Description
There is a ridiculous sign that seems to prohibit cyclists from using High St / Mowere Rd. Instead of saying "Keep off Shoulder" or "Shoulder Closed" which appears might have been the intent, the sign seems to bar cyclists from the road. Per the vehicle code, cyclists are completely entitled to use the lane and are not in any way required to use the shoulder. If the township wants to bar people from the shoulder, they should say "Shoulder Closed" for everybody, not just cyclists and pedestrians. Are _cars_ allowed on the shoulder because they aren't listed in the prohibition? What's a cyclist supposed to do when encountering this sign? Call a cab?
5 Comments
Closed A Taxpayer (Registered User)
Reopened Chris Nadovich (Registered User)
Ed (Registered User)
Perhaps they should have used this section of the code:
§ 212.601. Shared road facilities.
Where there is a need to warn motorists to watch for bicyclists traveling along the highway, the Share the Road Sign (W15-3) sign may be used instead of the Bicycle Warning Sign (W11-1) and the Share the Road Plaque (W16-1) as provided in the MUTCD.
Chris Nadovich (Registered User)
Yes, Ed, I agree. Although Share the Road isn't perfect (since most motorists misinterpret it) Share the Road would be a far better sign than the 9 word sign. It's impossible to read and interpret that 9-word sign if you are riding at speed. Do they want riders to stop and read this paragraph, then analyze the ambiguous verbiage while stopped in the roadway? Again, if they just wanted to close the shoulder, there are perfectly good 2 and 3-word signs for that as well.
My understanding is that this silly sign is the result of a dispute between the town and some local homeowner group. It's ridiculous that some local squabble resulted in this bad sign being inflicted on cycling traffic on that road. I'm a ride organizer, and this sign suddenly appeared on one of my routes. It's a headache for me.
Closed Chris Nadovich (Registered User)