The lonely sign that could.

Continuing on Rachel’s post from last week, let’s talk a little bit more about the importance of signage.  I’d like to start with what I call the lonely Share the Road sign.

I’ve been riding in Richmond since 2007, and I cannot recall seeing a Share the Road sign other than this one. I’m not going to put money on it, but the point remains that there are exceedingly few. Why? Do you know where this sign is, tucked away in an industrial center pretty much under a bridge set against some railroad tracks? – It’s set in the middle of the route navigated by our BWRVA intern last week on Valley Rd which serves as a low-traffic connector between the buffered bike lanes on 18th/Oliver Hill Way and the southern start of the Cannon Creek Greenway.  It is easily the lowest traffic street in the whole route between Dock St (and its portion of the Virginia Capital Trail) and the western terminus of the buffered bike lanes on Brookland Parkway.  How did it get this sign?

As Rachel discovered in the experiment we set up for her, there is more to a street and a route than its traffic control devices.  Signage can go a long way to create easily interpreted wayfinding and to build routes. But signage can also influence the way road users experience and act in the public right of way.  Imagine how riding through The Fan would be different if there were a few of these signs there?  We actually think signage like this could bolster the environment the Floyd Avenue Bike/Walk Street is designed to create.

We are motivated by the results nationally and around the world that dedicated spaces in the built environment for bike riders, walkers, joggers, parents with strollers, dog walkers, and others getting outside for fun, utility, transportation, or to relax on one’s lunch break have on people’s health and the health of a city. That dedicated space needs to be complemented with signage and branding to create a truly positive experience for everyone.

Because people of all walks of life need to be able to get here.

Brantley Tyndall
Bike Walk RVA