Cyclists and motorists encouraged to share the road on Hamilton's Victoria St

One of the new sharrows (share arrows) on Victoria St at the Alma St roundabout. Photo / Supplied

Road markings, called sharrows (share arrows), have been recently painted along Hamilton's Victoria St, between Claudelands Rd and Hood St, to help improve cycle accessibility within the central city.

Hamilton City Council says sharrows support Victoria St's low speed zone, making it a perfect route for people on bikes and the council wants to encourage cyclists and motorists to share the road.

Sharrows have a green backing with a white bike symbol and two chevrons above it and were first introduced to the city along Claudelands Bridge in 2019.

"They indicate a shared road space and act as a cue to let drivers know cyclists can 'claim the lane'. We want people on bikes to feel confident occupying the same space as a car and feel safe riding in the middle of the lane, rather than keeping left," says the council's city transportation manager Jason Harrison.

"It's a behavioural change for motorists as they will need to be more aware on the road and understand that cyclists may be riding further into the line of traffic.

"It's important for drivers to maintain a safe distance and keep to the speed limit. We want Hamilton to be a city that's easy to get around and sharrows provide the opportunity for cyclists to safely access the central city without having to ride beside traffic," says Harrison.

As well as sharrows, advanced cycle stop boxes have also been added to Victoria St. These painted green boxes appear at the traffic lights and are designed to give cyclists a space to wait ahead of traffic.

These road markings were completed at the end of March and the council will continue to provide education to drivers and cyclists on how to use these shared spaces safely.

The council says future locations for sharrows and advanced cycle stop boxes around the city are likely to be identified as the council continues to monitor high cycling areas and feedback from the community.

Meanwhile, the council has closed part of a north-bound lane on Victoria St as a trial as it looks to create a new cycle lane allowing cyclists to turn right onto Claudelands Bridge.

The north-bound right-hand lane on Victoria St between Ward St and Claudelands Rd is closed until Friday, May 28. The left-hand lane remains open to vehicles and cyclists travelling north.

The council says the closure is to monitor the impact on traffic in the surrounding central city streets should the right-hand lane eventually be closed permanently to create a new cycle lane allowing cyclists only to turn right onto Claudelands Bridge.