Think of this as a Missed Connection.

You blew the red light east bound on Lawrence at Damen at 5:26 pm this evening.

 

There was enough time for the biker in front of me to make it half way into the intersection, northbound on Damen, before you came whizzing past my front wheel.

 

I yelled "You're an idiot!" at your big haired chick, self, and you looked back at me. I meant it!

 

I woulda testified for any of the cars, that managed to not kill you, if they had.

 

Keep riding like a tard!

love,

gabe

 

Witness bad behavior during your commute? Feel free to post. Maybe that lovely human can read it and think they are famous. Maybe you can also inspire the whole generation of kids to shower but we can start with small things.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Tricolor on September 12, 2013 at 3:25am

On the plus side since giant headphones are popular for the hip crowd you can spot hazardous bikers much easier.

Where was everyone this morning?  The lakefront was empty.

Permalink Reply by Davo on September 12, 2013 at 3:43am

Manny, what time this morning? Real early?

Permalink Reply by Steve Weeks on September 12, 2013 at 4:35am

According to the City, cyclists are supposed to be a minimum of 3 (three) feet from the parked cars, basically out of the "door zone". About a year ago I got doored because I wanted to make it easier for a couple of cars to pass me south-bound on Leavitt near the expressway. Just as I moved over, checking my rear-view mirror, a door opened in front of me. "No good deed goes unpunished." Luckily, I didn't fall, and only my upper right arm made contact with the car. The driver (sorry, it was a woman) said "you hit my door." I pointed out that opening a door into traffic is an offense that carries a $500 fine (I think it is now $1,000) and asked if she wanted me to call the police. She ignored me and said "you dented my door!" By this time I had done a quick self-check and realized I wasn't badly hurt, so I told her it would have been worse if I had been a car, then took off. I figured it might take the police a while to arrive, and they might not be totally sympathetic (the law notwithstanding), and I would be late to work. The next day I had a beaut of a bruise, but nothing worse.

Lesson learned: I stay the heck away from parked cars, as allowed by law. :-)

Steve

We all have an inner Beast... said:

Watched a cyclist get doored on the stretch north of the river on Halsted this morning.

Car was parked pointed North. It was there from when I started to crest the river bridge.

Small hispanic guy, dressed in black shirt and pants, on a black bike, no helmet not a single light, and I think he only had reflectors on his tires (in his spokes). He was just cruising downhill, and as he passed the car, the driver's side door was flung open.

Driver got out and helped kid up, and picked up the guys bike. (Looked like the front wheel was bent/flattened in a few spots)

I slowed down and asked him if he was all right. He answered me in a bit of a angered voice, that he was okay. I asked if he needed help. Again with a harsh tone, he answered that he was fine. He was holding or rubbing his arm. I asked, "Are you sure?" He said, "Yeah."

I advised him to call CPD to file a report, and to "get your arm and shoulder looked at. Might be something wrong that you just don't feel right now."

He stated, "yeah, yeah, yeah." So, I left the scene.

There was another cyclist coming up from the south (on a road bike, with a silver helmet, no lights and head phones - I knew he had headphones in because I honked my Horn-It horn at him and called out passing on your left, and he didn't even realize I was there until I was passing him. Kind of hard to miss me with 3 different blinking white lights pointing forward, but oh well.). Not sure if he stopped. Seriously doubt it.

 

Maybe the guy should have moved further into the street to avoid getting doored...

Or had at least one flashing light on the front....

Or the driver could have just paid more attention....

Coulda/Woulda/Shoulda.....

Just saying....

 

 

Respectfully,

 

Manny

Permalink Reply by Matt Talbert on September 12, 2013 at 4:40am

I THINK leaving a door open into traffic is a $250 fine, regardless of whether you hit the door or not. If the driver had opened the door on you, it would have been $1000 (unless that hasn't gone into effect yet). Now my question is, if you get doored and you are not three feet from parked cars, would you have been at fault? 

Steve Weeks said:

According to the City, cyclists are supposed to be a minimum of 3 (three) feet from the parked cars, basically out of the "door zone". About a year ago I got doored because I wanted to make it easier for a couple of cars to pass me south-bound on Leavitt near the expressway. Just as I moved over, checking my rear-view mirror, a door opened in front of me. "No good deed goes unpunished." Luckily, I didn't fall, and only my upper right arm made contact with the car. The driver (sorry, it was a woman) said "you hit my door." I pointed out that opening a door into traffic is an offense that carries a $500 fine (I think it is now $1,000) and asked if she wanted me to call the police. She ignored me and said "you dented my door!" By this time I had done a quick self-check and realized I wasn't badly hurt, so I told her it would have been worse if I had been a car, then took off. I figured it might take the police a while to arrive, and they might not be totally sympathetic (the law notwithstanding), and I would be late to work. The next day I had a beaut of a bruise, but nothing worse.

Lesson learned: I stay the heck away from parked cars, as allowed by law. :-)

Steve

We all have an inner Beast... said:

Watched a cyclist get doored on the stretch north of the river on Halsted this morning.

Car was parked pointed North. It was there from when I started to crest the river bridge.

Small hispanic guy, dressed in black shirt and pants, on a black bike, no helmet not a single light, and I think he only had reflectors on his tires (in his spokes). He was just cruising downhill, and as he passed the car, the driver's side door was flung open.

Driver got out and helped kid up, and picked up the guys bike. (Looked like the front wheel was bent/flattened in a few spots)

I slowed down and asked him if he was all right. He answered me in a bit of a angered voice, that he was okay. I asked if he needed help. Again with a harsh tone, he answered that he was fine. He was holding or rubbing his arm. I asked, "Are you sure?" He said, "Yeah."

I advised him to call CPD to file a report, and to "get your arm and shoulder looked at. Might be something wrong that you just don't feel right now."

He stated, "yeah, yeah, yeah." So, I left the scene.

There was another cyclist coming up from the south (on a road bike, with a silver helmet, no lights and head phones - I knew he had headphones in because I honked my Horn-It horn at him and called out passing on your left, and he didn't even realize I was there until I was passing him. Kind of hard to miss me with 3 different blinking white lights pointing forward, but oh well.). Not sure if he stopped. Seriously doubt it.

 

Maybe the guy should have moved further into the street to avoid getting doored...

Or had at least one flashing light on the front....

Or the driver could have just paid more attention....

Coulda/Woulda/Shoulda.....

Just saying....

 

 

Respectfully,

 

Manny

Permalink Reply by Steve Weeks on September 12, 2013 at 5:46am

The Municipal code of Chicago says this:

9-80-035  Opening and closing vehicle doors.
   No person shall open the door of a vehicle on the side available to moving traffic unless and until it is reasonably safe to do so, and can be done without interfering with the movement of other traffic, nor shall any person leave a door open on the side of a vehicle available to moving traffic for a period of time longer than necessary to load or unload passengers.
There is no mention of how close the rider (or car) may be from the vehicle with the opening door. So, *legally*, I don't think the car driver gets off because the cyclist is closer than 3 feet. However, in another (maybe "moral") sense, the cyclist is at least partly to blame because he or she should know that there is a greater potential for collision at distances less than three feet.
Steve



Matt Talbert said:

I THINK leaving a door open into traffic is a $250 fine, regardless of whether you hit the door or not. If the driver had opened the door on you, it would have been $1000 (unless that hasn't gone into effect yet). Now my question is, if you get doored and you are not three feet from parked cars, would you have been at fault? 


1s20gdv3auw5hPermalink Reply by 1s20gdv3auw5h on September 14, 2013 at 2:49am

Take a ride this afternoon.  Great sunny day for a ride!

Permalink Reply by Ann Sch 9.3 on September 23, 2013 at 6:13am

YOU:  A twenty-ish over-testoterone ladened  over-ego endowed guy, riding WITH Headphones, NO Hands (wow, so impressive) SOUTHBOUND down the middle NORTHBOUND lane of Michigan Avenue between Ontario and Erie, at 5:15pm last Thursday.

ME:  Driving (unfortunate out of town meeting in the morning) taking a right from Ontario onto Michigan Avenue AFTER the pedestrians have cleared the crosswalk, and I NEARLY sacked you right smack dab in the middle of my CR-V. 

SUGGESTION: Buy health insurance, life insurance (I can't believe though anyone is dependent on you), or get an MRI of your brain to see if there is any activity in your prefrontal cortex.

Permalink Reply by Maurice on September 23, 2013 at 6:32am

I was riding down LaSalle St. about 3 feet from the curb, even though there are 2 traffic lanes in each direction.  You were driving an immense accordion CTA bus behind me.  I saw that the next light had just turned red, so I stopped accelerating and began coasting to an inevitable stop.  That was unacceptable to you.  You waited until we were 40' from the red light, then beeped your horn as you passed me on the left, before stopping directly in front of and next to me on a 30 degree angle with your front tire next to the curb, making it impossible to pass you either on the right or the left. 

 

As I (eventually) made my way to the light, I told you in passing:  "That's some quality driving."  It took you awhile to think of a comeback but, right before the light turned green and I accellerated away, you yelled, "Pay attention."  What precisely I am meant to pay attention to remains a mystery.  If I hadn't been paying attention earlier, you may well have run me over when you intentionally pinned me to the curb.

Permalink Reply by Julia 3.5/7.5 mi on September 23, 2013 at 8:51am

Report that. There are great bus drivers, and not so great. It shouldn't take hitting someone to bring attention to a poor driver. http://www.transitchicago.com/contact/default.aspx

Maurice said:

I was riding down LaSalle St. about 3 feet from the curb, even though there are 2 traffic lanes in each direction.  You were driving an immense accordion CTA bus behind me.  I saw that the next light had just turned red, so I stopped accelerating and began coasting to an inevitable stop.  That was unacceptable to you.  You waited until we were 40' from the red light, then beeped your horn as you passed me on the left, before stopping directly in front of and next to me on a 30 degree angle with your front tire next to the curb, making it impossible to pass you either on the right or the left. 

 

As I (eventually) made my way to the light, I told you in passing:  "That's some quality driving."  It took you awhile to think of a comeback but, right before the light turned green and I accellerated away, you yelled, "Pay attention."  What precisely I am meant to pay attention to remains a mystery.  If I hadn't been paying attention earlier, you may well have run me over when you intentionally pinned me to the curb.

Permalink Reply by ilter on September 25, 2013 at 2:29pm

To the man who delivered me my fallen seat cover at Monroe & Columbus this morning. I did not thank you enough, as I was both a bit out of breath & surprised. Later I figured you must have picked it up a block back & hurried to catch me before the lights turned green. Thank you, I really appreciate it!

Permalink Reply by Cheryl on September 26, 2013 at 6:52am

To the cyclist in the green sweater who rear-ended me this morning on Milwaukee: I sincerely hope you made it to your destination all right. You startled the crap out of me when you hit me, but I was then very concerned for you as I was the 2nd stationary object I observed you biking in to within a couple of blocks. Hope you are okay.

Permalink Reply by Michelle on September 26, 2013 at 7:26am

To the pigeon that literally flew directly into my helmet, bounced off, and fell to the ground on Wabash yesterday after work: a) I guess it wasn't a missed connection. b) what were you thinking?! and c) sorry!!!

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