Road markings, called sharrows (share arrows), have been recently painted along Victoria Street, between Claudelands Road and Hood Street, to help improve cycle accessibility within the central city.

The sharrows support Victoria Street’s low speed zone, making it a perfect route for people on bikes and Hamilton City Council wants to encourage cyclists and motorists to share the road.

Sharrows have a green backing with a white bike symbol and two chevrons above it and were first introduced to the city along Claudelands Bridge in 2019.

“They indicate a shared road space and act as a cue to let drivers know cyclists can ‘claim the lane’. We want people on bikes to feel confident occupying the same space as a car and feel safe riding in the middle of the lane, rather than keeping left,” says Council’s City Transportation Manager Jason Harrison.

“It’s a behavioural change for motorists as they will need to be more aware on the road and understand that cyclists may be riding further into the line of traffic.

“It’s important for drivers to maintain a safe distance and keep to the speed limit. We want Hamilton to be a city that’s easy to get around and sharrows provide the opportunity for cyclists to safely access the central city without having to ride beside traffic,” says Harrison.

As well as sharrows, advanced cycle stop boxes have also been added to Victoria Street. These painted green boxes appear at the traffic lights and are designed to give cyclists a space to wait ahead of traffic.

These road markings were completed at the end of March and Council will continue to provide education to drivers and cyclists on how to use these shared spaces safely.

Future locations for sharrows and advanced cycle stop boxes around the city are likely to be identified as Council continues to monitor high cycling areas and feedback from the community.

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