My commute to the office...I expect to be slammed by some, but not all.

Daytime...last leg into the loop:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vslhVSNGV3o

First leg home at night:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GodWWlVTehY

Now don't be too mean...I am a bit sensitive if you didn't know.

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Permalink Reply by Jason Figler on November 19, 2009 at 12:45pm

notoriousDUG said:

Here is the thing you have to realize:
While I would bet there is not a single person here who breaks no law on their regular rides that does not mean that people should be free to use that as an excuse to ride irresponsibly through pedestrians and put themselves, and others, in danger. There is a big difference between me blowing the light at Rockwell and Milwaukee at 2AM and you blowing lights downtown at rush hour and for you to claim otherwise is shaky logic. There are 3 reasons, based on your video I think it is OK for you to be criticized by the other riders here; some of whom I know to be, even if not 100% law abiding at all times, safe and considerate cyclists. 1. You showed little regard for pedestrians who where in a crosswalk and crossing with a walk signal! These people are protected by having the unquestioned right of way int he eyes of the law, if you free to ignore the law and encroach on their space and safety why should a car not be allowed to encroach on your space and safety? With the exception of a jay-walker, I have never had a conflict, let alone contact, with a pedestrian. While you do ride more then I, and have been for longer, I think the incidents you say you have had are to many.
2. Your total lack of respect for the law and risky behavior has, I am sure, upset a driver or two and probably a couple of pedestrians. Every single person you cut off, dart in front of or otherwise upset becomes yet another stumbling point for bike advocacy. The driver you pissed off may be the same driver you acts hostile towards me latter for no reason I know of because of what you did.

3. When you run a red and don't beat the odds not only will you have fucked up yourself but another person; your fault or not how do you think that person who hit you because of your irresponsible actions is going to feel. Never mind the pain to your friends and family.

Friend...I for sure see your points. However, you cannot attempt to place blame upon me for the random acts of drivers. If I go through a red, and the person then decides to target all bikers as a result of this, that is not my fault.

Maybe some of my riding style comes from years on motorcycles and having been fucked with on more than one occasion with people "using their vehicles as weapons." It happens a lot. Some four wheelers really have something against anything on two wheels, whether powered via pedal, or piston.

Here is something we should all be able to agree upon...let's try huh? Absent nearly all circumstances, it is never okay to use a car, truck, bus, or street cleaner as a vehicular weapon. Not even in jest...and I'm sure it is partly my personality that will not stand for this sort of action and will confront people who drive this way. Also, it seems for whatever reason when it comes to being in a car, some people go from from zero to livid-wanting-to-kill-something in all of about two seconds. Dunno what it is...but I've had it happen when on motorcycles, and on bikes. And for sure, I should just let it go, but at times I foolishly choose not to.

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Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on November 19, 2009 at 12:53pm

It's not your fault but it is something you contribute to. No one person makes a motorist hostile to bikes but several things adding up can.

I'm not telling you how you should ride, just my opinion.

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Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on November 19, 2009 at 1:45pm

It's not the blowing of red lights that I care about. It's the fact that you're weaving among people rightfully walking across the street to blow that red light. When you're in the middle of an intersection going through a red, you're a small fish around a bunch of sharks, but you make that choice to be the small fish.

As for the "do you live in the suburbs?" question, I live on the north side, even though where I live is completely irrelevant. I've biked downtown a lot, and I do agree that traffic and pedestrians can be unpredictable and sometimes driving badly. You seem to bring this up AS validation for what you do. Sorry, the "He hit me first so I socked him" argument wasn't even valid in grade school.

You say you try to "interfere little if at all with peds", yet - and it may be the video angle - there are people walking across the street pretty close to you. Regardless of the distance though, it does interfere with them, because I'd bet at least one of them sees you and is on his or her guard to not get hit by you.

Sorry dude, shit just doesn't stand up, and you refuse to accept that what you're doing is dangerous to people who cross your path.

And I'll keep calling you out for it.

Oh, and I'm not combing any threads, just responding to posts.

Jason Figler said:

Tank-Ridin' Ryan said:
Who's to say if how you ride is ok? Well, let's see, since you're breaking laws left and right (running reds, going the wrong way down streets, rolling across crosswalks when it's not your turn, did I miss any?), I think the police are who is to say if your riding is ok. So to hell with your "perspective", none of those three things is legal unless you're driving a police car, fire truck or ambulance to an emergency.
And then you go on to condemn yourself with your own words: "We/I get hit and it's far more serious. The same for peds." followed later by
"I do verbally apologize when a particular dick move is executed on a ped."

So what happens if a "particular dick move" injures a pedestrian? You've already said they're at more risk than motor vehicles, which is true; however, they don't mill about downtown wearing helmets, so who's most at risk of the 3 categories? And an apology isn't going to do a damn thing for someone who's injured due to your (more than a bit of) selfishness and lawlessness on your "commute".

Dude...you are way too by the rules. Let's see what's going on in your glass house...so then you are telling us that you never, ever go through red lights, or roll stop signs? And when living large as a ped you also only cross on walk signals? And never mid-block? Could anyone possibly be this straight-laced? If you are, my hat is off to you. This is your choice and good for you.

But a question, do you live in the suburbs? If you actually do live in the city, wake up and smell yourself, a statically significant portion of peds, and vehicles do NOT comply with the law downtown. Which does not give me license to do what I do, this is my choice and you don't have to agree with it. I'm not looking for your validation or anyone's.

For me, when the opportunity to cross safely on a red light, and interfere little if at all with peds, and the flow of vehicular traffic, sorry if you're against this, because I take it.

And BTW, my riding does not change even if the cops are present, they have seen me plenty of times ride like this and I'm guessing don't really care. If I have not said it before, I don't expect them to enforce any laws. For those of us that ride in The Loop, every trip just to my office I could check off more dangerous, and illegal moves executed by motor vehicles that I have fingers and toes.

Again, to be clear, I do not/have not hit any peds. This is a fact. One time I hit a jaywalker's hand and as already mentioned brushed a ped, like touched their clothing. I do not...and have not, hit any peds...and again to save you the trouble of combing the thread at this point we are looking at somewhere around eight hundred-ish bicycle rides to The Loop. So not too bad of a record for being all dangerous and putting all these people's safety at risk I'd say. Would you? Or is this just a fluke? The blind squirrel finding a nut maybe?