share the road sign on Hot Springs
Hot Springs Rd was reconstructed last year between Carson St and Roop St. Though Muscle Powered had asked that bike lanes be included, the city felt that there was insufficient right of way to add bike lanes. Instead, they signed the section with “share the road” signs. This is not an official shared lane according to the MUTCD, which requires at least 14 feet for a shared lane, so it will not likely receive the “sharrows” or shared lane pavement marking.
I have observed bicycle use on this section of road, and I use short pieces of it nearly every day since I live in the north end of town and it provides access to Roop St and to Carson St. Experienced bicyclists seem to be comfortable using the road and sharing the lane with vehicles, but I’ve seen almost no inexperienced bicyclists on the road. They instead use the sidewalks. Bicycles on sidewalks is not the end of the world, so long as riders are alert, respectful, slow down and inform pedestrians before passing (with voice or bell), and remember that pedestrians always have the right of way. Nevertheless, it would have been better to provide separate facilities for bicycles.
The section does have nice sidewalks along both sides, which were mostly missing before, and I see a lot more pedestrians now. Quite a number of people now walk here for school bus access, Safeway, the gas station convenience store, the Walmart shopping center, and other destinations.
