Sidewalk Riders Revisited

Sign prevalent along Sheridan Road in Rogers Park:

THIRD, yes THIRD, sidewalk rider to blow past us in a single block:

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Permalink Reply by Tank-Ridin' Ryan on August 23, 2011 at 12:53pm

Just for you, Michael, I'm going to ride my bike on the sidewalk up to Farwell. 

 

Those signs are everywhere along Sheridan, from Howard to...somewhere south of Bryn Mawr.

Permalink Reply by Joe Wohrstein on August 23, 2011 at 12:53pm

Not that it make it right, but the no cycling signs are horible.  The look just like street cleaning signs and i doubt most people recognize them for what they are.

Permalink Reply by Dan Korn on August 23, 2011 at 1:00pm

I'll revisit this topic by quoting myself from a conversation about this on the CCM list back in 2007:

 

"The effect of this is that, as a cyclist, when you cross the magical demarcation line of Hollywood Avenue (the northern terminus of LSD and the multi-use path), you go from facing fines and arrest for riding in the street with cars instead of on the path with pedestrians to suddenly facing fines and arrest for riding on the sidewalk with pedestrians instead of in the street with cars.  How is that in any way fair or reasonable?"

Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on August 23, 2011 at 2:39pm
A bike boot?

BK said:
In my neighborhood, the signs state that cyclists will be hit with a $250 fine and temporary disablement of your bike.  What exactly would the police do to temporarily disable a bike?
Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on August 23, 2011 at 2:43pm

The Highrises and Loyola have made it nearly impossible to build a bike trail connecting from Ardmore to Rogers Park so your options are Kenmore/Northbound/ Winthrop/Southbound.

 

They usually start the "sting" after Labor day First semester.
Dan Korn said:

I'll revisit this topic by quoting myself from a conversation about this on the CCM list back in 2007:

 

"The effect of this is that, as a cyclist, when you cross the magical demarcation line of Hollywood Avenue (the northern terminus of LSD and the multi-use path), you go from facing fines and arrest for riding in the street with cars instead of on the path with pedestrians to suddenly facing fines and arrest for riding on the sidewalk with pedestrians instead of in the street with cars.  How is that in any way fair or reasonable?"

Permalink Reply by Dan Korn on August 23, 2011 at 2:57pm

And another tragic example of why focusing on an imagined threat from bicycles ignores and even exacerbates the real danger:

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-woman-dies-af...

Permalink Reply by Moc Artsy on August 23, 2011 at 3:58pm
It's all a little complicated, I suppose, but there are bike lanes running parallel to Sheridan between Hollywood and at least Loyola, and safer streets parallel to Sheridan north of Loyola. The real problem is that the Edgewater high-rises are in direct violation of the original charter of the city of Chicago, which states that the lakefront is public and needs to be everywhere accessible to the public. Does anyone know if they built on that land because it was once not part of the city proper? There was a luxury resort hotel at the Hollywood beach, once upon a time, and I know there are plans to build out into the lake east of the buildings, reclaiming land in the grand city tradition, so the LFP can be extended north. I hope this happens in my lifetime, because I will enjoy the ride and feel more secure on the sidewalks of Rogers Park. Oh, and Brian--I think they just kick your front wheel really hard with their cop boots.
Permalink Reply by April on August 23, 2011 at 4:43pm

Arrest or temporary disabling of your bike!! For a first offense?  Whatever happened to good old fashioned tickets?  They don't put a boot on your car or arrest you the first time you're caught speeding!

 

It is a good that the city is finally letting people know that there is a law against riding on the sidewalk.  I wish that there were also signs reminding cars that they must yield to pedestrians in crosswalks! I think both laws are not widely known!

 

I do wonder about the sidewalk law though for certain riders:  Senior citizens, new riders and families with children probably should be allowed to ride on the sidewalks on streets with heavy traffic and/or no bike lanes.

Permalink Reply by April on August 23, 2011 at 5:13pm

Interesting.  There isn't anything specific on the signs about zoning. Plus there are some in my neighborhood too, Jefferson Park.   I wonder if there are signs in other parts of the city and whether there is a move to make this a city-wide law or if it will just apply to certain zones like you said. 

 

The sidewalk pictured here does not look conducive to bike riding for any type of rider because of the cafe and such but the signs in my neighborhood are on a fairly quiet neighborhood sidewalk with a Jewel, the post office, the library and is across the street from a park.  They were added alongside our brand-new bike lanes.  I suppose the message is, now you have your bike lanes, stay off the sidewalk.  This makes sense for most adult riders, however the street is very busy and I could see the groups I mentioned above feeling very uncomfortable riding in the bike lanes.

 

Perhaps these fine zones will only be on streets where an existing safe alternative for bikes is in place.  I sure hope so!


h' said:

The context here is that this is a special zone in which special fines exist for sidewalk riding, due to senior citizens in the area feeling threatened by bikes on the sidewalk and hammering the alderman about it at every community meeting for years.
It would take an equal or greater number of seniors and families with children who want to ride bikes on the sidewalk equally hammering the alderman to get the special penalties backed off.


April said:

Arrest or temporary disabling of your bike!! For a first offense?  Whatever happened to good old fashioned tickets?  They don't put a boot on your car or arrest you the first time you're caught speeding!

 

It is a good that the city is finally letting people know that there is a law against riding on the sidewalk.  I wish that there were also signs reminding cars that they must yield to pedestrians in crosswalks! I think both laws are not widely known!

 

I do wonder about the sidewalk law though for certain riders:  Senior citizens, new riders and families with children probably should be allowed to ride on the sidewalks on streets with heavy traffic and/or no bike lanes.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on August 24, 2011 at 1:42am

All Chicago signage is horrible.  90% of it is written in a font so small, confusing symbols and phrasing, and with so much wasted space on the sign (forcing the wordy/confusing print to need to be in such a small font) that it pretty much doesn't convey ANY worthwhile information to anyone who isn't stopped right in front of it    

 

If you are moving at all and paying attention to traffic it's just an unreadable TL:DR blur of garbage text and symbols. 

Permalink Reply by Moc Artsy on August 24, 2011 at 3:18am

No, it's Rogers Park (no apostrophe and no "d"), Do a quick google search for "Rodger's Park" and you will get results for "Rogers Park," as anyone else would and will. I think it would do you good, H, to admit you were wrong.


h' said:

By the way-- it's "Rodger's Park."
Permalink Reply by Dan Korn on August 24, 2011 at 3:45am

From the Municipal Code of Chicago:

http://www.chicagobikes.org/bikelaws/?show=search&chapter=9&...

 

9-52-021- Riding bicycles on sidewalks–Penalty - Permalink

(a) The penalty for any person age 18 and older who rides a bicycle on the sidewalk adjacent to North Sheridan Road, between West Ardmore Avenue and West Sheridan Road (6400 north) shall be as follows: (1) the bicycle shall be temporarily disabled without permanent damage; and (2) the violator shall be subject to a fine of $50.00. (b) Following passage and approval, this section shall be in force and effect upon posting of signage notifying bicyclists of the penalty for violation of this section.

Added Coun. J. 2-6-02, p. 79154, § 1; Amend Coun. J. 6-4-03, p. 2538, § 1

 

h' said:

It's got nothing to do with "zoning".  I just used the word to mean "area."

This special fine areas are specifically mentioned in Chicago ordinance. I believe there's some gereral wording about "business areas" or "business districts,", and N. Sheridan was specifically mentioned in a separate paragraph.

No time to look it up right now.

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