'Sharrows' key to revised bicycle system proposal

Cape Girardeau city staff members plan to present a revised proposal of a bicycle route system that will allow roughly 15 miles of new routes to the city council at its May 16 meeting.

The revision includes plans to replace the traditional striping that indicates no parking and replace it with the use of shared-use arrows, or "sharrows," composed of a stencil of a bike and two arrows, which allows parking.

Heather Brooks, assistant to the city manager of Cape Girardeau, said sharrows allow people to continue parking while indicating to drivers the road is a biking lane.

"We are excited about the use of sharrows, which allows for the identification of routes and improves safety while still recognizing the need for continued on-street parking," she said in a news release.

The sharrows are proposed to be used on sections of Lexington Avenue, Bertling Street, Frederick Street, Hopper Road and Independence Street, allowing on-street parking on those routes.

Brooks said the concerns of residents regarding no parking issues is addressed with the revised proposal.

"It's a good compromise for our community," she said. "It takes into account the feedback we heard from residents."

The new proposal will be presented to the city council at 7 p.m. May 16 at city hall.

The Missouri Foundation for Health, a philanthropic organization that strives to improve health for residents, provided the funding for the bicycle route system.