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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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by PK RPR on August 9, 2015 at 4:34am
Moving faster is not the issue...go get it

The issue is people who push it to pass and then are not faster...
Permalink Reply by PK RPR on August 9, 2015 at 6:35am
Sounds right
Permalink Reply by Fran Kondorf on August 5, 2015 at 5:23pm

To the driver of the tiny, Fiat 500 on northbound Damen near Montrose, approx. 9pm this evening-

 I can appreciate that you don't wish to scratch your new automobile, I really do. But the next time you come to an intersection with one of those crosswalk warning/ped stop signs, please consider the following:

1. Your little clown car is really not very wide. At all. Maybe like 3/5ths of a normal street lane, tops.

2. The need to swerve so dramatically to the right and nearly clip my elbow was friggin' beyond ridiculous.

3. A cyclist's life is worth considerably more than a roughly $14 hunk of plastic. Either go to a suburban parking lot at night and get some more practice time behind the wheel or get the hell off the roads.

Permalink Reply by Cheryl on August 6, 2015 at 4:57am

I've encountered a number of drivers who believe hitting a cyclist is preferable to hitting that dinky sign.... I do not get their thought process.

Permalink Reply by Fran Kondorf on August 6, 2015 at 6:10am

I know, Cheryl- it happens all the time. This one was just so absurd I had to vent about it here.

Permalink Reply by Matt Talbert on August 6, 2015 at 1:37am

Dear Hostile Dodge Charger driver and passenger in who parked in the bike lane. We often regret thinking of the right things to say after the fact. Might have been for the better considering you were hostile and I didn't push you too much. I would prefer to see my daughter grow up, if that's okay with you. You both seemed to only give a shit about yourselves. Didn't care about cyclists who had to hop into Elston traffic. I know your rage filled girlfriend who lives on Elston near Diversey, where the incident happened, claims that "because there are too many facilities nearby I can't park in front of my fucking house." I mean, you chose to live on Elston near Diversey. What did you expect? So I get it (and what I meant to say) too many facilities means you can illegally park in the bike lane and create hazards for bikes AND cars. Understood. The city revolves around you. I suppose since I did the right thing by not riling you two up, my only true regret is my camera was tilted too far down to expose your faces better: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IF2zttKZGoA&feature=youtu.be

Good thing for helmet cams. I made it clear I was recording them out of fear they would attack.

Permalink Reply by Steve Weeks on August 9, 2015 at 5:51am

I see this all the time. Even police cars do it. However, according to the police training videos, a car temporarily double-parked on a street with a bike lane is not supposed to be in the actual lane. What's more, a passenger opening the right-side door into the bike lane is required to look for cyclists; the penalty for dooring on the right is the same ($1,000) as for doing it on the left.

I carry an easily accessible list of the applicable Municipal Code of Chicago ordinances for these types of occasions, just in case... including:

9-40-060
Driving, standing or parking on bicycle paths or lanes prohibited.
The driver of a vehicle shall not drive, unless entering or exiting a legal parking space, or stand, or park the vehicle upon any on-street path or lane designated by official signs or markings for the use of bicycles, or otherwise drive or place the vehicle in such a manner as to impede bicycle traffic on such path or lane.

Of course, good luck getting an officer to issue a ticket... :-(

Steve


Permalink Reply by Vilda on August 6, 2015 at 1:57am

To all the cyclists on Wells I passed on the right while laughing. Do you know what shoaling is? Do you know how slow you are? That red lights i stop for - not a suggestion. Yes, yes, momentum is tough to build up. Especially when you're riding a 400 lbs Divvy bike once a week. Really, stop. And to the lincoln ave shoalers that coast passed me and the waiting cars to stop at the front of the line only to make us all wait for your slow starting body - STOP THAT. It's a line. Is it a hard concept? Are you such a special lil person that you need all the attention. Well we all see you and it's awful.

Permalink Reply by Tricolor on August 6, 2015 at 3:38am

Every time I want to do shopping on my way home I take Lincoln and the amount of shoaling and light running is just nuts. I'll take the lakefront trail every time, even with normal pedestrian traffic.

Permalink Reply by Shawn Evans on August 6, 2015 at 10:18pm

You admit to passing on the right, yet criticize other people for their 'transgressions' ('shoaling' is not illegal or dangerous. It's a made-up 'crime', the crime being 'how dare they annoy me by passing? I'm faster than they are!' Annoying you is not against any law. Coming out of nowhere and passing too close IS dangerous.). This is why I avoid bike lanes (and other bikes). 

Permalink Reply by Matt Talbert on August 7, 2015 at 1:51am

It's possible these shoalers were riding all the way to the left, forcing Vilda to pass on the right in order to stay out of car traffic. While passing the on right is not ideal, it can be done safely if absolutely necessary and if the rider announces their pass. Additionally, while shoaling isn't a crime, it is certainly indecent. Indecent behavior need not be illegal or criminal for society to call it out (i.e. not tipping, not giving up your seat on the EL to the elderly/disabled, cutting in line at the grocery store, etc.)  NYC Bike snob put it best; "...to shoal somebody who was riding faster than you is like pushing your full shopping cart through a floor display so you can beat the guy with just a loaf of bread and a tube of toothpaste to the express lane. Of course, the truth is that some people are faster than others. This can be because they're carrying less stuff, or they're in more of a hurry, or they're simply more physically fit." http://bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com/2009/10/indignity-of-commuting-by-b...

I think riders should have to right to go as fast as they want in a safe manner.

Permalink Reply by Vilda on August 7, 2015 at 5:52am

Ya know what is illegal though? Running the red light... Which (I'm sorry there was a typo so perhaps you missed) i did say. If 6 slow riders want to ride passed me at the red light, THEN run the red light i'm not going to cry about riding in the parked car lane while they SLOWLY ride and block the bike lane. I hope that helps your understanding. And as for the Shoalers that don't run the redlight, say at Lincoln/Ashland/Belmont it's really only because the intersection is to big, not because they are a better class of shoaler. Get in line and ride like a person should.

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