Cyclists, motorists urged to share
Workers have been wrapping up a project to place signs along Hermosa Avenue, and paint arrow-like markers on the roadway itself, to encourage bicyclists to use a full lane going each way, if they need the space for safety. Hermosa Avenue, which runs through the downtown area as it reaches Pier Avenue, is four lanes across. Officials said if a cyclist takes the full lane nearest the curb, motorists should pass using the lane nearest the median. The signs and the pavement markings – called “sharrows” – reinforce practices that are already backed by law, said Hermosa Beach Public Works Director Rick Morgan. The state vehicle code allows a cyclist to take a full traffic lane on a roadway with vehicle parking at the curb, he said. If Hermosa Avenue had no parking, state law would direct cyclists to remain as close to the curb as safety allows. “We put up the signs and sharrows to recommend that cyclists should take the middle of the lane when they have to do so for safety,” Morgan said, adding that cyclists can be injured if they are too close to parked cars when the drivers open their car doors. “The cyclists have always had the right to take the full lane if they feel unsafe, and…
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