I rode Dearborn today...anyone else?

I just missed the press conference and just hung out at lunch to see how it would all work. It seemed easy enough, so I took Dearborn as my starting route home to Roscoe Village. Normally I hit Franklin to Orleans then north to Lincoln.

I have to say, it was pretty easy and relatively safe. The ambassadors were helpful with the the auto traffic. The walkers were easy enough to avoid. I had to chuckle at two riders riding side by side in the lane.

What I didn't see was any oncoming traffic; southbound riders. I am guessing that will come in time or at other times during the day.

Way to go Mayor RE! This is really making a statement.

Who else rode the new path?

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Permalink Reply by zerofivenein on December 17, 2012 at 12:59pm

i rode it today at about 3p southbound and then northbound... it's a step in the right direction, but it's not that wonderful (imo) for anything over 10-15mph... the surface is fairly rough in a good few places, and there are sewer grates and puddles strewn all about the southbound lane of it, and that bridge over the river at the north end could use those plates over the grates.

if the lower-i.q. pedestrians didn't stand in the lanes it would also be that much nicer.

but it'll definitely get more commuters on hybrids out and giving it a try since it's so conveniently located and the auto traffic seems to work well with it.

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on December 17, 2012 at 2:06pm

Oh Charlie . . . . .

Cheryl said:

Saw the municipal police setting a great example near the Westin this afternoon:

Permalink Reply by maryrachel on December 17, 2012 at 2:17pm

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on December 17, 2012 at 2:29pm

I think that is one of the neatest shots of the Calder that I have seen!

Permalink Reply by djm on December 17, 2012 at 7:05pm

I rode the bike lane this evening around 7p.  Its a nice addition to the infrastructure.  I had numerous opportunities to collide with errant pedestrians but didnt take advantage of any of them.  This was particularly bad when southbound because almost none look for traffic approaching from their left — perhaps we could import some "Look Both Ways" signs from London.  Hopefully this will improve in time. I didnt encounter any taxis but there was one car blocking the lane while dropping off passengers.

Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on December 18, 2012 at 12:04am

How do they do that?  Don't they realize what the bollards are for?

djm said:

I didnt encounter any taxis but there was one car blocking the lane while dropping off passengers.

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on December 18, 2012 at 1:33am

There are a lot of good sized gaps between the bollards.  They probably do realize what the bollards are for but don't care. ;-).  The good news is that Gabe Klein said at the press conference that eventually the lane will be truly protected with concrete barricades between the traffic/parking and the bike lane.  Until then, we just have to hope the education and enforcement will reduce the incidents of cars pulling into the bike lanes.

Skip Montanaro said:

How do they do that?  Don't they realize what the bollards are for?

djm said:

I didnt encounter any taxis but there was one car blocking the lane while dropping off passengers.

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on December 18, 2012 at 3:30am

This morning just before 8:00 same problem at Wacker.  As I was riding southbound over the bridge the southbound bike lane had a green signal.  I saw two cars turn left from Dearborn onto Wacker.  I had the red when I arrived at Wacker.  When the bike signal turned green a left turning car pulled forward to make the left turn on the red signal.  Another car behind that one did stop at the red arrow.

Permalink Reply by Shaun Jacobsen on December 18, 2012 at 3:47am
I walk to work from the red line and just saw a car parked in the lane at Jackson (north side of the intersection).

Would there be enough room to install a bollard in the middle of the bike lane at each intersection so that the lane isn't so wide at the intersections?

I'm agreeing with people who think there needs to be a ticketing push initially. People aren't giving up their spots without a push...
Permalink Reply by djm on December 18, 2012 at 3:50am

The car entered the bike lane at a cross street and drove north in the lane.

Skip Montanaro said:

How do they do that?  Don't they realize what the bollards are for?

djm said:

I didnt encounter any taxis but there was one car blocking the lane while dropping off passengers.

Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on December 18, 2012 at 4:34am

Caught these guys parking in the bike lane last night and this morning, respectfully. I gave the cop a dirty look as I rode by. She should know better. Cabbies, on the other hand, are pretty much a lost cause.

Permalink Reply by Skip Montanaro 0mi on December 18, 2012 at 4:54am

Especially if that bollard is made from concrete as an earlier poster indicated is in the future for a separator between parked cars and the bike lane.

Cameron Puetz said:

I see a bollard in the middle of the bike lane doing more harm than good. The lanes are so narrow that there would be no room to swerve around a pothole or garbage in the street.

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