The Chainlink

Photo documentation of poor condition of new bike lanes from unexpected source...

Courtesy of Second City Cop:

http://secondcitycop.blogspot.com/

(courtesy of Joe F on BCHI list)

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Permalink Reply by Tricolor on February 11, 2013 at 12:27pm

I wouldn't be on such a tear against Rahm as much as the local aldermen.  That said the people running street maintenance could probably stand a good kicking, too, and the Mayor can do something about them.

Juan Primo said:

As a consumer, I buy quality.  I don't have a lot of things, but the things I have work like they are supposed to because I paid for quality.  Rahm's promises of hundreds of bike lane miles is great but they don't work.  It's like buying a flashlight at the dollar store and it doesn't work when you need it.  Rahm cheaped out for quantity instead of quality - what a leader.

Hundreds of miles of bike lanes is a quantifiable brag.  Hundreds of miles of crappy bike lanes is more the truth.  You wasted my money but you're so green and reelectable.

Permalink Reply by globalguy on February 11, 2013 at 2:32pm

Actually, I recently spoke with a long-time, senior city employee who pointed out that Rahm 1. demanded a specific amount of lanes by the New Year, come what may, and 2. he's pretty much encouraging various commissioners to fight over turf at the detriment of co-ordinated public polic y such as bike lane installation and maintenance.

Tricolor said:

I wouldn't be on such a tear against Rahm ...

Permalink Reply by william on February 11, 2013 at 6:30pm
oh, no. pot holes. that never happens, ever.

big deal. upgrade to fat tires and blow through them.
Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on February 11, 2013 at 6:37pm

You have failed to understand the situation entirely.

william said:

oh, no. pot holes. that never happens, ever.

big deal. upgrade to fat tires and blow through them.
Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on February 11, 2013 at 6:40pm

There's more to the story of how something so collosally wrong could make it to implementation.

I think somewhere down the chain there's someone who was committed to having the lanes fail.

globalguy said:

Actually, I recently spoke with a long-time, senior city employee who pointed out that Rahm 1. demanded a specific amount of lanes by the New Year, come what may, and 2. he's pretty much encouraging various commissioners to fight over turf at the detriment of co-ordinated public polic y such as bike lane installation and maintenance.

Tricolor said:

I wouldn't be on such a tear against Rahm ...

Permalink Reply by David P. on February 11, 2013 at 10:25pm

I think I'd rather have good pavement everywhere than all the new bike lanes, PBLs, etc. I might just settle for non-shitty pavement.

Permalink Reply by pat 5.5mi on February 11, 2013 at 10:42pm

I don't claim to have the faintest idea of what's really happening, but I read globalguy's long-time senior, city employee friend's observation as:

"...and 2. (Rahm)'s pretty much encouraging various commissioners to compete with each other at the detriment of mandates from up top..."

Am I way off?


globalguy said:

"...and 2. he's pretty much encouraging various commissioners to fight over turf at the detriment of co-ordinated public policy..."

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on February 11, 2013 at 10:46pm

Me too.

David P. said:

I think I'd rather have good pavement everywhere than all the new bike lanes, PBLs, etc. I might just settle for non-shitty pavement.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on February 11, 2013 at 10:48pm

I'd rather have bad pavement and no cars, than good pavement and cars.  The better the pavement the faster the cars go -and the more cars there are every year.

Build roads, and cars will come.

We should have left all the streets unpaved. 

Permalink Reply by Jeff Markus on February 11, 2013 at 11:45pm

But so many missed the irony of the web site being linked to NRA, Ill Rifle and police blogs that have decidedly racial and social bias'. While the point we take from this is bike oriented the web site was promoting an anti bike/antibike lane agenda sponsored by a strongly right wing anti social site.

OK, OK, OK we need the press but if the source is running down potential backing for bike positive city actions then we lose. I am not saying the Rahm (or Daley started ) bad surface lanes are good...far from it these bad facilities are worse than leaving us in traffic (if they'd clean up pavement all the way to the curb) without trying to "educate by paint" with these lanes and I agree with the site (chainlink and Second City Cop) in believing these bad facilities are a waste of money BUT we must start somewhere and if we can put pressure on converting these bad facilities into better...heck lets go for GOOD... then lets do it not promote detractors that would eliminate ALL bike facility and probike action because "ITS JUST A WASTE OF OUR MONEY"

We need to watch who we jump into bed with when we join forces for our purposes.

Jeff

Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on February 12, 2013 at 1:15am

Oh, c'mon Jeff-- why does your little script dictate that everyone's an idiot and only you can see through to the truth of the matter?

There is absolutely no evidence in this thread that anyone failed to recognize where SCC was coming from, and even less than no evidence that anyone had any inclination to "join forces."



Jeff Markus said:

But so many missed the irony of the web site being linked to NRA, Ill Rifle and police blogs that have decidedly racial and social bias'. While the point we take from this is bike oriented the web site was promoting an anti bike/antibike lane agenda sponsored by a strongly right wing anti social site.

OK, OK, OK we need the press but if the source is running down potential backing for bike positive city actions then we lose. I am not saying the Rahm (or Daley started ) bad surface lanes are good...far from it these bad facilities are worse than leaving us in traffic (if they'd clean up pavement all the way to the curb) without trying to "educate by paint" with these lanes and I agree with the site (chainlink and Second City Cop) in believing these bad facilities are a waste of money BUT we must start somewhere and if we can put pressure on converting these bad facilities into better...heck lets go for GOOD... then lets do it not promote detractors that would eliminate ALL bike facility and probike action because "ITS JUST A WASTE OF OUR MONEY"

We need to watch who we jump into bed with when we join forces for our purposes.

Jeff

Permalink Reply by Andrew Bedno on February 12, 2013 at 4:27am

There are some briefly awesome stretches.  Anything freshly resurfaced is a Teflon dream on skates.

But great chunks of Chicago bike lanes seem like scraps they threw us as a token gesture.  Where pavement falls off and glass collects, where it's too crappy for moving cars, greenwash it.  Thanx for the reminder that there's a matter of accountability.

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