Recently in the city of Dunkirk there have been some new pavement pictures called “sharrows.” The pictures show a bicycle and above it are two arrows pointing the direction to go with traffic. The sharrows are on Route 60, in the center of both lanes.

According to the New York State Department of Transportation, the pavement markings are designed to show drivers that the road is to be occupied by vehicles and bicyclists alike. They are meant to be for roads that are considered narrow – less than 14 feet wide and does not allow motorists and bicyclists to safely travel side-by-side within the lane.

Earlier this year sharrow signs were painted on Dale Drive in Cassadaga by the county. However the bicycle signs are on the right of the road, instead of the center of the lane.

The OBSERVER asked Susan Surdej with the state DOT why the sharrows in Dunkirk were placed in the center of the lane, instead of the right of the lane, like Cassadaga.

She replied, “DOT policy calls for these sharrow markings to be installed in the center of the lane as shown on Route 60 in Dunkirk, which is a state highway.”

That may be the policy, but by placing the sharrows in the center of the lane, it could give bicyclists a false impression that they should travel in the middle of the lane, instead of the right-hand side. From a motor vehicle driver’s perspective, it seems bicycle markings placed on the right of a road is a better place for them than in the middle of the lane.