Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Carter O'Brien on July 21, 2017 at 11:00am

Ok, clarifications noted. I rode in pre-bike lane Chicago so I guess I am sensitive on this issue as IMO we have come very, very far, and I do not want to see us backsliding.

I will say mea culpa for misreading km/h as mph, this an American thing, we will get it right eventually!

Permalink Reply by Waymond Smith on July 21, 2017 at 10:51am

Why can't the cyclists that run red lights, along with other misguided behavior follow the rules of the road?

I'm been riding virtually every day for 15 years and yes, we all have done some inappropriate things ( we all make mistakes). the point is to take responsibility for our own actions. Don't look to  blame others!

Permalink Reply by Marcelo Marcos on July 21, 2017 at 10:55am

Agreed

Permalink Reply by Maurice on July 21, 2017 at 6:35am

The striped bike lanes near that intersection offer little protection, even to a careful cyclist.

 

As Carter says, traffic on westbound Roosevelt "opens up" near Halsted, resulting in ubiquitous speeding. On eastbound Roosevelt, drivers typically pull right when they reach Halsted and floor it to get to the interstate ASAP. The striped bike lane recommences before the interstate, so they're speeding down the middle of the bike lane . . . all day every day. I've actually been beeped at by drivers who felt I was in their way while riding in this part of the clearly striped lane.  Eastbound Roosevelt also sometimes is used as a dropoff area for people going to the UIC Forum.

  

The northbound Halsted lanes ROUTINELY are used as a dropoff and sometimes as parking spaces. I've seen 20+ cars parked illegally in the middle of the lane while the drivers attend a Forum event. As you reach Roosevelt, the striped bikelane often is treated as a right turn lane by drivers. Southbound Halsted is a mishmash of lanes as you approach Roosevelt, leaving unfamiliar drivers extremely confused and cruising down the middle of the bike lane. South of Roosevelt (the direction of travel in the video), Halsted substantially narrows from multiple auto traffic lanes into a single lane. The bike lane continues, but there is ZERO buffer on either side so you are at substantial risk from cars, CTA busses, UIC busses, Ubers, delivery trucks, doorings, and pedestrians jumping out between parked cars.

 

Be careful out there.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on July 21, 2017 at 7:00am

Plenty of crashes have happened at this intersection. It's worth being careful.

Permalink Reply by Maurice on July 21, 2017 at 9:23am

Or maybe we just feel like discussing the particulars of this unusual intersection.

Permalink Reply by Carter O'Brien on July 21, 2017 at 10:02am

"None of which has any bearing on this collision."

Actually, we don't know that, and that's why I brought up some specifics about this one that people might not be aware of. Cyclists who run lights do so because they are making assumptions about the vehicle speed and driver behavior, weighing those factors and concluding they are safe to proceed.

All intersections are not created equal. Intersections where streets are going from 2 to 4 lanes and v.v. are particularly problematic, as are ones where there are expressways nearby. I've been a Roosevelt "regular" since going to Ignatius in the 80s and taking the bus to the L, in addition to jogging to Grant Park where the soccer team practiced. Starting in the late 90s, depending on construction and other projects, I often took Roosevelt from Desplaines to the Museum Campus and v.v.

I'm not saying this doesn't happen if the guy doesn't run the light. That's a given. What I'm saying is that it is worth discussing why some people run the light, in the hopes we can get people to understand it's a really bad idea.

And it would also be great if we had better traffic law enforcement as regards speeding and so on. That is also a given.

Permalink Reply by Waymond Smith on July 21, 2017 at 11:14am

Cyclists who run red lights are irresponsible! No argument about it!

Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on July 21, 2017 at 9:33am

May not be related to crash but still relevant to CL. Sometimes these discussions spring from related/unrelated events/topics. Maurice, thanks for raising the issues about the intersection.

Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on July 21, 2017 at 9:56am

Yes, let's shut off every discussion except for one. That makes perfect sense. Waymond's point was made and received. It's not ignoring his point or doing it a disservice to discuss other topics like the intersection in the same thread. Go ahead and troll about whatever you wish. You usually do and you could do better.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on July 21, 2017 at 4:28am

If you get in an accident, and have even an inkling that you might file a lawsuit/insurance claim, etc. against the person who hit you, I would strongly suggest you contact an attorney before coming on here and talking about details.  There is a very valid principle behind the general "rule" that it's best not to discuss specific details in a public forum, and an attorney can explain why it's best to avoid discussing certain things to you quickly and clearly during a consult. 

+1  Because of what I see at my job (personal injury - bike cases), I strongly recommend that parties or witnesses do NOT discuss details of a crash or what happened afterwards at the scene. 

Permalink Reply by Bob Kastigar on July 27, 2017 at 9:33am

I think I can understand how this happened because it's happened to me more than once.

You approach the intersection, are aware of the red light, but don't want to lose the forward momentum that you've got going.

You continue into the intersection and start pedaling - and realize you're in the highest gear and can't accelerate as fast as you thought you could.

You have two choices: continue to try to accelerate slowly in the high gear, or try to downshift to a lower gear so you can accelerate faster.  Either way, you lose the valuable time - seconds - that you thought you had.

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