The crew of Sir Lines-A-Lot (ref: King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table .... Monty Python, etc., fame—NOT) was busy today installing 45 sharrows along the Lake Links route through Mahtomedi.
These are the premium sharrows, which are recessed into the asphalt (to protect them from snowplow blades) with solid epoxy heat-bonded to the asphalt. They are expected to last four to five times longer than the latex paint versions.
These sharrows remind vehicle drivers to expect bicycles in the street and also suggest where the bicyclist should ride laterally in the lane (right on top of the symbol). With this position away from the curb the bicyclist is more visible and less likely to be squeeze passed. The alignment also provides room for pedestrians and joggers. They are fixed, but the parked cars along Park Avenue are not fixed so please take care to avoid parked cars and not blindly follow the sharrows where parked cars are present.
In the case of Birchwood Road section of the Lake Links Trail, the sharrows indicate a proper path for more confident cyclists in the vehicle lane rather than on the constrained narrow shared use path on the north side of the road.
In coming weeks there will also be additional "20 mph" signs and "share the road" signs (with bike, pedestrian, and vehicle graphic) all along the shared road trail sections of Wildwood Beach Road and Park Avenue in Mahtomedi.
The city of Mahtomedi is to be congratulated in the city's ongoing attention to detail and the high quality of the trail. We encourage other communities along the trail to rise to this quality level.
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