The Centre Region Bike Coalition met last night to discuss a new program that will make Centre County safer for bicyclists.

The coalition's campaign will place diamond-shaped signs depicting a car behind a cyclist and reminding motorists to "Share the Road" on roadways and at intersections frequented by cyclists.

"The whole idea is to heighten the motorists' awareness of bicyclists," said Trish Meek, travel planner for the Centre Regional Planning Agency.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation already placed a few signs in the area, including two near the intersection of Fox Hollow Road and Park Avenue near Beaver Stadium, Meek said.

Laura Simon, the coalition's vice president, said the idea was introduced to the group after coalition members noticed signs near the stadium.

Thinking others across the county would be beneficial to the community, the coalition enlisted the help of Meek, who prepared a tentative list of 44 state road locations where the signs would be helpful. The list includes six areas in State College that were chosen because of their lack of paved shoulders. If requests for the signs are approved, two will be placed on University Drive, going to and from the Bryce Jordan Center.

One will be placed between Fox Hollow Road and the Office of Physical Plant driveway and another will go at the intersection of High Street and East College Avenue. Two signs will be placed on Park Avenue, one between Shortlidge Road and Holmes Street and the other between Shortlidge and University Drive.

"I have no idea how many signs they're going to place," Meek said. "But I'm pretty confident that by submitting the list we'll get the ball rolling."

Meek said the signs will remind motorists familiar with the roadway to watch for cyclists, and also remind new drivers or those unfamiliar with the road that there are cyclists using it as well.

"It gives (them) the awareness and the reminder to give cyclists a break," she said.

Because there are so many locations and more sites will likely be added before the coalition formally petitions PennDOT, Meek said it is necessary to prioritize the locations.

The coalition agreed to send the tentative locations to the bicycle path and route facilitation committee to grade the locations as high, medium and low priority. The list will then be returned to the coalition and sent to PennDOT for final approval, Meek said.