The Chainlink

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 Kevin C Dormant on April 25, 2014 at 3:51pm

Hey! Wait just a minute! You were in a protected bike lane!

Now granted, that protected bike lane is not the best or the third best in the United States (those distinctions are reserved for the Dearborn and Milwaukee PBLs), but still. Protected bike lanes are supposed to make riding safer. 

Lisa Curcio 4.1 mi said:

On my way in this morning coming down the hill on Kinzie from Des Plaines a westbound cab turned left in front of me onto Jefferson.  Since I always slow down at that intersection, it was not really close--just annoying.  The cab driver waved at me as he made the turn--"sorry, I did not see you."? or "thanks for slowing down"? The fellow riding behind me said, "well, at least he waved!".

Permalink Reply by dan brown on April 25, 2014 at 3:58pm

until they are separted by concrete walls and elevated (like in some cool countries) I don't feel any safer in a PBL than walking down the dan ryan at 8pm on a saturday night. but anything is better than nothing

Kevin C said:

Hey! Wait just a minute! You were in a protected bike lane!

Now granted, that protected bike lane is not the best or the third best in the United States (those distinctions are reserved for the Dearborn and Milwaukee PBLs), but still. Protected bike lanes are supposed to make riding safer. 

Lisa Curcio 4.1 mi said:

On my way in this morning coming down the hill on Kinzie from Des Plaines a westbound cab turned left in front of me onto Jefferson.  Since I always slow down at that intersection, it was not really close--just annoying.  The cab driver waved at me as he made the turn--"sorry, I did not see you."? or "thanks for slowing down"? The fellow riding behind me said, "well, at least he waved!".

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on April 25, 2014 at 3:59pm

:-)

Kevin C said:

Hey! Wait just a minute! You were in a protected bike lane!

Now granted, that protected bike lane is not the best or the third best in the United States (those distinctions are reserved for the Dearborn and Milwaukee PBLs), but still. Protected bike lanes are supposed to make riding safer. 

Lisa Curcio 4.1 mi said:

On my way in this morning coming down the hill on Kinzie from Des Plaines a westbound cab turned left in front of me onto Jefferson.  Since I always slow down at that intersection, it was not really close--just annoying.  The cab driver waved at me as he made the turn--"sorry, I did not see you."? or "thanks for slowing down"? The fellow riding behind me said, "well, at least he waved!".

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on April 25, 2014 at 4:23pm

Sounds like it would have been better for all concerned if this this SF area incident was a missed connection. Yikes!

Permalink Reply by Tricolor on April 25, 2014 at 7:11pm

Mill Valley.  Don't worry his lawyer will be pretty good.

Permalink Reply by David Altenburg on April 26, 2014 at 3:30pm

You: Sitting in an SUV, waiting to take a left turn. When the 2 cars in front of you didn't run me down turn left into me, you honked at them and then started yelling at me for having the gall to proceed straight through a green light. 

I suppose for anyone stupid enough to burn $4.50/gal gas by sitting in Saturday Chicago traffic, life must be a neverending stream of frustrations and failures, so I can't fault you for trying to find someone else to blame. Hate to break it to you: it's not going to get any easier, but it'll be a lot more fun if you're on a bike.

Permalink Reply by dan brown on April 28, 2014 at 10:04am

great post, well said. sorry you had became cager-rage; but I nominate your post for an award.

happy monday :-)

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on April 28, 2014 at 10:06am

Well said!

David Altenburg said:

You: Sitting in an SUV, waiting to take a left turn. When the 2 cars in front of you didn't run me down turn left into me, you honked at them and then started yelling at me for having the gall to proceed straight through a green light. 

I suppose for anyone stupid enough to burn $4.50/gal gas by sitting in Saturday Chicago traffic, life must be a neverending stream of frustrations and failures, so I can't fault you for trying to find someone else to blame. Hate to break it to you: it's not going to get any easier, but it'll be a lot more fun if you're on a bike.

Permalink Reply by David Mann on April 29, 2014 at 9:16am

2 missed connections today:

First was with the garbage truck driver who very nearly clipped me as I was passing (in the bike lane). He decided at the last second to make a sharp right to get around a left-turning driver on Damen. When I finally caught up to him at the red light at Schiller to tap his window and tell him to check his mirrors, that he nearly killed me, then flipped him off (he was still being an asshole--drivers just don't like being approached in their cars and told they f*cked up, no matter how polite you start out).

At that point I was so frazzled and upset that I just took off through the red light (no cross traffic), to my next missed connection: the dude that admonished me from across the street in his mid-90s Honda Civic. He yelled that I "ran a red light, dude." And he was right-- I did. Sorry-- not something I always do, especially in traffic, but I was a bit out of sorts at the moment. At least I checked for cross-traffic before I took off (there was none), and at least I wasn't driving a 25 ton truck without checking my mirrors or using a signal before abruptly changing lanes.

Permalink Reply by Michael A on April 29, 2014 at 2:51pm

I am far from innocent when it comes to bending the traffic laws while on my bike, but I do so with the full understanding that I am breaking the law and can be held accountable.

Saying it is ok to run a red light because you have less chance of injuring someone is like saying it is ok to rob a bank with a knife instead of a gun.

Traffic thought of as with an "us against them" mentality will only serve to keep bicycles out of the defintion OF traffic.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on April 30, 2014 at 12:10pm

Well said.  "Share the road" needs to apply to everyone, otherwise it's a useless idea.

Michael A said:

I am far from innocent when it comes to bending the traffic laws while on my bike, but I do so with the full understanding that I am breaking the law and can be held accountable.

Saying it is ok to run a red light because you have less chance of injuring someone is like saying it is ok to rob a bank with a knife instead of a gun.

Traffic thought of as with an "us against them" mentality will only serve to keep bicycles out of the defintion OF traffic.

Permalink Reply by David Mann on April 30, 2014 at 1:28pm

Who said that?

Michael A said:

Saying it is ok to run a red light because you have less chance of injuring someone...

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