Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Dovah Cat on November 14, 2012 at 9:17am

That bridge... my trip to Target takes all of ten minutes if I take it but I think sometimes it's best to add the extra 15 or 20 and take Western to Archer. I've had some close calls and seen some nasty almost-accidents on that thing. People really do go about 60, faster at night. 

Tony Adams said:

I take the lane pretty frequently especially the loop where traffic is moving slowly. But on Damen, there are some pretty treacherous stretches where I would not do so. For example, the entire length of the bridge over the river on the south side. That is effectively a four lane highway for motor vehicles. It is not uncommon to see people driving well over 60 MPH on that thing. 

Adam Herstein said:

Wow, really? You don't even know me yet you are apparently judging my riding skill? Taking the lane is far safer than riding far to the right and having motorists come within inches of hitting you with their cars. Riding in the middle of the lane makes you more visible; collisions from behind are rare. I ride in the middle of the lane frequently when I deem it unsafe to ride to the right and typically don't have any problems. 

h' said:

Adam, be careful sitting behind your keyboard in the warmth of your home imploring others to take the lane. You don't know who you're dealing with on the other end in terms of skill and comfort level, ability to keep one's composure in tense situations, etc.  "Take the lane" works wonderfully, except for the times you get killed.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by John Farris on November 15, 2012 at 2:56am

Well, if you had to take the sidewalk, you'd chance un-shovelled walks in the winter, and gang bangers in the summer, so I get that you'd want to use the street.  But the street sucks.  The right shoulder southbound is all pot-holey.  I don't have a solution to the current setup, but there has to be one out there, don't you think?

P.S. to Adam H, don't take offense to h's comment - he/she's just concerned for the greenhorn who might think they can do as well as yourself, but will eventually get squashed for their lack of experience.  There are a lot of readers out there that a too susceptible to suggestion for their own good.
 
Dovah Cat said:

Taking the lane in that bridge is dangerous, I've been honked at, harassed and, effectively, "driven at" by motorists who are frustrated with remaining behind me for the duration of the tunnel. I'm a relatively speedy cyclist, and quite confident, but with news of crashes and the nature of the majority of South Side drivers, I usually keep to the right, which, provided there aren't puddles or 30 packs of beer (this happens) gives me almost enough room. Sometimes I just don't feel pig-headed enough to stay in front of five angry trucks. I've lived in Chicago a year now, and have encountered far too many drivers here who think rushing at cyclists is a fun game. Solution? Not sure. If there's a lot of traffic, I slow it down and let the speedier vehicles pass before I enter the tunnel. 

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on November 15, 2012 at 4:53am

I initially misread his comment and thought he was accusing me of not being experienced enough to take the lane. Upon re-reading, I realized that this was not the case, and apologized.

John Farris said:

P.S. to Adam H, don't take offense to h's comment - he/she's just concerned for the greenhorn who might think they can do as well as yourself, but will eventually get squashed for their lack of experience.  There are a lot of readers out there that a too susceptible to suggestion for their own good.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Garth Liebhaber on November 16, 2012 at 4:32pm

you can take the sidewalk, it's just annoying and you have to go slow, avoiding glass, slimy sidewalks, dripping water and people slowly pushing shopping carts.

I always took the time to stop and turn on my red fender light before I went through that underpass. I always stayed to the right and never "took the lane" as I think that's asking for trouble from either a road-raged driver or someone who's eyes hadn't adjusted properly to the darkness.

A separate bike lane would be nice, though.

• ▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on July 22, 2014 at 9:17am

Today I was speaking with some coworkers who live in Pilsen about this and noticed they recently painted and added some more lights to the Damen tunnel. Perhaps a much needed bike lane is next?

• ▶ Reply

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• Next ›
• Page