McGrath Lexus Driving Into Traffic at Elston & Division - Insights Needed

Twice during my morning commutes on Elston, I've seen individuals* leave the McGrath Lexus main entrance by turning left into the right hand lane and driving until they can get around the line of cars waiting at the intersection or until there is a small opening in the line of cars that they can get through. Both times this has occured I have been in the right lane and the car has been headed directly towards me.  For those of you who ride Elston, be careful!

 

I get that the company is placed at an awkward spot for a left turn - my guess is they are 25 feet or less from the light. And you bet your bottom dollar I'd be frustrated as a driver trying to turn left at an intersection that regularly has lines of cars at a stop light. That being said, this is extremely dangerous, especially on a road often traveled by cyclists. Before I stop into the dealership to speak with a manager about this, I wanted to see if any of you have had similar experiences? If so, can you send me as many details as possible, as I want to stress the graveness of this situation.

 

*I'm 90% sure it has been the same person both times, but I'm giving this the benefit of the doubt

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Meg Matthews on November 16, 2011 at 6:54am

Wow, John--guess I know where I'm taking my Fit for its next service. Thank you for your concern!

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on November 16, 2011 at 7:11am

+1

Gopher Biker said:

Mr. Douglass - your responsiveness to our concerns is wonderful, thank you.

Permalink Reply by Jamais716 on November 16, 2011 at 7:28am

+1

 

I need a new used car next year and I'll definitely be checking McGrath's selection first. (even though it'll probably be out of my budget)



Meg Matthews said:

Wow, John--guess I know where I'm taking my Fit for its next service. Thank you for your concern!

Permalink Reply by leyzdoo on November 16, 2011 at 9:33am

+1

Permalink Reply by Becca on November 18, 2011 at 7:34am

I have to agree with a few of the other bike and car owners on this thread: Next time my Lexus needs work, I know where I'm taking it.

Permalink Reply by John L. Douglass on November 19, 2011 at 6:49am

Pleae look me up if you stop in for service. I always have a coupon or two in my pocket!

Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on November 19, 2011 at 9:42am

I really hope you are teaching a college course in good public relations and community outreach.  There are many business owners who could learn a lot from you.  Everything you've said/done here is greatly appreciated.

John L. Douglass said:

Pleae look me up if you stop in for service. I always have a coupon or two in my pocket!

Permalink Reply by Joe Asbury on November 19, 2011 at 12:34pm

While I am impressed with Mr. Douglass' response to this Chainlink concern, my overall experience with their dealership and repair shop has been very negative. Over the course of two years I paid them thousands to address suspension and ride issues, with each subsequent repair more costly than the previous. It was a nightmare that might have been avoided if someone with expertise had taken a few moments to consider if the exhorbitantly costly repairs made sense given my car's likely prognosis. In the end, I sold the car for far less than McGrath took from me in fees. Not everyone who drives a Lexus has bottomless pockets.

Permalink Reply by Ian on November 19, 2011 at 2:26pm

Katie and John - 

 

Wow.   Great job to both of you for resolving a problem without conflict and possibly saving a life.  

 

This seems like a good time to mention that although I am not a McGrath customer (yet), I was impressed that they have installed a couple of baby and child car seats for me in non-Lexus and non-McGrath vehicles for no charge. One of their service managers is certified for this and the Chicago Police and Fire Departments don't offer it.  The three times I came in, I did not have to wait, was treated well, and was patiently shown correct installation techniques.  Thank you to McGrath for being a good neighbor and responsible member of our community.

Permalink Reply by jonathan on November 20, 2011 at 4:30am

I like the No left Turn sign solution

Permalink Reply by Darren Knox on November 20, 2011 at 2:35pm

While it's probably not usual for an auto distributor to make such concessions to the bicycle community maybe we should take a step back and look at this with a little perspective.

The situation: employees of a car dealership at a busy intersection have been reckless and dangerous for a while. Instead of addressing what was probably a pretty obvious problem on their own, this dealership had to be prompted by people who feared for their lives on numerous occasions before doing anything.

So now that leaves us lowly cyclists giving them high fives for doing the sane thing rather than being completely dangerous. If the death or injury of a cyclist was the impetus for this change would we be thanking them so gratuitously? I think not.

The fact is that we live in a city where drivers are dangerous regularly. We don't have to thank them for being safe only after we call them out. We deserve a lot better than that.

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on November 20, 2011 at 2:52pm

John Douglas found this link on his own. According to Katie, she had not yet approached McGrath Lexus regarding the problem. Is there a safe guarding of inventory component to the prompt action? Probably. But I certainly think high fives are deserved for a car dealership to have behaved so proactively. My thanks are not gratuitous.

The death or injury of a cyclist was NOT the impetus for this change.

With respect to your perception that "drivers are dangerous regularly," my perception is that I have far more positive interactions with cars than negative ones.

Darren Knox said:

While it's probably not usual for an auto distributor to make such concessions to the bicycle community maybe we should take a step back and look at this with a little perspective.

The situation: employees of a car dealership at a busy intersection have been reckless and dangerous for a while. Instead of addressing what was probably a pretty obvious problem on their own, this dealership had to be prompted by people who feared for their lives on numerous occasions before doing anything.

So now that leaves us lowly cyclists giving them high fives for doing the sane thing rather than being completely dangerous. If the death or injury of a cyclist was the impetus for this change would we be thanking them so gratuitously? I think not.

The fact is that we live in a city where drivers are dangerous regularly. We don't have to thank them for being safe only after we call them out. We deserve a lot better than that.

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