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The Daily Damn

Today my damn is "bacon strip" bike lanes. You know, where bus stops are and the pavement is all buckled and wavy. Seriously, how long have buses been operating here in Chicago; and no better solution for this? I think they use marshmallow substrate specifically for bus stop areas. These bacon strips are especially hazardous with a thin layer of ice or when they are snowed over and you can't see them.

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Permalink Reply by Barry Niel Stuart on January 12, 2012 at 5:02pm

We've had a similar problem up here in Milwaukee for years until we replaced the asphalt at most of our bus stops with concrete pans.  This is important when the buses are going between Downtown and malls like Southridge, Bayshore, Mayfair, or Brookfield Square or toward UW-Milwaukee.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on January 12, 2012 at 5:26pm

The left turn lane from eastbound 95th St. into the red line station is another good example of a "bacon strip."  It's the most direct way to ride into the station from the west, but it's not a nice way to go.

So far it seems like the concrete bus pads are holding up reasonably well in the locations where they've been added.  I wish they'd add one for that left turn lane on 95th so that it's not like a ski slope mogul run if I'm trying to make the light before it turns red.  It isn't any better if I'm riding the bus.

clp said:

Still...I like OP's calling attention to these "bacon strips."   I think they're particularly hazardous if you're walking quickly across the bus lane, looking up the street for oncoming traffic, and fail to see these undulations until you trip over them, and sprawl full-out in the middle of traffic.  A very legitimate beef about an unsafe street condition we should make some noise about.  Well done!

The problem is that buses have become much heavier in order to comply with ADA requirements ("kneeling" mechanicals, etc), and stepped-up a/c and safety specifications.  Buses and "light" rail cars have become extremely expensive recently...and much heavier.  City streets (often asphalt thrown over old brick pavers originally set in sand) just weren't built for these buses.  Just another example of our deteriorating infrastructure....

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on January 12, 2012 at 5:26pm

I do too.

Kelvin Mulcky said:

I'll often tell these people how far back I passed the last bus as I ride by.

notoriousDUG said:

In a bus related annoyance; what the fuck is up with people who feel the need to stand in the middle of not only the bike lane, but often, the middle of the goddamn road to check and see if the bus is coming?  The amazing part is they are so fixated on looking for the bus they miss the fact that bikes, and cars, are bearing down upon them.

I swear I am just going to run down the next jackass that does it.

Permalink Reply by Nick Butterfield on January 12, 2012 at 10:31pm

the southeast corner at dearborn and chicago is hilariously bad. for about a foot, the pavement actually splashes up over the curb. i had thought it was an installation piece or something for a while.

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on January 13, 2012 at 4:26pm

Yes I do, and I will drop it to the face of anybody who steps out in the street in front of me; I find stepping in front of traffic to be a lack of civility so it all evens out in the end. 

How is it OK for a pedestrian to randomly step out into the middle of the street where there is no cross walk?

And this one is a serious question; why do you do it?  Do you think the bus is going to get there faster if you see it?

clp said:

Do we really have to descend to dropping the "F-bomb" when discussing bus stops?  These people are alternative-transit users just as we are.  How about a little civility?

Yeah...when I'm waiting for a bus, I have no problem stepping off the curb to apprise myself of the situation.  And when in the countryside, and walking to/from a Pace bus stop on a major arterial without sidewalks, I generally "claim a lane" just as I do if on a bike.  I expect drivers to slow down for me...and stop if necessry.  After all, Share the Road is the mantra of alternative transportation in Illinois, isn't it?


notoriousDUG said:     ...what the fuck is up with people who feel the need to stand in the middle of not only the bike lane, but often, the middle of the goddamn road....I swear I am just going to run down the next jackass that does it.

Permalink Reply by Kevin Mulcky on January 13, 2012 at 4:34pm

This isn't going to be another +200 post bitch thread fueled by Dug is it?

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on January 13, 2012 at 5:25pm

When I do it it's usually when I'm trying to weigh bailing on the wait for an alternate option.

notoriousDUG said:

And this one is a serious question; why do you do it?  Do you think the bus is going to get there faster if you see it?

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on January 13, 2012 at 5:38pm

I can't fuel anything on my own; people have to react for that to happen.

Kelvin Mulcky said:

This isn't going to be another +200 post bitch thread fueled by Dug is it?

Permalink Reply by Nick Butterfield on January 13, 2012 at 10:26pm

you likely don't stand stoic in the bike lane when you do it, unmoved by the advancing traffic. i tend to imagine you, as a cyclist, likely maintain at least enough of an awareness of your surroundings to wait for a break before getting in the way, yeah? that's a little different from the people who seem to want to play chicken. a temptation i for one usually find damn near overwhelming.

h' said:

When I do it it's usually when I'm trying to weigh bailing on the wait for an alternate option.

notoriousDUG said:

And this one is a serious question; why do you do it?  Do you think the bus is going to get there faster if you see it?

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