Sun Times: "Two Wheel Trouble."

A little more focus on supposed animosity between drivers and cyclists than necessary, but otherwise decently-researched article if one can look past the little tweaks for max. sensationalism:

http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/14787906-418/two-wheel-trouble-b...

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Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on September 5, 2012 at 12:32am

Guess I need to meet h'!  

Actually, James, must have been another guy yelling to slow down 'cause my Dad did not care too much about the lawn :-)

Permalink Reply by Tricolor on September 5, 2012 at 4:12am

I don't normally ride on Halsted but the few times I have it's been busy.  I also went up and down Damen between Foster and North a few times last weekend and it was much wider and more pleasant.  What's interesting is the low number along my usual commute on the lake, other than at Montrose.  I see plenty of close calls at all four crossings.

I see plenty more crashes along the lake, but they don't involve cars so I guess they aren't counted.

Permalink Reply by Crazy David 84 Furlongs on September 5, 2012 at 4:33am

I see the map and realize that I essentially ride through NONE of those intersections.  And that may also explain why I still feel very much the "lone ranger" on my Bike Commutes.   When I went from the North Side to the loop I saw lots of commuters.  Now that I am heading out toward the airport, I just don't see that many fellow cyclists... .and those that I do see for the most part are the "neighborhood" cyclists (the kids within the neighborhoods).   What can I do (other than offer incentives to others at work) to encourage more riding?  I have already tried during "bike to work week"

1.  Guaranteed Ride Home.   I drove my car out to the office on Monday AM and offered to drive anyone home who developed Bike Trouble or if it rained.  I drove two people home in five years.  Mostly the car just sat at the office for the week and I rode back and forth.

2.   Inventives.  I offered a free Bicycle to anyone who agreed to use it to commute.  I had purchased a bicycle from Working Bikes Cooperative that I ultimately did not like at all.  (Too heavy...)  No one took me up on it.

3.   Taunting.   We shared space with another company and I challenged them to "match use", including putting "taunts" on their cars.  Things like My Bicycle gets 40 miles to the gallon and my gallon is water.   They responded by attaching to the bicycle things like, my car can go 75, can your bicycle?   (They had to put 75 because once, a long long time ago on a very steep hill in Wisconsin, when I was young and foolish and much lighter, I passed a car on a downhill that told me as it passed me on the uphill that followed, that it was going 60 mph.....)

Any ideas what we can do as individuals to change perceptions?????

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on September 5, 2012 at 4:39am

Makes sense.  More traffic = more accidents.

Cameron Puetz said:

Exactly, a connect the dots of the high crash intersections would produce a map of the high traffic corredors. You can clearly make out Halsted and Milwaukee on that map. Not to say that there aren't design issues with a lot of those intersections, but just looking at the raw numbers gives you high traffic=high crash.

Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on September 5, 2012 at 5:20am

$10,230 in 2012 ... and counting

Car payments - $3,500
Cost of gasoline - $1,700
Car insurance - $1,300
Parking tickets - $375
Speeding tickets - $225
Getting towed car back $1,100
Repairs - $1750
Car washes and detailing $115
Oil changes - $465

Riding my bike - priceless



David crZven said:

Any ideas what we can do as individuals to change perceptions?????

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on September 5, 2012 at 5:31am

When people ask me why I ride for transportation, whether it's commuting, shopping or whatever, I emphasize the positives, including not worrying about parking hassles or expense.  Mentioning that it gives you the freedom to literally stop and smell the roses, if you choose, doesn't hurt either.

Cameron Puetz said:

Focus on the positives of bike commuting, instead of the negatives of their choice. For example, I bike commute because I just feel better when I do. I arrive at work more alert, focused, and engerised to the point that I drink less coffee. Also I arrive home more relaxed having been able to destress during the ride.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on September 5, 2012 at 6:08am

Ouch, my car has been paid-off since 1997

I don't drive it much these days but gas does add up -even with only  3k/year being put on it.   $4/gallon at abotu 35MPH/3000 miles.   Painful...

Insurance is pretty cheap for only liability -about 1/10th what you are paying.

I'm not much for speeding so tickets aren't an issue.  They don't give tickets if you aren't going over the posted limit.

Haven't had to have it towed since my X-wife (not X at the time) quit driving it in '01 and I took it over at about 125k, repairs average about $300/year over the last couple of decades of driving it and that includes routine maintenance like oil changes -I do everything myself so that's a big savings.  Oil gets changed every year whether it needs it or not. I buy the 4 quarts of the cheapest motor oil I can find and a cheap filter ($15 total yearly cost.)  They don't make bad oil these days.  At 325k I must be doing something right...  

Car wash? Detailing?  Doesn't it get washed when it rains?  Every once in a while I'll throw all the garbage bouncing around in the interior into a bag and toss it in the dumpster.   I'll clean the windows on the inside and wipe down the dash every fall -is that detailing?

Cars CAN cost a lot of money if you let them get out of hand.    I spend WAY more/mile on my bikes than I do my car, but then again I like to baby my bikes.  A car is just a thing to get by on longer trips that are too far to ride to. 

Gene Tenner said:

$10,230 in 2012 ... and counting

Car payments - $3,500
Cost of gasoline - $1,700
Car insurance - $1,300
Parking tickets - $375
Speeding tickets - $225
Getting towed car back $1,100
Repairs - $1750
Car washes and detailing $115
Oil changes - $465

Riding my bike - priceless



David crZven said:

Any ideas what we can do as individuals to change perceptions?????

Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on September 5, 2012 at 6:55am

A car owner who drives 15,000 miles per year will pay an average of $8,946 to own, maintain and insure a motor vehicle in 2012, the automotive club said. SUV drivers will pay $11,360.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-04-27/business/chi-cost-of-... 

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on September 5, 2012 at 7:47am

3k/year is the family/household car-miles figure for us.

Permalink Reply by Fran Kondorf on September 5, 2012 at 8:12am

I went to the recycling center the other day and had brought the stuff in a tub lashed to my trailer.

An older gentleman was there as well and he admired my set-up. While we chatted for a minute I told him that the best part was, "No gas and no tickets."

Permalink Reply by Adam Kitzmann on September 5, 2012 at 10:10am

Not sure if this has been covered yet, but don't take Grand, Hubbard is the best, fastest and safest way to get from the Ukie Village area to River North / Downtown IMO. And they have repaved as of a couple years ago most of that stretch. 

Erin Vogel said:

Good point, thanks. When I ride to work, my start point is Chicago and Ashland and I usually end around  Chicago and Franklin. A friend of mine just suggested I take Grand instead, but he said that route is only slightly better.

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on September 5, 2012 at 10:18am

Where does one cross the river?

Adam Kitzmann said:

Not sure if this has been covered yet, but don't take Grand, Hubbard is the best, fastest and safest way to get from the Ukie Village area to River North / Downtown IMO. And they have repaved as of a couple years ago most of that stretch. 

Erin Vogel said:

Good point, thanks. When I ride to work, my start point is Chicago and Ashland and I usually end around  Chicago and Franklin. A friend of mine just suggested I take Grand instead, but he said that route is only slightly better.

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