Rant about the LFP

I ride on the LFP quite a bit. I commute in from the north every day and (lamentably) do all my long rides during the week along the LFP. Weekends I go elsewhere, I'd rather eat sand than try to ride along the LFP on Sat/Sun. I move pretty fast I suppose.

Runners, please, I beg you, LOOK BEFORE YOU CROSS. My god, I cant even count how many crashes and near-misses I've seen because runners get careless and dont bother to simply look before they move over/cross the path. A two second glance would solve about 80% of all accidents along the path. What I really cant figure out are the runners who abruptly cut off to the left for no reason. When I run or ride, I always go to some sort of point or marker, whether it's a building, drinking fountain, road, etc. It's at places like this that I'm usually more aware of people and cautious in general, because I expect some traffic tie-ups as people slow down. But some of these runners on the path will be in the middle of North Ave beach and for no discernible reason decide to dart over and turn around. They're not at a drinking fountain or anything, there doesn't seem to be any reason for it at all. And they NEVER look!!! I've almost killed/gotten killed about four times this year alone from this move and I cant even explain how terrifying it is. Last year a mother pushing a stroller did this to me and it was the closest call I've had to a major crash...it would've been a disaster.

I'm not going to slow down. I'm actually very safe, and I get just as pissed at dangerous riders. I'm sorry I dont yell out "on your left!" or "bike back!" every single time I approach someone to pass. I pass what seems like 250 people, I'm not going to yell a heads-up every single time. I'll do it if it's a closer call, like when you runners and other riders feel the need to travel two and three wide, or if there's a marathon training group (ugh, those are starting to ramp up now). Besides, it seems like half the time I yell something, it causes the person to get startled and they practically seem annoyed. In other words, I'll give you a heads-up if it's needed. Runners, on the other hand, ALWAYS need to look before crossing or moving over.

Has anyone ever asked the city about putting up some "Look Before You Cross" signs?

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Permalink Reply by Duppie on June 12, 2013 at 2:39am

"I move pretty fast I suppose."

 "I've almost killed/gotten killed about four times this year alone from this move and I cant even explain how terrifying it is."

Maybe you should try to learn from your experiences and slow down? Oh, never mind...

"I'm not going to slow down. I'm actually very safe"

That explains it. You must be a part of the 83% of Americans that think they are better drivers/riders than average and any bad situations they get into are purely caused by the other, less competent road users.

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on June 12, 2013 at 2:46am

The lakefront path is not a BIKE path; it is a multi-use path.  As all of us know, there are inherent dangers in mixing the uses on such a narrow area, but we have to live with the path as it exists right now.  All of us have an obligation to bike, walk, roller blade, skate board, run, or whatever as safely as possible.  Sometimes that means that a cyclist has to slow down.  Period.

Permalink Reply by in it to win it 8.0 mi on June 12, 2013 at 2:52am

Steve,

You may consider not using LFP.  I'm afraid you and another party will indeed be involved in a crash.

If you expect to go fast and no one else be in your way, you're in the wrong place.

Notice you just joined 12 hours ago.  Chainlink is a good group, however, very frank on replies.

Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on June 12, 2013 at 3:09am

You should have zero expectations to go as fast as possible on the Lake Front Trail. I ride it every day and manage to not have any close calls. You need to either slow down (impossible to both be fast and safe), or find a different route to work.

Permalink Reply by dan brown on June 12, 2013 at 3:16am

Steve - I completely undestand your concerns and frustrations with runners, walkers, etc. who do things like you are describing; however - this forum consists of cyclists (some of whom run also) and not your

intended target audience. So your vent is pretty much falling on deaf ears. welcome to our world.

Permalink Reply by John Wilson 6.0 on June 12, 2013 at 3:18am
"All I expect is for people to look, thats's all."

That is the expectation. But reality is sadly different. I know this because I too have been clocked by a jogger who suddenly decided that she wanted to turn around without looking.

I like using the Lake path - during the fall and winter months. But I try to avoid it during the spring and summer months. It's too crowded. I actually feel safer on the road.
Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on June 12, 2013 at 3:21am

I've almost been clipped by many a roadie who were trying to go as fast as possible on a mixed-use path, and passing way too close. All I am asking is that they slow down…just slow down.

Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on June 12, 2013 at 3:27am

Steve White said:

I'm not going to slow down. I'm sorry I dont yell out "on your left!" or "bike back!" every single time I approach someone to pass.

You are not the center of attention. You need to learn to share the path. It was not made just for you to ride your crabon bike at 40 MPH unimpeded. You are no different as someone in a car complaining about all the bikers on the road.
Permalink Reply by Jeremy on June 12, 2013 at 3:29am
OP has valid complaints, but the "I'm not going to slow down" statement results in complaints just as valid. On a MUP, the only actions you control are your own. Runners/skaters/any non-cyclists can cause problems, but so can cyclists treating rush hour as their own personal tour. You're not instantly the bad guy b/c you're on a road bike. Vent, then stick around and read some other posts. You might be glad you did.
Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on June 12, 2013 at 3:30am

Steve, I think we are crossing messages.  1)  I am willing to bet that the majority of Chainlinkers ride road bikes (although I do not); 2) we all want people on the LFP to look--there is another thread discussing some of the same issues here: http://www.thechainlink.org/forum/topics/what-happened-to-passing-o...; 3) Some of us interpreted your comment "I'm not going to slow down. I'm actually very safe" to mean that you want to just ride fast without regard to other users of the path.

You might find us all a bit opinionated, but you will also find most of us to be regular cyclists for all kinds of reasons.  Hope you enjoy the Chainlink!

Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on June 12, 2013 at 3:40am

Steve White said:

Speed is not inherently unsafe any more than people walking are.
Yes it is. The faster you are going, the less time you have to react to something and the more damage is done if you do hit something.
Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on June 12, 2013 at 3:54am

Claiming that he is "not going to slow down" is why I made that assumption. It's a total asshole thing to say and is completely selfish of him. He needs to realize that there are other people on the trail and, yes, he will need to slow down at some point.

John Durham said:

You are not the center of attention. You need to learn to share the path. It was not made just for you to ride your crabon bike at 40 MPH unimpeded. You are no different as someone in a car complaining about all the bikers on the road.

Man oh man, you are an unrepentant asshole aren't you? 

I didn't get the impression from what Steve actually wrote that he is flying down the trail at warp speed. He's commuting, probably at about ~15-17 mph. He has a legitimate gripe regarding other users of the trail not paying attention.  Busting his chops with made up BS (see above) is uncalled for. 

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