Sharrows now official in the 2011 Delaware MUTCD, Wilmington

Permission has been granted for the use of Sharrows in Wilmington. The City has waited only 4 months since they applied for the go-ahead on Market Street, and installation appears imminent. The symbol, a proven safety and awareness tool for bicyclists and motorists alike, is still in interim guidance (memorandum in pdf HERE) and will feature in the new DE MUTCD manual when it is published early next year.

The symbol is a National Standard so there is no specific Delaware version, hence the “Uniform” part of the MUTCD. However, there are two types of bike symbols accepted within the chevron; one with a bicycle only, the other with a bicycle and a helmeted rider. Our friends at DelDOT chose the latter, which happens to match those currently used in DE for Bike lanes. The result will be an easier transition to a shared use lane should the need arise.