A sign on 19th Street signals to bicyclists and motorists that bicyclists can use the full lane of traffic. The City Commission recently approved the new signage policy, which calls for the addition of “Bikes May Use Full Lane” and “3-Foot Passing” signs.

Some motorists may need an extra reminder about sharing the road with bicyclists, and they may soon get it as local officials have approved thousands of dollars of new street signs.

The Lawrence-Douglas County Bicycle Advisory Committee recommended the new bicycle signage policy, and committee leaders say the goal is to help improve safety.

“The idea is that we educate both cyclists and drivers as to the correct interaction between bikes and cars, so that everybody can use the road as safely as possible,” said Lisa Hallberg, chair of the committee.

The City Commission recently approved the new signage policy, which calls for the addition of “Bikes May Use Full Lane” and “3-Foot Passing” signs. The policy recommendation notes that some motorists and bicyclists may not be aware of state laws giving bicyclists the same rights as motorists when traveling on roadways, or the law that requires motorists keep their vehicles at least three feet away from bicyclists that they are passing.

The committee identified about 50 priority locations for signs in Lawrence and Douglas County. The estimated cost for the signs is about $28,000, with the city and county roughly splitting the expense. Not all the signs, however, will be put up at once.

Jessica Mortinger, senior transportation planner for the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Department, said signs generally will be added when roadwork is done on a street or when funds are available. Mortinger said signs could be installed before roadwork is done, in the event that other funds — such as grants or money budgeted toward bicycle/pedestrian improvements — become available.

The “Bikes May Use Full Lane” signs will be added to roadways where there are no designated areas for bikes, such as bike lanes or multiuse paths. The signs will also be added on streets with traffic-calming devices (such a speed bumps or pedestrian islands), as well roadways where the lane is not wide enough for a motorist to pass a cyclist with the minimum buffer of three feet.

photo by: Rochelle Valverde

A sign on 19th Street, pictured in November 2016, signals to bicyclists and motorists that bicyclists can use the full lane of traffic.

One instance where the traffic lane isn’t wide enough to accommodate three-foot passing is within roundabouts. The “Bikes May Use Full Lane” signs are already installed at roundabouts at the intersections of Wakarusa and Inverness Drive and 19th Street and Barker Avenue.

“Those are good examples of where the lane is not wide enough for a vehicle to pass a bicyclist, and so the bicyclists are safest if they take the full lane, so that way the cars then queue behind them,” Mortinger said.

The “3-Foot Passing” signs will be added on arterial or collector streets that serve as key entry points into the community, as well as county roads where bicyclists must ride on the shoulder or in the roadway.

Hallberg said the priority locations were selected because they are on designated bike routes or locations where committee members have experienced resistance from drivers.

“We were thinking specifically about bike routes, about places where we as cyclists have certainly had that experience of drivers not thinking that we are allowed to be there, basically,” Hallberg said.

Within city limits, priority locations for “3-Foot Passing” signs include 6th Street and Bob Billings Parkway. Priority locations on county roads include roadways between Lawrence and Lone Star Lake, a popular route with many cyclists. In 2014, a cyclist was killed on the route after being stuck by a motorist attempting to pass another vehicle.

The new signs will join other efforts to make the city more pedestrian and bicycle friendly, including the installation of bicycle lanes, multiuse paths and the Lawrence Loop path around the city.