What's this doing in the bike lane?

Share your pics, videos, streets, stories of what you find in the bike lane of the non-bike variety that has an impact on your ride and/or your safety. I've decided to keep it a little more open ended - cars, snow, buses, garbage, cabs, etc. If they shouldn't be in the bike lane, go ahead and add it to this thread. Please be safe if you are taking pics or video! :-) 

My hope is that we can collectively build some evidence of what we see when riding in the city with the overall hope of better enforcement of "bikes only" and improving maintenance. 

Update: More Hashtags to Capture Vehicles in the Bike Lane

With popular hashtags:
#BikeLaneShaming

#LaneSpreading (Chicago Bike Selling)

#ClearTheWay (ActiveTrans), there are many options to capture violations.

We think you should use ALL of them AND post your photos on The Chainlink. ;-)

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Argonne69 on June 28, 2018 at 9:59am

The Department of Finance writes tickets for parking violations, and vehicles illegally parked in the bike lanes. I asked one worker how many tickets he's written on Franklin in the last year, and he's said ~30. I've reported over 200 violations on Franklin via 311 in the same timeframe. My commute on Franklin is 10 minutes long five days a week. Imagine if I did it full time. I have no idea where they spend their time patrolling, but it sure isn't the hotspots that we were told the 311 system was going to identify.

Permalink Reply by Carter O'Brien on June 28, 2018 at 10:22am

Interesting, I always see cops writing tickets near me but that may be due to specific complaints coming in via 911 as opposed to the meter-reader folks, etc. Also easy to FOIA, should anyone feel so inclined: https://www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/fin/supp_info/fin_foia....

Permalink Reply by Carter O'Brien on June 28, 2018 at 7:30am

We aren't a small municipality, Chicago's situation is nothing like the small suburb (I'm looking at you, Niles) where a cop can sit around all day and get lucky like a lazy, drunk ice fisherman rooting on the Packers.

In Chicago CPD actually needs to drive around to enforce traffic laws. So in addition to salaries, benefits, pensions, you've got vehicles, vehicle insurance, gasoline, etc. All incredibly expensive. not even remotely close to a breakeven, or we'd still be doing it. Money talks.

Quotas were always technically illegal, but at my first traffic mandatory traffic class (after getting a ticket at age 16) the cop teaching it said something to the extent of "Everybody will tell you know there is no such a thing as a ticket quota. They will all be lying. It may not be officially written down, but every cop is evaluated on a monthly basis, so don't speed in the last few days of the month, it's when cops all actually start doing their jobs."

That was in 1988.

(btw, website is not letting me reply directly, sorry about that)

Permalink Reply by Maurice on June 28, 2018 at 4:51pm

Sunk costs: how do they work?

Permalink Reply by Argonne69 on June 28, 2018 at 11:50am

225 N Franklin St. 311 report submitted. Well, what do you know. 'Still illegal.

Permalink Reply by S on June 29, 2018 at 9:34am

Just curious but if you're going to be such a rules stickler in regards to vehicles stopping in lanes with sharrows do you also go and report cyclists that Idaho stop or run stop signs or lights?  How about cyclists going the wrong way down streets or using sidewalks?

Permalink Reply by BikeScnhook on June 29, 2018 at 11:59am

I sure as hell would. Especially if it puts others in danger. That all pisses me off because it makes us ALL look bad.

Permalink Reply by Argonne69 on July 4, 2018 at 11:53am

Cyclists performing an Idaho stop correctly, i.e. safely, don't put me at risk. Heck. I do the Idaho stop. A**hat motorists using the shared bike lanes as taxi stands force me into traffic, and put me in danger. What part of "illegal to stop in a shared bike lane" don't you understand? For F*ck's sake.

Permalink Reply by ad on June 29, 2018 at 3:47am
I don't disagree in many cases, and never assume I'm safe simply because I'm in a marked bike lane, but the painted lines can help (especially if enforced). Washington from I-90 to Canal was becoming a total nightmare to ride on, and the bike lanes that were recently added have been like night and day. Cars aren't perfect, but it's much easier to get through there right now. The rub is if it will stick, and for it to stick drivers need to know someone is watching.
Permalink Reply by Bob Kastigar on June 29, 2018 at 5:59am

It's a $150.00 ticket for parking in the bike lane! 

Let the finance department start collecting a little money for the city, as well as enforcing the bike lane laws.  Let the police fight crime, let the "meter maids" issue the tickets.

Permalink Reply by Melissa Zammit on July 6, 2018 at 1:48am

I often wonder why the parking ticket writers can't also ticket these a-holes.  It would make more sense than burdening the police department.

Permalink Reply by Soxside on July 3, 2018 at 7:14am

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