An ongoing safety measure being implemented in Thousand Oaks is the painting of "sharrows" on Thousand Oaks Boulevard between Moorpark Road and Duesenburg Drive. The road marking, two forward arrows along with the familiar white bicycle logo, is used to show motorists and cyclists a safe, shared path on roads that cannot accommodate a continuous bike lane.

Sharrows … are perhaps the best tool for multi-modal transit safety that Santa Fe has seen in recent years — and at a very low cost. Sharrows currently mark select Santa Fe streets to remind both cyclists and motorists that the safest place for bikes on any narrow street is right in the middle of the lane, not on sidewalks, and not in the gutter.

Sharrows are supposed to be intuitive educational devices, but perhaps a little introduction is necessary. The idea is that on narrow urban streets, particularly roadways less than 13 feet wide or with heavy streetside parking, the safest place for bicycles is in the traffic lane with the flow of other vehicles.

This is the safest position for maximum visibility and predictability. By taking the lane, cyclists avoid dangerous hazards such as storm drains and open car doors. Additionally, sharrows serve as a reminder to motorists that by state law cyclists are entitled to use the full lane whenever and wherever they judge it to be "practicable."

Mayer expressed his concerns about using a sharrow on streets with parking. He believes that they should be used in locations with narrow outside lanes without parking. He also believes that staff should construct a bike lane and allow parking in the bike lane during non-commute hours.