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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Permalink Reply by V W on November 4, 2015 at 10:35am
Agreed. And I feel like not everyone gets this very important caveat near the beginning of the article:

"Now, do hard and fast rules exist in cycling? No. The same red light that it’s just idiotic not to run at three in the morning is equally idiotic to run during rush hour. There’s a difference between riding along a deserted sidewalk instead of taking a very sketchy bridge, and weaving through pedestrians on the sidewalk for miles. "
Permalink Reply by Carter O'Brien on November 6, 2015 at 4:01am

Props for finding that loophole, but let me try and clarify a bit more:

When I said people shouldn't invent their own set of rules, I was speaking in terms of etiquette with respect to their fellow cyclists/pedestrians - there's good reasons that barring emergency situations we don't ride on the sidewalk, ride against traffic in a bike lane, pass on the right.  There are certainly acceptable exceptions for all of these things, but they are the exceptions, not the rule; hopping on a sidewalk *briefly* to avoid getting squished by a car, nosediving in a pothole or avoiding broken glass is OK IMO as long as you're not wiping out a pedestrian in the process.  Common sense has to prevail.

So that's what Steven is referring to - no cyclist alive comes to a complete stop at an otherwise empty 4-way residential intersection with stop signs, it's pointless.  Running a red light on an empty street at 3 am may be safer than staying put and being roadkill for a drunk or tired driver who isn't alert enough to notice you. 

But when you throw other cyclists in the mix, especially on busy streets during rush hour, the basic etiquette is your friend for a reason, it's just the golden rule.

Also an Avondalian btw, looking forward to a day I actually want to take Milwaukee downtown the whole way from Diversey & Kimball where I'd grab it, instead of going to Elston as it's a safer ride (excepting the northbound intersect with Ashland, serenity now!). 

Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on November 6, 2015 at 4:12am

Well said Carter. I have had people pass me on the right and I tend to get a bit startled - especially when they don't announce their presence. Bike commuting/riding requires patience with motorists, pedestrians and fellow cyclists. Not everyone seems to be aware of the rules and best practices. How many cyclists do you see on your daily commute that ride their bikes dangerously close to parked cars, risking getting doored? Or swear/yell at motorists, pedestrians, and their fellow cyclists? It's a tough call - do you say something? Do you scold? Or do you quietly act as an example? I was lucky to have someone explain the rules, laws and best practices that have helped me ride my bike on the streets. Not everyone is as lucky.

Permalink Reply by V W on November 6, 2015 at 5:29am
In my case she was way over to the left in a different lane than me (or around one lane width away). And had just passed me immediately before. And I very slowly glided to a stop a lane width away from her on her right. There was nothing for her to be startled with. For some people it's more about self righteous finger wagging than common sense. Still technically bad etiquette on my part but I did not create any danger to anyone and didn't deserve that outburst.

I wouldn't limit variations from etiquette to just emergency situations but rather common sense situations. Like today they're doing construction downtown and I'm parking my bike- as I traverse the sidewalk to go park, the construction has a fence up which greatly narrows the sidewalk. If I walk my bike I can't get through that narrow spot without preventing someone being able to walk the opposite way- my profile would be that much wider. So instead of clogging up people traffic I sit on my bike seat and with one foot on a pedal and one foot on the ground I push my bike at a walking pace. No harm no foul, and opposing people traffic was able to pass me. Yet I wouldn't put it past many people to take a strict view of the law and etiquette and say I did something wrong there too and should be chewed out for it.
Permalink Reply by Carter O'Brien on November 6, 2015 at 7:38am

I think there is a difference between nuances related to good/acceptable bike etiquette, and when/whether cyclists should take it upon themselves to be trying to enforce it.

I would definitely consider myself in the no harm-no foul camp, and I think courteous bike riding is like porn, it might be hard to perfectly define but you know it when you see it. 

Cyclists are no different than motorists in that we're all just people, and road rage and the stress of traffic can lead to people taking their cumulative frustrations out on individuals.

My personal lightbulb moment came many, many years ago, when instead of focusing on the yahoos on the Lakefront Trail during my commute, I instead focused on the extent to which they were outnumbered by people doing everything right (or at least mostly right).  Just like people can be more prone to go to Yelp to complain than to share praise, I think the bad apples often get more of our attention than they deserve.  I find it better for my faith in humanity to simply try and recognize generally decent behavior.

Permalink Reply by V W on November 6, 2015 at 6:03am
I agree with that assessment- there's a broad spectrum of riders between very reckless and very safe. Few fall at either extreme and most fall in the middle. I just find that people draw the line at different places when it comes to making comments (whether of the well meaning variety or the aggressive). Personally I draw the line far towards the reckless end- I've had plenty of near misses where someone never saw me but I saw them the whole time and was able to avoid them- I'll typically give them a look or at most say something like "you never even saw me did you?". Or if a car is about to merge into me Ill give a HEY! Or if I'm on Dearborn and a pedestrian steps out and isn't looking I'll simply say "bike lane". But I'm not going to yell at someone or even say anything if they're doing most other stuff. Im not going to say any of the following:

" stop shoaling!"
"Stop catfishing! / you're going the wrong way!"
"Where's your helmet?"
"Its illegal to [insert activity] "
"Get off the sidewalk!"

I don't want to contribute to the cacophany that's already there. To me it's like the difference between a parent who yells at their kid vs giving them positive reinforcement. I think the latter is typically better all around. I just would rather promote a permissive attitude toward all cyclists vs making people feel like they're doing something wrong and they don't belong- if they bike enough they will generally learn and adapt over time- but the greater good is getting more people to bike IMO.

I just don't want to perpetuate an association between cycling and snarkiness/negativity in the public consciousness. Unfortunately I don't seem to find a lot of sensitivity towards the value in doing this.
Permalink Reply by Thomas Bruzan on November 12, 2015 at 3:44am

I have to say I really enjoy your posts VW. a breath of fresh air and common sense on this forum.

Permalink Reply by Tricolor on November 4, 2015 at 11:10am

I have to agree on the six-way intersections. I'm fueled with a silent rage whenever I ride up Lincoln that's usually reserved for waiting in line for breakfast at Walker Brothers.

Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on November 4, 2015 at 10:56am

I am the the slowest cyclist in Chicago - 70 pounds of bike, gear, accessories, backpack and cameras will do that - with a mirror on my handlebar. I am constatntly amazed at the number of people who will pass me as fast as they can and then slow down after. They get out of the saddle, increase their cadence or get into a crouch in the drops. I guess this is to prove how fast they are ... to someone who does not care. I feel like I am in a race that I was not invited to.

I like speed. Going downhill is still a hoot. But getting to work or home 47 seconds faster does not seem worth the effort or the decrease in safety that comes from blowing stoplights, ignoring stop signs and advancing your bike into the street that you are about to cross while waiting at the stoplight.

My top priority is enjoying my ride. I like my rides so much that I take photos of them and share them with others. If I were addicted to speed, I would miss so much of this city's landscape and architecture. That would be sad. I prefer to slow down and smell the roses.

Permalink Reply by Eric R on November 6, 2015 at 5:31am

Since this thread is popular at the moment...

To the head phones*, no-handlebars guy at Milwaukee/ Green at 8:45 am on 11/6/15. We were all stopped for the construction workers to allow the truck to back into the work zone.

Yes, stopping for the truck is/was annoying but we did it anyway, especially since a construction worker was holding a Stop sign notifying us of a safety situation. 

*I ride with one ear bud in but the combination of your actions is why people view it as dangerous and cyclists as a$$holes.

Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on November 12, 2015 at 4:35am

Good tactical decision Eric. One of the most dangerous and annoying things drivers do is to drive as if every momentary obstacle is something that they need to swerve around either into opposing traffic, or more often the (defacto or not) bike lane. So it is super disappointing to hear about a cyclist doing the same thing: selfishly endangering others so save himself those 4 or 7 seconds. It is even more disappointing when other cyclists on the scene have already figured out the right thing to do and are doing it. 

Permalink Reply by Carter O'Brien on November 12, 2015 at 5:42am

I can't like these two posts enough.  + infinity

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