The Chainlink

Reckless

Approaching the North Avenue bridge this morning on my way to work, I saw a fire truck blocking the path right where the LFT forks. Uh-oh . . . Sure enough, there was a man, unconscious, on the ground, paramedics working on him, and a small group of people around a biker, explaining something to them, waiving his arms energetically. (My guess is, he either witnessed what happened there, or was involved—I did not see the accident itself.) Of course, they were standing right on the path.

Yes, they were standing on the bike path, half of which was blocked by emergency personnel, at a rather busy intersection half blocked again by a fire truck. Can't they move their asses a fucking three feet to the side to let others through?!

I see this kind of behavior every single day.

I should have stopped noticing it by now.

But it still amazes me.

 

. . . I hope the man is OK.

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Permalink Reply by Mark on July 12, 2011 at 4:10pm

That intersection is the most dangerous on the LFT.  To make it safer, the "bicycle bypass" trail should break off from the main trail north of the pedestrian bridge and then cross underneath the bridge on the way south to North Avenue.  Unfortunately, I don't think that is possible with the way the current bridge is built.

 

Everyone needs to watch out for each other there.  Slow down and be aware of your surroundings. 

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on July 12, 2011 at 4:24pm
Indeed -until the magic force-fields are perfected we'll have to just pay attention and look out for ourselves and each other because there are those out there who just don't care about our safety.
Permalink Reply by Carter O'Brien on July 12, 2011 at 4:32pm

I dunno, my fave/most despised area is at Fullerton, where I always curse whatever nimrod decided that putting a hot dog kiosk directly off the path was a good idea.

 

I really can't fathom why they put any of those kiosks right off the path, actually, it's just a recipe for disaster.  Same thing with that lifeguard trailer, why can't that be placed ON the beach (you know, like the overpriced restaurant)?


Mark said:

That intersection is the most dangerous on the LFT.  To make it safer, the "bicycle bypass" trail should break off from the main trail north of the pedestrian bridge and then cross underneath the bridge on the way south to North Avenue.  Unfortunately, I don't think that is possible with the way the current bridge is built.

 

Everyone needs to watch out for each other there.  Slow down and be aware of your surroundings. 

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on July 12, 2011 at 4:39pm
Never attribute to malice that which can be attributed to incompetence instead.
Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on July 12, 2011 at 5:08pm

At a certain point the distinction between the two becomes blurred.

 

I've met a few people who could barely be considered sapient life-forms.  I didn't know how they were able to get up out of bed every day, dress themselves, and make it into work.  It must be a lower brain function that got them through the day because when it came to higher conscious behaviors they were severely lacking. These are the kinds of people that scare me when I think about them behind the wheel of 2000lb+ weapons on the road :(

Serge Lubomudrov said:

Is incompetence one of the attributes of an idiocy, or is malice?
Permalink Reply by S on July 12, 2011 at 5:08pm


Serge Lubomudrov said:

 

I was curious. Here's the legal definition:

Reckless endangerment is a crime consisting of acts that create a substantial risk of serious physical injury to another person. The accused person isn't required to intend the resulting or potential harm, but must have acted in a way that showed a disregard for the foreseeable consequences of the actions.

"Disregard for the foreseeable consequences."—Exactly.


I'm not an attorney and maybe one of them could chime in but I think they could make a case that their ignorance excuses them from the foreseeable consequences part of that.  Although there are a few signs about using the path up, it's easy to miss them and the users aren't necessarily aware of the etiquette for path usage.

 

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on July 12, 2011 at 5:40pm


Serge Lubomudrov said:

 

They are not simply idiots. They are self-centered morons absolutely sure of their birthright to be where they are at any given moment, and if that is inconveniencing someone else, it's just too bad.

If only it was only them who suffer in an accident.


Permalink Reply by Zach on July 14, 2011 at 1:35pm

If there's an accident and emergency personnel are at the scene, is it really too hard to dismount and walk the bike or ride through the grass to get on by?

 

Permalink Reply by Joel on July 14, 2011 at 1:55pm

The problem is too many people don't treat the LFP more like a road, which it really is.  There are lanes and slower traffic should keep to the right.  You don't randomly change lanes or stop in the middle of the road.  You don't wander across it just anywhere.  You don't stop and take a group picture in it.  It is meant for through traffic.

 

They really need to put up more signage telling people to keep to the right and not to loiter.  Sometimes I wonder if it would be better if they put up a small fence along the path with designated cross walks for a few of the stretches.  

Permalink Reply by Carter O'Brien on July 14, 2011 at 3:03pm

A-men, brother.  Ties into my complaint about all the vending kiosks that line the path (not to mention the benches).  It is hard to fault people too much for wandering on the path because at present, that is exactly the message that having sunglasses and lemonade and hot dog stands along it sends.


Joel said:

The problem is too many people don't treat the LFP more like a road, which it really is.  There are lanes and slower traffic should keep to the right.  You don't randomly change lanes or stop in the middle of the road.  You don't wander across it just anywhere.  You don't stop and take a group picture in it.  It is meant for through traffic.

 

They really need to put up more signage telling people to keep to the right and not to loiter.  Sometimes I wonder if it would be better if they put up a small fence along the path with designated cross walks for a few of the stretches.  

Permalink Reply by Zach on July 14, 2011 at 3:52pm

I don't disagree that the path is best used as a throughfare, following many of the same rules of the road, i.e. signal before turning, don't cut across lanes of traffic, etc.

 

But in the "silly season" from April to September, those rules kind of get tossed aside and it's better to assume that most people on the path have no idea about path etiquette. To them it's just a sidewalk with a bunch of cyclists on it, most of them yelling. If Chicago Parks had signage up that indicated what the LFP was, i.e. a path dedicated to cyclists, I would find quarrel with that. But because there are few official indications of that, I can't begrudge the runners, strollers, and walkers, even though they annoy me to no end.

 

 

Permalink Reply by Joel on July 14, 2011 at 3:59pm
Runners, walkers, strollers, and even roller-bladers, they might be a bit annoying but they aren't a big problem if they keep moving.  The path is not a standing and chatting zone.  It is not a place to walk 4 abreast holding hands and dancing.  If you want to take a picture, please just step 3 feet off the path and you won't be in anyone's way.  Getting people that aren't going somewhere to get off the path is what I'd like.  It would help if the drinking fountains and hotdog stands were on the other wide, or set back considerably farther from the path.

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