Conversation with a Bike Lane Blocker

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by blair on August 7, 2012 at 11:28am

I give them a thumbs up or slow clap.  If I can, I snap a photo with my phone and that usually makes them leave.

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Permalink Reply by Fran Kondorf on August 7, 2012 at 11:31am

Plus to the one.

 Lest we forget, "Nice move!", "Heads up!", "Pick a lane!", "YO!!!", "GREEN!", etc. These are my go-to quickies.

 When given more time I like, "The skinny one makes it go!", and, "Drive much? Or are you out practicing?"

 I can't count the number of times I've bellowed, "GET OFF THE PHONE!!!" at a distracted motorist.

 I'll only swear when it's particularly life-threatening.

Joe Schmoe said:

Can people here not yell?  Why slap? Or try to have a rational conversation?  Some of my faves: "You're in the bikelane" ; "use your turn signal" ; "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" "Not smart"  *Thumbs Up* + "GENIUS!" "There's a southbound one-way street a block over. Why are you salmoning?" "GET OFF YOUR PHONE." ....  I could go on. 

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Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on August 7, 2012 at 12:30pm

I find that catching up on returning phone calls while waiting behind them (in their mirror field) works at least as well as a photo.

122782_ said:

I give them a thumbs up or slow clap.  If I can, I snap a photo with my phone and that usually makes them leave.

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Permalink Reply by magomawe on August 7, 2012 at 12:47pm

Drivers need to be educated on bike laws and I too get annoyed at these bike lane parkers, but its really not a big deal to just go around a car.  If they have to quick drop something or someone off where there is no parking, I say fine - if it is brief and they put their blinkers on.  There should be more loading spots for this reason, but there just isn't.  Their other alternative is to stop in the car lane and leave space for the bike lane (which I've seen people do) but I still pass them on the left for fear of a passenger flipping open a door.  To me there are other worthy fights with drivers, like cutting off cyclists to take a right turn or not looking before flinging that door open.

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Permalink Reply by Carter O'Brien on August 7, 2012 at 12:55pm

I don't suppose he was actually wearing chaps? 

I preset to you a rough transcription of a lovely conversation I had this morning with a chapping gentleman in Old Town.

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Permalink Reply by Craig S. on August 7, 2012 at 1:14pm

Wow, I just wasted 5 minutes of my life on this thread.

Good on ya, but I have to ask the question of what y'all did in the days of yore before all these precious bike lanes were installed?

I rode my bike on the streets and I still do, whether there are bike lanes or not.  The sanctity of the bike lane is a myth and if you can't handle riding around your obstacle, do me a favor and get off the streets, I'm finding there are too many idiots on two wheels in this city anymore.

I also agree with Mr. Conway's sentiments; just because I use 2 wheels for the majority of my city transportation needs, doesn't make me any part of a "community", especially a community that incessantly whines in a completely self-absorbed and entitled way about an obstacle in the bike lane.

Wow, do I feel better after this rant, just like a morning d__p!  Time for a cocktail!

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Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on August 7, 2012 at 1:21pm

That's fine if you don't need bike lanes, but I would think that you'd be in the minority there. I'm willing to bet that a majority of people who ride bikes in the city would prefer to have good bike lanes that are free of parked/moving cars. Why bother putting in bike lanes at all if they are just going to be ignored?

I can also get by fine without bike lanes, but I choose to use them because they are there. Not to mention the fact that if you ride outside the bike lane, drivers will honk and yell at you.

I don't pretend to speak for all cyclists. I was just personally annoyed at this person this morning. There is nothing wrong about feeling entitled to use a bike lane that was specifically made for cyclists to use.

Craig S. said:

Wow, I just wasted 5 minutes of my life on this thread.

Good on ya, but I have to ask the question of what y'all did in the days of yore before all these precious bike lanes were installed?

I rode my bike on the streets and I still do, whether there are bike lanes or not.  The sanctity of the bike lane is a myth and if you can't handle riding around your obstacle, do me a favor and get off the streets, I'm finding there are too many idiots on two wheels in this city anymore.

I also agree with Mr. Conway's sentiments; just because I use 2 wheels for the majority of my city transportation needs, doesn't make me any part of a "community", especially a community that incessantly whines in a completely self-absorbed and entitled way about an obstacle in the bike lane.

Wow, do I feel better after this rant, just like a morning d__p!  Time for a cocktail!

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Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on August 7, 2012 at 1:55pm

Fair enough. I do find that I get honked at pretty consistently on streets without bike lanes though. I typically ride 3-4 feet to the left of parked cars, and not in the middle of the road, and move over to the right to let cars by when it is safe to do so. If there is a bike lane, I am typically riding in it and generally don't get honked at. Having even just a painted bike lane makes it easier to "get out of the way" and makes those driving 5,000 lbs death machines a bit less hateful of you. I feel that if some drivers are going to honk at me when I am riding on the street, even though I am giving them plenty of room to pass and am not breaking any laws, then I have the right to kindly ask people illegally parked in the bike lane to move their cars.

Gibbles T. Chimp said:

I'm assuming that you're talking about the painted on bike lanes with the parked cars on the right, traffic on the left, correct? In those cases think about it this way, if there were no bike lane AT ALL, they'd still be pulled over in your way. Just go around them. I'll agree it's sometimes irritating, but signaling to merge into the "auto" lane and making the pass has never presented a real problem. I'd much rather have the taxi / UPS truck / whateveritmaybe pulled over as close to the parked cars as possible so as to make my passing them on the left safer and easier.  

Now, when there are vehicles stopped / parked in the separated lanes (Kinzie, Elston, et.al) I will stop and say something. Once was a clueless tourist couple who were lost and I helped them find their way (good feelings generated!) and on two other occasions it was entitled assholes driving luxury automobiles. I got the "Fuck you" response from both of them. BMWs both times actually, and not the entry level 3 series. One was a 6 series and the other a 7 series. Shame they besmirch the name of such a fine automobile. (I have owned 2 bimmers and loved them.)

Adam Herstein said:

That's fine if you don't need bike lanes, but I would think that you'd be in the minority there. I'm willing to bet that a majority of people who ride bikes in the city would prefer to have good bike lanes that are free of parked/moving cars. Why bother putting in bike lanes at all if they are just going to be ignored?

I can also get by fine without bike lanes, but I choose to use them because they are there. Not to mention the fact that if you ride outside the bike lane, drivers will honk and yell at you.

I don't pretend to speak for all cyclists. I was just personally annoyed at this person this morning. There is nothing wrong about feeling entitled to use a bike lane that was specifically made for cyclists to use.

Craig S. said:

Wow, I just wasted 5 minutes of my life on this thread.

Good on ya, but I have to ask the question of what y'all did in the days of yore before all these precious bike lanes were installed?

I rode my bike on the streets and I still do, whether there are bike lanes or not.  The sanctity of the bike lane is a myth and if you can't handle riding around your obstacle, do me a favor and get off the streets, I'm finding there are too many idiots on two wheels in this city anymore.

I also agree with Mr. Conway's sentiments; just because I use 2 wheels for the majority of my city transportation needs, doesn't make me any part of a "community", especially a community that incessantly whines in a completely self-absorbed and entitled way about an obstacle in the bike lane.

Wow, do I feel better after this rant, just like a morning d__p!  Time for a cocktail!

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Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on August 7, 2012 at 2:09pm

Standard douchebag motorist response is to say "you guys run red lights". So it's OK for them to park there, drive really fast, pass too close, use their hand phone while driving, ect...

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Permalink Reply by Carter O'Brien on August 7, 2012 at 2:19pm

While I agree fully with the poster affirming cyclists' rights to ride on any street, one very specific function bike lanes serve in Chicago is to provide those unfamiliar with American rules of the road a clear visual demarcation for where bikes belong.

See info below.  21% of the city is foreign born, many of them drive, and anecdotally-speaking, I think 99% of them may be employed as cab drivers. 

I'm kidding, of course.  However, being a cab driver is a job with relatively few barriers to entry that can offer as many hours as one wants to work.  This seems to be appealing to the foreigners I've spoken to who may be PhDs but can't get that kind of work in the USA, at least not right away.

The most recent such case was a friend who is relatively newly-arrived from Romania, who told me that his instructions from yellow cab were "keep one hand on the wheel and one on the horn."  Ouch! 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_Chicago

In 2000, 21.7% of the population was foreign born; of this, 56.3% came from Latin America, 23.1% from Europe, 18.0% from Asia and 2.6% from other parts of the world.^[4] The 2007 community survey for the U.S. Census showed little variation.^[5] Chicago has the fifth highest foreign-born population in the United States.

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Permalink Reply by Fran Kondorf on August 7, 2012 at 2:30pm

Adam,

 As long as you maintain a good line whether or not there's a bike lane you shouldn't have that much trouble.

 

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Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on August 7, 2012 at 2:32pm

Let me restate. I have no trouble biking in the city. I go around cars when they are in my way with no issues. That doesn't mean it doesn't annoy the hell out of me though.

Fran Kondorf said:

Adam,

 As long as you maintain a good line whether or not there's a bike lane you shouldn't have that much trouble.

 

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