Well, not really.
I've known that these are referred to as sharrows:
Share + Arrows = Sharrows. Clever.
What I didn't know (and found out today) was that they are actually strategically placed to reduce the risk of being hit by car doors. I found it on Wikipedia, so that means it has to be true. Hah... I just assumed they were placed on roads to make motorists aware of lane-sharing. I guess I need to pay more attention.
According to cyclists in Princeton, NJ (via recent community discussions), sharrows do have a good effect on many drivers. One cyclist said he was regularly harrassed on my street before the sharrows, but that since the sharrows were painted, formerly clueless drivers who believed bicycles should "get out of the way" because nicer and stopped honking at the cyclists.
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