Same Road, Same Rules

The streets of Newport Beach carry thousands of motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians daily. All users have the same rights and responsibilities when using public streets.

A part of the vision for improving our roads is the installation of "sharrows" on some city streets.  Sharrows are markings (see image to the right) placed on roads in areas without bike lanes that serve as reminders to drivers that bicyclists can use the full traffic lane. In 2010, the City installed sharrows on Bayside Drive. 

Recently, the City Council approved sharrows on East Coast Highway between Avocado Avenue and Hazel Avenue that are scheduled for installation during the week of October 29, 2012.

Additional Information

• Bicycle trails map - a draft map of bicycle trails throughout Newport Beach
• Citizens Bicycle Safety Committee
  • Agendas and Minutes
  • Purpose and responsibilities
• City Council
  • October 9, 2012 - staff report
• Safety Guidelines for Bicyclist & Motorists  - brochure with tips for safely sharing the roads with other users
• Sharrows - questions and answers about sharrows 
• Tentative list of potential bike safety improvement projects
• California Driver Handbook - Sharing the Road (Scroll down the page for the Bicycles section)
• California Driver Handbook - Traffic Lanes - explains how drivers should treat bike lanes and bicycles in travel lanes.

Bike Safety Improvement Fund

The City Council established the Bike Safety Improvement Fund on October 9, 2012.  For every dollar donated to the Memorial Bike Ride through December 31, the City will match $3 that will be used for bicycle safety infrastructure improvements. You can visit the Newport Beach Memorial Bike Ride website at newportbeachmemorialride.com and choose several ways to contribute to the fund as noted below:

• Make a direct donation by cash, check or credit card.  Select the Donate link for instructions.
• The Memorial Ride organizers have negotiated a great arrangement with Amazon for the holidays.  Select the Amazon link and a percentage of your shopping will be automatically donated to the fund.
• Participate in the silent auction that is taking place on Thursday, November 29 from 7 p.m. to 8:15 p.m.  Select the Silent Auction link to register and view the growing list of auction items.