Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Joel on October 11, 2011 at 2:51am

In the bike lane, bikes have priority.  Anyone wishing to pull to the curb must yield to bikes.  Unless you are proposing that bikes do not belong in the bike lanes, or that one should never travel faster than automobile traffic while in the bike lane.

Craig Hamill said:

If a cab is stop on the right, its picking up or dropping off passengers. Passengers don't have mirrors. Buses pick up and drop passengers off on the right. Passing a bus on the right is bad news. Bus drivers are not the sharpest wheel-men in the world. 

And lets be honest. All cyclists like to think they are in the right when it comes to riding. I see daily some of the most ignorant riding from people who think they own the rode. You are a bike/person and in an accident a car always wins. Doesn't matter who is in the right or wrong. I ride 10 miles each way to work every day from the s.loop to the northside. I ride in a method that predicts when there is going to be trouble and avoid it. 

 

notoriousDUG said:

I will ask you the same question I asked before... if you can't pass on the right how the hell do you get by traffic?

 

You should be able to safely pass vehicles while in the space provided for you on the road.  Cabs are supposed to pull to the curb; they should be over so that you cannot pass them on the right when the discharge passengers.  The CTA driver should be checking their mirrors before pulling to the curb.

 

Craig Hamill said:

With all due respect and much sympathy to the OP. Though we all don't know the complete circumstances of incident but I have to agree with a much that Jeff Markus said. If a cabbie stops out of the blue don't pass on the right, people get in and out of cabs and don't have the luxury of rear view mirrors.... don't ever pass a bus on the right unless they see you and have a bike lane. This may even mean having to follow behind traffic (OMG THE HORROR). Stay off busy roads if possible. 

notoriousDUG said:

Way to blame the victim man...  Just curious but did you stop to read this to see just how nasty it comes off as?

 

So if I should never pass on the right how in the hell do I get by massive traffic jams, or should I just wait in line with all the cars at lights?

 

Jeff Markus said:

Over and over I make the point that passing on the right is a dangerous proposition. Passing a truck on the right cost a young woman her LIFE. Passing a bus on the right is asking for a vehicle that MUST move to the right to disperse its passengers. Taxis dispense passengers anywhere and everywhere they please and thus should be considered rolling ( or stopped ) pits of destruction and death.

Knowing and reacting to these things make YOU safer but still leaves the possibility of foolish drivers and foolish passengers doing foolish things that if bikers don't stop doing foolish things will cause injuries and harm.

I don't mean to sound uncaring or rude but we must act in ways that reduces our potential pain and being sure the ticket issued makes a positive message to this cabbie and if possible ALL cabbies (make up a press release and get it to TV, radio and print sources) so they start pulling over to the curb and control their passengers exiting actions. And the story needs to be told so other bikers DO NOT take risky actions that increase the likelyhood of being hurt.

Jeff

The Chicagoan

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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on October 12, 2011 at 1:14am

Anticipating what's ahead can be one of our best protections in traffic. 

One trick I use with cabs when I'm not too overwhelmed with traffic is to do a quick scan of cabs near or ahead of me.  If the cab has no passengers and I see someone nearby waving for a cab, I expect that the cab may suddenly cross my path and stop just as suddenly, so I move to avoid that path. If the cab does have passengers, it's a little trickier.  Sometimes a passenger will point or otherwise give some visible indication of what they're telling the driver, which may give a clue as to where the cab will go next.  More often it's a guessing game, where I just try to watch the cab's movement and passenger(s) and do whatever makes the most sense to keep me clear of it.

With buses, I watch for people ahead waiting at bus stops.  I assume that the bus is likely to stop at bus stops more often than not.   I try to clearly communicate with bus drivers using standard hand signals, and to stay clear of their path. 

I never try to pass a bus on the right except in a bike lane where the bus is NOT approaching a stop. If the bus is going to make a stop, I always pass it on the left.  If it's a quick stop and the bus is coming up behind me, I move to the right again and let the bus pass me.  More often than not, treating the bus driver with courtesy gets me the same in return.

 

I try NOT to assume that drivers are watching out for me.  Usually they're just watching out for themselves. 

Craig Hamill said:

...All I wanted to say was be aware that buses and cabs move stop to the right frequently. It doesn't matter if auto traffic must yield to cyclists in the bike lane or not. Ride aware. Ride to ensure YOUR safety. If you don't think you have to ride aware then you'll be a victim sooner or later.

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