The Chainlink

Think of this as a Missed Connection.

You blew the red light east bound on Lawrence at Damen at 5:26 pm this evening.

 

There was enough time for the biker in front of me to make it half way into the intersection, northbound on Damen, before you came whizzing past my front wheel.

 

I yelled "You're an idiot!" at your big haired chick, self, and you looked back at me. I meant it!

 

I woulda testified for any of the cars, that managed to not kill you, if they had.

 

Keep riding like a tard!

love,

gabe

 

Witness bad behavior during your commute? Feel free to post. Maybe that lovely human can read it and think they are famous. Maybe you can also inspire the whole generation of kids to shower but we can start with small things.

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Permalink Reply by Derek on August 7, 2012 at 10:32am

Today about 9am on Milwaukee just after Chicago.

Me:  shirtless with a backpack on a black commuter. 

You:  Oden-like on a mountain bike with knobby tires and a front shock riding on the leftmost white line of the bike lane. 

I'd like to take the opportunity to apologize again for my choice of words as I passed on your right, "Traditionally the guys riding slower stay to the right".  I wasn't trying to imply you were slow it's the fact that your bike has at least 10x the rolling resistance of most commuters and will likely be passed often.

I tried apologizing multiple times in a variety of methods when we met again at the Milwaukee and Grand lights to your repeated replies of, "Damn right you pissed me off!" and "This isn't a race LANCE!" or "HAVE A NICE DAY!!"  All of which would have made me feel much worse if you hadn't just sprinted to catch me on a downhill coast because you wanted to 'avenge' the passing.  

I'm glad other riders were around.  You looked about ready to pick up that Huffy and beat me with it.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on August 7, 2012 at 10:50am

So slower riders need to constantly ride in the door zone now so Lance doesn't have to change lanes in order to properly  (and safely) pass???

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

Ha, I had to look up shoaling (fortunately I already knew the practice was rude) - actually that's what I'm going to post:

To the buff dude riding up Milwaukee from Armitage to Logan Square about 5:45 yesterday evening.  Ok I realize you're proud of your muscular arms and tats, otherwise you wouldn't be wearing a wifebeater and rolling 3 miles an hour on a beach cruiser.  But when I had to take the lane the first time to pass you (and I'm by no means a speedster), you'd think that waiting behind me at the next red light would be the sensible thing to do.  I guess that's just not your style though.  So thanks for making me take the lane to pass you 3 times because it was so important for you to get a head start at each stoplight, just to continue on your "ladies check me out" pace.  Hopefully you've arrived at your destination by now.

Gabe said:

To the young lady on a blue Schwinn traveling south at 2 mph on Damen ave/Barry around 830 am.

First of all Shoaling at 2 mph if someone has already passed you sucks. Maybe you don't know what shoaling on a bike is? Look it up.

Second, if a biker is stopped at a stop sign one would assume something large, on 4 wheels, made of metal, and can kill you is coming. The car in front of me had clearly signaled to turn and had the right of way when your tortoise ass passed me and entered the intersection. I saw you had brakes. Use them.

I apologized to the driver loud enough for you to hear. I doubt you learned but maybe.

Permalink Reply by Derek on August 7, 2012 at 11:39am

I guess we have a difference of opinion on what the door zone is.  Normally I figure just a bit to the left of center in the bike lane is out of the door zone.  Riding on leftmost white line on a bike lane down that stretch of Milwaukee in the morning is probably the most dangerous area.  

Now if I was zipping along at 20+ on my morning commute I could see the demonizing. But I was riding along at a gentle trot wondering how I could safely pass this polish roadblock in the bike lane.  I guess there's no way to win. I wanted to go faster than the slowest person which makes me the @sshole.

Short of saying nothing and going the pace of the slowest rider is there a course of action in which you would not find me at fault?  

James BlackHeron said:

So slower riders need to constantly ride in the door zone now so Lance doesn't have to change lanes in order to properly  (and safely) pass???

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on August 7, 2012 at 11:53am

It's really not that hard to take the lane, pass the dude, and pull back in.

I'm a faster rider when I'm on a faster bike.  20MPH isn't a big deal on a road bike.   But I'm a bit slower on my 40lb city tank with 10lbs of locks hanging off of it.   Probably not the slowest on the road -but neither the fastest.   In many parts of Milwaukee most of the "bike lane" or sharrows is in the door zone.    And no, I don't particularly like getting buzzed on the right either.    

The fact is that the person overtaking another road user DOES NOT HAVE the right of way. It is up to the person passing to pass safely -with 3-foot of clearance.  I find a lot of bicycle riders are just as rude to bicyclists as auto drivers -and behave nearly the same when passing them. 

I don't know all the details here, but I can see many situations where I'd pull all the way to the leftmost line of a bike lane. If I saw a person in a car, or if the cars were parked closer, or I saw a ped between the cars that may or may not step out at any moment.   

I can't see many situations where passing someone on the right is anything but a rude maneuver.

Permalink Reply by Rich S on August 7, 2012 at 11:58am

Polish roadblock? Boy that's a classy description! 

If you passed on the right in between me and parked cars I wouldn't be a happy camper either. Safe course of action is to then take the lane and pass on the left. If it requires patiently waiting for 3-20 seconds for a gap to open up in traffic then so be it. I deal with this daily on Wells and it's no big deal. I rarely have an issue with aggressive drivers so long as I signal and don't take an hour to complete the pass. 



Derek said:

I guess we have a difference of opinion on what the door zone is.  Normally I figure just a bit to the left of center in the bike lane is out of the door zone.  Riding on leftmost white line on a bike lane down that stretch of Milwaukee in the morning is probably the most dangerous area.  

Now if I was zipping along at 20+ on my morning commute I could see the demonizing. But I was riding along at a gentle trot wondering how I could safely pass this polish roadblock in the bike lane.  I guess there's no way to win. I wanted to go faster than the slowest person which makes me the @sshole.

Short of saying nothing and going the pace of the slowest rider is there a course of action in which you would not find me at fault?  

James BlackHeron said:

So slower riders need to constantly ride in the door zone now so Lance doesn't have to change lanes in order to properly  (and safely) pass???

Permalink Reply by Derek on August 7, 2012 at 1:07pm

Well it's not a complete failure then.  I did wait until there was a gap with no cars parked so I could pass with 3+ feet, even though it was on the right.  Technically there was enough room to fit through on the right without waiting for a gap in the cars, but that seemed ridiculously unsafe.

Once again the ChainLink has shown me the error of my ways.  Thanks for the continued lambasting of my sense of entitlement.  I hate you guys but it may actually teach me something.

In the interest of full disclosure.  I am Polish; raised in Polish community in rural Wisconsin where the term was often used to describe tractors driving down the middle of the road.  Sorry if I offended you or a culture you hold dear. 


Rich S said:

Polish roadblock? Boy that's a classy description! 

If you passed on the right in between me and parked cars I wouldn't be a happy camper either. Safe course of action is to then take the lane and pass on the left. If it requires patiently waiting for 3-20 seconds for a gap to open up in traffic then so be it. I deal with this daily on Wells and it's no big deal. I rarely have an issue with aggressive drivers so long as I signal and don't take an hour to complete the pass. 



Derek said:

I guess we have a difference of opinion on what the door zone is.  Normally I figure just a bit to the left of center in the bike lane is out of the door zone.  Riding on leftmost white line on a bike lane down that stretch of Milwaukee in the morning is probably the most dangerous area.  

Now if I was zipping along at 20+ on my morning commute I could see the demonizing. But I was riding along at a gentle trot wondering how I could safely pass this polish roadblock in the bike lane.  I guess there's no way to win. I wanted to go faster than the slowest person which makes me the @sshole.

Short of saying nothing and going the pace of the slowest rider is there a course of action in which you would not find me at fault?  

James BlackHeron said:

So slower riders need to constantly ride in the door zone now so Lance doesn't have to change lanes in order to properly  (and safely) pass???

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on August 7, 2012 at 3:23pm

You - a driver speeding down State St. at lunchtime.  Me - waiting for the light to change so I could cross the street.  You were apparently distracted and slammed on the brakes at the very last second, skidding to a stop in the middle of the intersection.  Pedestrians crossed when it was their turn, leaving you stranded, unable to back up or go forward without hitting people.  Gridlock ensued.  Pure brilliance!  ;)

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on August 7, 2012 at 3:33pm

It is a funny term for tractors in the road.  Part of my family is Polish, and we've made our share of Polish jokes over the years, although we usually kept in the family or among other members of the same tribe to avoid misunderstandings.

Derek said:

...In the interest of full disclosure.  I am Polish; raised in Polish community in rural Wisconsin where the term was often used to describe tractors driving down the middle of the road.  Sorry if I offended you or a culture you hold dear. 


Rich S said:

Polish roadblock? Boy that's a classy description! 

Permalink Reply by yaj 7.4 on August 7, 2012 at 6:50pm

I encountered an unusual level of jackassery while riding home tonight.  I stopped at the Milwaukee, North & Damen intersection, behind another rider or two.  I was momentarily impressed because none of us were blocking the busy crosswalk.  The slow rider we all had recently passed then rolled by on our right to stop ahead of us at the curb, you guessed it, blocking the crosswalk.  While walkers detoured around her, two other riders pull up, slightly less to our right, creating a third line of cyclists waiting for the light to turn green.  WTF?!? Where the heck is everyone gonna go when the light turns green?  It was friggen chaos out there tonight.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on August 7, 2012 at 7:35pm

I'll drink to that.  Na zdorovye!  ;)

Serge Lubomudrov said:

I'm a Russian (Lubomudrov)/Jewish (Stein)/Ukrainian (Nesenuk)/Polish (Kwiatkowski) mix (at least, what I know for sure).

I have a right to make jokes about every part of my ancestry ;)

Anne Alt said:

It is a funny term for tractors in the road.  Part of my family is Polish, and we've made our share of Polish jokes over the years, although we usually kept in the family or among other members of the same tribe to avoid misunderstandings.

Permalink Reply by Rich S on August 8, 2012 at 9:24am

None taken. I had never heard that expression before and I thought I heard em all! Now that I know what it means it's actually pretty funny.  

By the way, I might have been riding behind you yesterday on Milwaukee around 6. If you have a brown road bike as your commuter. 

Na zdrowie!!

Derek said:

Well it's not a complete failure then.  I did wait until there was a gap with no cars parked so I could pass with 3+ feet, even though it was on the right.  Technically there was enough room to fit through on the right without waiting for a gap in the cars, but that seemed ridiculously unsafe.

Once again the ChainLink has shown me the error of my ways.  Thanks for the continued lambasting of my sense of entitlement.  I hate you guys but it may actually teach me something.

In the interest of full disclosure.  I am Polish; raised in Polish community in rural Wisconsin where the term was often used to describe tractors driving down the middle of the road.  Sorry if I offended you or a culture you hold dear. 

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