Clear the Lane

The Bicycle Coalition recently reported that some new signs have been popping up around Philly:

Well, they're not new in design, but new in the sense that they're appearing in more places. A step in the right direction for sure, but look closely at the picture above. There is a complete sidewalk separating this sign from Girard Avenue, which also has a row of parked cars next to the sidewalk. Who the hell is going to see this sign?

In any case, I'm glad to see these go up, especially when I'm on a narrow street in South Philly with residual trolley tracks. I'd much rather ride in the center of the lane than have to tight rope down the small space between the tracks and the parked cars, risking getting doored or running into a fast-acting pedestrian. I actually exploited this law on South 11th Street the other day, much to the angst of a New Jersey VW driver. Get over it.

These signs are supposed to convey a much clearer message than the usual "Share the Road" signs we're used to seeing around here, and I agree:

Side note, you can see this same sign in the top picture, so we're doubly covered here, sort of. Hey, at least they're trying, I guess...