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 Carter O'Brien on June 19, 2018 at 3:15am

It may not be frequent, but cars trying to avoid red light runners have most definitely caused accidents, some of them fatal, over the years.

So whether shaming them per se is a solution is somewhat secondary to the larger issue of cyclists en masse recognizing that this is not necessarily a victimless crime. Do I lose a lot of sleep over the issue? No, and we all compromise in the course of our lives. But cyclists defending it as standard, acceptable practice are a problem, and if they get called out, well, they bring it on themselves.

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Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on June 19, 2018 at 11:11am

Can you cite your sources?

Do you have an example of a cyclist running a red light leading to a fatality accident?

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Permalink Reply by Carter O'Brien on June 19, 2018 at 2:31pm

Can you use this thing called Google? I can personally attest to reading about a few here in Chicago, but take 5m and type in "cyclists causing fatal accidents."

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Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on June 19, 2018 at 11:16pm

I can.

But I am also not the one making a pretty extreme statement here; you want to throw out 'facts' you should be able to prove them.

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Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on June 19, 2018 at 11:24pm

Also, I did and the first page has zero hits of a cyclist running a red and causing a fatality so I am guessing not as vv common as you say...

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Permalink Reply by Carter O'Brien on June 20, 2018 at 1:58am

I most assuredly did not say they were common. I said - refuting your assertion to the contrary - that they can and do happen, as I quite specifically remember a few in Chicago, including one on Lincoln, Damen and Irving in the past 5-10 years.

Lastly, there are hits from around the world on google showing the dangers of cyclists not following rules.

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/cyclist-jailed-...

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2011/05/20/136462246/when...

https://www.thelocal.ch/20170420/cyclists-cause-almost-half-of-all-...

Does this mean I think cyclists are more dangerous than cars? Of course not. What I am saying is behavior has consequences. You seem convinced you are smarter than everyone else, because you have been riding 10 whole years and have been lucky so far. And I do not in any wish you anything but more luck - but at the same time you could do your fellow a cyclists a solid by understanding that blowing red lights makes us all look bad and inflames tensions on the road. Getting to your point B a few minutes faster is not worth it. You'll figure this out when you have 30 or more years riding under your belt.

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Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on June 20, 2018 at 5:54am

What are the details of the accident you claim happened? What is the proof it was caused by a cyclist?

It's interesting that you think you can predict my behavior; I can pretty much assure you 100% I am going to continue to ride my bike exactly as I do now until I am unable to ride.

You act like there is only one style of bypassing traffic signs or signals; there are many ways to cut an intersection and many of them have no impact on motorists and can even be safer than obeying the letter of the law.

I see nothing wrong with shadowing a car through a stop sign without stopping because it results in less time in the intersection for me and drivers miss seeing a car less than they miss seeing a bike.

I see no problem using the timing of lights at a six corners to go around the intersection with the red lights because it keeps me from having to be in the middle of a huge intersection with unpredictable and confused motorists.

I see no issues with slowing to check traffic and running a stop light or sign when traffic is not preset or half a block away.

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Permalink Reply by Carter O'Brien on June 20, 2018 at 7:53am

Because I know how to read. So when an article describes how a motorist swerving to avoid a cyclist loses control and kills a pedestrian, yeah, that's on the cyclist.Just like it's on a motorist if a cyclist gets injured avoiding a car making a right turn on red, or any one of a thousand stupid things.

You clearly have demonstrated that you think your s*** doesn't stink, and you know more than the rest of the civilized world put together, so I have no delusions of trying to change your behavior. Most of what you describe is IMO perfectly acceptable.

That's not what we're talking about. We're talking about why drivers give cyclists the finger as they pass with a few inches to spare, or swerve into the bike lane, or hit the accelerator to get in front of us for no apparent reason, or write angry op-ed pieces yelling about how "none of you cyclists obey the rules!", it's the cyclists like you they are venting at. The ones who they think are just rubbing it in their nose by showing them that red lights don't apply to them.

That was the original point here, debunking this notion that one's behavior doesn't impact their fellow cyclists. Because here's the thing - I come to a stop at a red light, and I know for a fact I'm not causing any problems. You can't say the same thing about your approach. Now if we really want to get into the weeds, sure, I'd be happy to agree that late nights are different. Drivers are often impaired, there are less of them altogether, and you gotta do what you gotta do to stay safe.

But stopping at red lights is like wearing a seat belt or having health insurance. You don't do it just because it is good for you, you do it because it's good for everyone, like getting a flu shot.

We'll see if you're still here 10 years from now, maybe you'll have learned something.

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Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on June 20, 2018 at 3:17pm

What article says that? You keep talking about this cyclist caused car fatality but you do not reference any specific incident; considering the number of people cars kill if this was any kind of real problem you should have no issue finding evidence of the issue...

Do you honestly think people who pass close and act like maniacs towards cyclist are doing it because somebody ran a stop sign in front of them or because they are just an angry a-hole of a human? I am going with angry a-hole...

Articles about law-breaking cyclists are, in my opinion, less about actual wrong doing and more about people having a need to rationalize their anger over people who use transportation different than their own.

In 10 years I will be exactly the same...

Permalink Reply by Steve Weeks on June 19, 2018 at 4:09am

I fear that "scofflaw" behavior by bicyclists is so ingrained in our culture that it is a permanent feature of the traffic landscape. Shaming certainly doesn't work. A long-term public education program similar to "drivers education" might help, starting at an early age. I think many riders retain a memory of their early cycling years when a bicycle was considered a "toy", and never develop the appreciation for the seriousness of riding in traffic. What I think *would* help is active law enforcement of traffic laws. If cyclists had a credible basis to think they could be ticketed, have their bike impounded, or at least be inconvenienced... the tide might be turned. Sadly, I do not think this is likely to happen anytime soon.