they get upset that that car is not following the almighty sign.  Some people get violent when they get upset.  Its a bad mix with driving.

I think you are right, it is probably all or nothing.  I think if we are going to live in a society where drivers only listen to signs, we need to suck it up and spend the money to sign all of the roads, access roads, rural highways, etc etc.  It has to be a LOT cheaper than separate facilities.  Maybe these signs are better than sharrows.  You could make the exact same argument for bike lanes.  I think some people have.  But we do have bike lanes on some roads and not others, and I would say only about 30% of them are worth riding in.

All I know is right now, what we need are drivers prepared to slow or stop for a bike or a pedestrian as the law says they should.  And I do not know how to accomplish it, but that sign looked like a cool idea.  Maybe someone else has some cool ideas?  Or should I just give up and resign myself to a world bathed in a constant fear of death.  Just hope I can have a few happy years till some drunk or self entitled or blind driver kills me.  And realize that in the end it cycling has better odds than sitting at home drinking beer and watching tv, but it's still a roulette wheel, I just have to pick a chamber and pull the trigger.

I'd suggest that we use sharrows at first only where it seems really hard for motorists to understand that bicyclists may, should, and will use that portion of the road (usually to emphasize use of the full lane).  Narrow that set of locations further by only putting the sharrows in places where taking an alternate route to avoid that road are cumbersome.

Now many motorists will assume that if the sign isn't there, the cyclist isn't entitled to take a lane.

Sharrows have similar problems.  I'm not saying they're bad, but unless you can put one everywhere where it's even remotely an issue, they might do as much harm as good.

Because a lot of drivers apparently feel we need to "get those bikes out of the middle of the road" and we need to stop that train wreck before it starts.

because one day when some a**ho*e gets 2 inches from my bike, and HONKS his horn full blast at me, I might have a wreck, and I could get hurt or die.

Because motorists expecting to own the road are more dangerous all around than a motorist who has been told by his authority figure (the sign) that he in fact, does not.

Bicycles are already entitled to use the entire lane in most cases.  The signs might reduce the number of people yelling at you to get into the shoulder/sidewalk/edge of the lane, but I don't see where that's so important -- people yelling at me are easily ignored when needed, and if they're yelling at me then I know they *see* me, and aren't likely to actually hit me.  It's the people who don't see me that worry me -- and these signs don't help with that.

The city does not want to burden every street with a bunch of signs I do know that.

well its better than a picture of a bicycle which is not as clear as this sign.

Contact:

Nadia M. Barrera
Bicycle/Pedestrian Project Coordinator
Department of Public Works
City of Austin
512-974-7142
(f) 512-974-7101
nadia.barrera@ci.austin.tx.us

and these people:

Michael Curtis, Pedestrian & Bike Program Manager –, 974-7056
Mark Cole, Pedestrian & Bike Project Coordinator, 974-7019
Jennifer Herber, Public Information Specialist Sr., 974-1444

You tell me how to get this ball rolling and I will do it.