Suwanee installs 'sharrows'

SUWANEE - Something new has been added to the streets of Suwanee.

The city has installed nearly 5 miles of sharrows - street markings that remind motorists to share the roadway with bicycles. It's part of the implementation of Suwanee's 2011 Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan. The sharrows - identified by a bicycle symbol with a double arrow above - are intended to improve the safety relationship between cyclists and drivers.

Research has shown, says Suwanee's Director of Planning Josh Campbell, that these markings make cyclists more comfortable in their portion of the roadway and encourage drivers to give cyclists more space. However, unlike bicycle lanes, sharrows do not designate part of the road exclusively for cyclists.

"Sharrows," Campbell says, "don't create any additional rights for bikers nor diminish rights or responsibilities for drivers. They simply create an awareness to share the road."

The sharrow-marked routes in Suwanee include Eva Kennedy, Main Street, Martin Farm Road, Russell Road, Scales Road, and Station Center Boulevard.

"Suwanee wants to encourage alternative forms of transportation," says Campbell, who recreationally bikes 80 miles each week. "Sharrows give bikers the assurance that they're allowed to use those roads as well."

The routes marked are intended to be used primarily for transportation, rather than recreational, purposes and take bikers to and around downtown Suwanee without having to access busier main roads. The marked routes lead to destination locations, such as historic Old Town, the Suwanee Creek Greenway, and McGinnis Ferry multiuse path, from which additional destinations are accessible.

The sharrow markings, spaced 250 feet apart, were installed by the City's public works department. Signs also have been installed, indicating the beginning and end of routes as well as any turns along the way.