Sharrows on Park Rd. near the intersection with West Point Pike.

Last fall, sharrows were added to the street where I live in Upper Gwynedd Township – Park Road in the West Point neighborhood. This was the first sharrows-only application in the township and the first on a secondary, residential street. Nearby South Broad Street has had a mix of painted bike lanes and sharrows since 2024.

These sharrows are the first of others which will be coming as part of the township’s Comprehensive Recreation, Parks and Open Space Plan, which was adopted in January of 2025. If you click through to the PDF of the plan on this link, go to pages 92 and 93 to see an explanation of bike-related changes planned for the township and a map.

Bikes May Use Full Lane sign on Park Road in Upper Gwynedd Township

I cannot say the sharrows have done anything to slow drivers from excessively exceeding the posted speed limit of 25-MPH, and I cannot say yet there are yet significantly more bikers on Park Rd. However through  my unscientific observations I can report there have been more parents and younger children on the road as well as young teens – though this may have more to do with the age of my neighbors than the presence of the sharrows. Additionally I have a neighbor who works in Worcester Township and recently started biking to work. He is out on a short segment of Park Rd in his travels – so I am happy these sharrows pay a small part in his choice of active transportation for his commute.

The township did a good job of posting the sharrow markings at frequent intervals and placing them in the center of each side of the road (rather than over to the right). I have been told by others the “Bikes May Use Full Lane” signs posted at each end of the street are unusually large – they sounded jealous.

When I am out riding on the street now, I do have a subtle sense of agency I did not feel before. As I approach each sharrow and it sides beneath me I get a very slight affirmation riding a bicycle on the street where I live is not an unusual or strange thing to do.

My hope others in Upper Gwynedd will get to have this same feeling as lanes, sharrows and other bike-centric elements are rolled out at some point none of this will be any big deal.

Map showing where sharrows have been placed on Park Rd.