How modern traffic signs are born: 'Bikes may use full lane'
From TBD On Foot
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Maryland's state policy on the "Bikes May Use Full Lane" sign is still very much evolving. Earlier this summer came what appears to now be mistaken news that Maryland had rejected the sign, as this May 2011 letter from Maryland's statewide studies team shows (PDF). The team leader states that Maryland will not adopt the R4-11 sign and points to the reasoning that New York used: the sign "could mislead inexperienced bicyciists [sic] into occupying inappropriate, and unsafe, positions within a roadway." Instead, the official preference would be for Shared Lane markings or the yellow "Share the Road" signs. A strong reaction from the Washington Area Bicycle Association — in which a purported 625 e-mails were sent to Maryland officials advocating for the sign — have reopened the question. The last word was that Maryland officials did plan to "develop appropriate guidelines" for the traffic sign.
So much emotion over the road! It's a fun look into what's really a serious (if painstakingly long-term) process that continues the traditions I first described arising in the 1920s. This "Bikes May Use Full Lane" example is especially relevant to D.C. area bikers given the intensity that surrounds the different types of riders out there. We saw some of that earlier this month when WABA's Shane Farthing suggested new legislation allowing cyclists to fight back against angry, aggressive drivers more easily. There's a lot of vehicles out there sharing these roads, from cars to bikes to Segways, and the need for new, clear traffic signs is always evolving.
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