What do the new road markings on Grove Street in Barrie mean?

This week, the City of Barrie painted new road markings on Grove Street in an effort to remind cyclists and motorists to share the road.

The road marking is called a sharrow, which is a painted image of a bicycle with two chevrons.

The sharrows have been painted on the road in both directions on Grove Street from Toronto Street to Penetanguishene Road.

“We decided to use sharrows because we felt they are a good balance between encouraging active transportation and safety, while also minimizing the impact to the residents of Grove Street,” said Tom Hanrahan, the city's traffic services supervisor. “Unlike a bike lane, a sharrow needs less space and has no impact to on-street parking.”

The Active Transportation Committee identified Grove Street as a preferred bike route in the city.

In addition to the pavement marking symbol, road signs are also being installed to remind all users to share the road.

Road signs are expected to be installed next week.