Double parked in the bike lane.

I tried the search feature, and it isn't working.  I'm sure this is a common gripe. But why can't the city do anything about all the cars double parked in the bike lane.  ESPECIALLY UPS, FedEx, and USPS.  I could gather 4 or 5 pictures daily of these guys double parked in an obvious bike lane.

Maybe that is what I should do.  Start stopping and taking pictures with my cell. Then writing to the owners of companies.

"Forcing bikes to quickly merge with traffic is dangerous.  The city has created these wonderfully useful "Bike lanes"  however, we are unable to use them, because you keep parking your delivery trucks in them.  This is not a delivery lane. It is a bike lane.  Please instruct your drivers that this is unsafe, and Illegal."

Now if we could just get the CPD to do something about it.

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Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on September 18, 2013 at 10:27am

Let's just condense this to one reply, shall we.

I figured that your issue was having to go around the trucks; it is trued I assumed that to be the case but if that were not the issue why else would you be complaining about the trucks?  Do you just feel that strongly about the law?

Disagreeing with you about double parked trucks not being a big deal or a serious hazard is not nay saying it is disagreeing with you.  I do plenty of constructive things for the cycling community, not liking your idea does not somehow discount the rest of the things I do...

Based on your suggestions I would guess you do not have much experience with logistics or running a business.  I am assuming this because your solutions all involve things that either make life hard for a business owner and the delivery companies or cost them money. I could be wrong about that one, you could have tons of experience running a business and just not be very good at it.

I always love it when the whole things ends up with the age old, 'you don;t agree with me so I'm out of here.  If you are not willing to stand up for ideas when they are seriously questioned you either don't have a lot of faith in them or they are not very good. I mean this is your response to me bringing up valid reasons your ideas are not that practical, take your ball and go home?  How about you come up with a new suggestion or actually think about the whole thing and maybe understand the current system is a good compromise.

Michael J Blane 6.5 said:

Whew. I am in my place now.
There are enough people who are always right that I no longer feel the need to frequent the Chainlink to be around more.

This will most likely be my final post on this thread.

Permalink Reply by Craig S. on September 18, 2013 at 11:11am

I'm taking my Malort and going home.

Yet another glorious, trivial C-Link thread, thanks for the chuckles.  Must be nice to have only the issue of having to ride around double parked trucks to worry about in life.

Cheers!

Next time I see you Dug a shot of Malort is coming your way.

notoriousDUG said:

Let's just condense this to one reply, shall we.

I figured that your issue was having to go around the trucks; it is trued I assumed that to be the case but if that were not the issue why else would you be complaining about the trucks?  Do you just feel that strongly about the law?

Disagreeing with you about double parked trucks not being a big deal or a serious hazard is not nay saying it is disagreeing with you.  I do plenty of constructive things for the cycling community, not liking your idea does not somehow discount the rest of the things I do...

Based on your suggestions I would guess you do not have much experience with logistics or running a business.  I am assuming this because your solutions all involve things that either make life hard for a business owner and the delivery companies or cost them money. I could be wrong about that one, you could have tons of experience running a business and just not be very good at it.

I always love it when the whole things ends up with the age old, 'you don;t agree with me so I'm out of here.  If you are not willing to stand up for ideas when they are seriously questioned you either don't have a lot of faith in them or they are not very good. I mean this is your response to me bringing up valid reasons your ideas are not that practical, take your ball and go home?  How about you come up with a new suggestion or actually think about the whole thing and maybe understand the current system is a good compromise.

Michael J Blane 6.5 said:

Whew. I am in my place now.
There are enough people who are always right that I no longer feel the need to frequent the Chainlink to be around more.

This will most likely be my final post on this thread.

Permalink Reply by Davo on September 18, 2013 at 11:16am


Im not sure if that is a treat or a threat :P


Craig S. said:

I'm taking my Malort and going home.

Yet another glorious, trivial C-Link thread, thanks for the chuckles.  Must be nice to have only the issue of having to ride around double parked trucks to worry about in life.

Cheers!

Next time I see you Dug a shot of Malort is coming your way.


Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on September 18, 2013 at 11:50am

Now I'm confused; I keep looking at your posts and being all like, 'I never said that... oh.....'

h' 1.0 said:

Janet?

Permalink Reply by Thomas Bruzan on September 18, 2013 at 12:53pm

  Much better for the environment if these hard working delivery men can quickly and efficiently make their rounds.  Try to imagine the waste of time fuel and effort if every stop required parking, locking up and then hiking the freight with a hand truck from a (possibly) rented legal spot. Should they circle around and around searching for a spot to park a truck? Have you ever backed up a big truck? I'm not understanding the desire to bring a horrific level of inefficiency into our city, and a living hell into these workers lives. Why? Because I might have to turn my handlebars? Try on the other guys moccasins folks.

                      Very best regards, Tom 

Permalink Reply by william on September 18, 2013 at 2:11pm

exactly. 

Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on September 19, 2013 at 2:34am

Last time I checked, our city has these awesome inventions called "alleys".

Thomas Bruzan said:

  Much better for the environment if these hard working delivery men can quickly and efficiently make their rounds.  Try to imagine the waste of time fuel and effort if every stop required parking, locking up and then hiking the freight with a hand truck from a (possibly) rented legal spot. Should they circle around and around searching for a spot to park a truck? Have you ever backed up a big truck? I'm not understanding the desire to bring a horrific level of inefficiency into our city, and a living hell into these workers lives. Why? Because I might have to turn my handlebars? Try on the other guys moccasins folks.

                      Very best regards, Tom 

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on September 19, 2013 at 2:38am

Ever try to get a delivery truck through a Chicago alley?

Drivers who can deliver through the alley usually do, it is easier for them to not have to deal with street traffic when they are trying to unload the truck.  Problem is the way some of the streets and alleys in congested areas are laid out there is no way to get a truck of any substantial size into some alleys.

Adam Herstein (5.5 mi) said:

Last time I checked, our city has these awesome inventions called "alleys".

Thomas Bruzan said:

  Much better for the environment if these hard working delivery men can quickly and efficiently make their rounds.  Try to imagine the waste of time fuel and effort if every stop required parking, locking up and then hiking the freight with a hand truck from a (possibly) rented legal spot. Should they circle around and around searching for a spot to park a truck? Have you ever backed up a big truck? I'm not understanding the desire to bring a horrific level of inefficiency into our city, and a living hell into these workers lives. Why? Because I might have to turn my handlebars? Try on the other guys moccasins folks.

                      Very best regards, Tom 

Permalink Reply by Huck1eberry on September 19, 2013 at 3:54am

You know what really grinds my gears. . . The double parked car by the empty spot. It really doesn't take that much to pull all the way in. Right?

I have on occasion told them politely that it would be really awesome if they really parked.

As far as delivery guys. It's damn near impossible to park all the way. Even UPS trucks that do park on the occasion they find a spot are still halfway in the bike lane. 

And finally I do believe the city charges businesses for loading zones. Someone has to pay for it to be there and it is never ever large enough for a vehicle that actually needs to deliver. 

Permalink Reply by Mark on September 19, 2013 at 11:27pm

Dug, first off, don't give me the " Are you really that scared" crap.  That is the equivalent of trying to get someone to agree with you, by emasculating them because they don't.  Its horseshit, its a lame attempt to bully someone into YOUR opinion. 

Are you a Veteran Dug?  Ever spend any time in a combat zone?  Ever taken enemy fire?  That was the last time in my life I was scared of anything.

Do I follow every traffic law?  No.  If someone gets hurt, while I am breaking one of those laws, is it my fault.  YOU BETCHA IT IS.   Just because I don't follow every traffic law to the letter, doesn't exclude me from being able to have an opinion of  situations that could be improved.  I would certainly speak loudly against drunk driving, speeding in school zones, or any other situation in traffic where people were unnecessarily put at risk.

There is really a simple solution to the problem.  Amend the law.  Something as simple as, "No double parking from 7am to 9am, and 4pm to 6pm.  And then enforce it! This still leaves delivery trucks PLENTY of peak time to make deliveries as well as cutting down on the possibility of a cycle/vehicle incident.  Since this is when most cyclists and cars are on the road at the same time.

My original point was, what is the sense of having a law, that isn't enforced?  When people see delivery drivers do it, and get away with it, they do it.  Then it's the guy, who just doesn't want to park to run into Starbucks.  Or the cab driver just waiting on his next fare.  Laws are only as good as their enforcement. 

Permalink Reply by Michael A on September 20, 2013 at 1:21am

While we are amending the laws to remove vehicles from YOUR commute times, is  there anything else we should add? How about we do not allow motor vehicles to make left or right turns between those hours when YOU commute? While we are at it let's outlaw rain and snow in that same time frame. We already have enough laws that drivers and cyclists ignore. Less laws, more common sense. 

Permalink Reply by Alex Z on September 20, 2013 at 1:46am

Why isn't the solution simply that delivery trucks should park in the traffic lane, like they do when there is no bike lane?

 

That way, cyclists do not have to vulnerably merge into moving traffic.

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