Pet Peeves Among the Pedals
Not about pedestrians, not about motorists, just about our fellow cyclists. We are all so different that stuff is bound to frustrate when we approach riding in such different ways, explain to those we think are less experienced, etc. Ok, tell us your stories, tell us your pet peeves, we're all friends!
I'll start out with a pet peeve of mine... The cyclist that blows past me so close to me I felt the wind of their SWOOOOOSH as they fly past me but they say nothing to warn me. We're in tight quarters in the bike lane. Buy a bell and/or tell me you are there!
p.s. sure, your pet peeve may be the forum post that's been done before but I kinda feel like this tucks into other topics so this time I'm giving the pedal pet peeve front and center.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Ernesto Lube on
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This morning, lady riding a DIVVY on the bike lane, with her phone on her ear/shoulder combo.
Almost getting nailed by a red light running cyclist when I had the green on State and 9th.
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Permalink Reply by Irvin Steinert on
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Almost getting nailed by a red light running cyclist when I had the green on State and 9th.
I hear you on that bro.....
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No camera today – I can’t attach it all that well on my fixie bike.
I left work and made my way to the Dearborn bike lanes… saw the typical phone on the hand and staring at it pedestrian, unaware… STOP! STOP! STOP! I yelled and they stopped from crossing the bike lanes when I had the right of way.
Then there’s the guy on another fixie who decided this afternoon to wear his headphones, and ignore the red lights, froggering around cars and pedestrians. I lost sight of him at Congress and Dearborn, only to see him again at Roosevelt and Wabash, doing the same thing he was doing before.
Got home, unloaded the backpack, changed, and went out for another ride. Decided against heading south on the Lake Shore path… somehow I made it back to Dearborn heading north, as if I was going back to work.
I yelled at a car that was on the bike lane to “move your car!” only to get honked at. Made it to Dearborn and northbound I was… shoaler. Light runner. Light runner… pedestrians… headphones. Unaware, inattentive drivers.
Made a nice 10 mile loop around and back to the South Loop.
I think my favorite pet peeve are shoalers and people wearing headphones and people staring at their phones not paying attention BECAUSE THEY CAN’T HEAR A DAMN THING WHEN I SAY ON YOUR LEFT!!! Be it cyclists or pedestrians or runners or whatever.
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Permalink Reply by David Henri on
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Wow Ernesto, I don't understand why you went back to the Dearborn lane right after getting off of it. I ride in on Milwaukee from Lawrence to Van Buren/Dearborn and the worst part of my commute is the Dearborn lane. Just like you said above, dodging pedestrians who step right out in front of you, tuned-in and tuned-out, completely oblivious to oncoming traffic. I had to shout "Watch out!" this morning at a guy ready to step off the curb with his headphones on, looking at his phone. Once I'm off Dearborn, the rest of the ride is fine.
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!! It continually shocks me how much some people on this forum hate Dearborn. I ride Augusta/Milwaukee/Kinzie/Dearborn. Dearborn is by far the easiest-going, most relaxing stretch.
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Permalink Reply by David Barish on
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I think it is perspective dependent. Like you, I dig Dearborn. When I ride Dearborn I am reveling in being surrounded by bikes and by seeing bicycle transportation being a vital ingredient in the cocktail of Chicago transportation. I have friends who cycle more for recreation than transportation who are used to more uninterrupted riding in more bucolic venues. Dearborn is is not fast and has lots of starts and stops and that tends to exasperate those friends.
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Yeah, I just don't understand this. I applaud you for being cool with it, but to me it's hell on wheels during rush hour. Now, I do ride it occasionally at those times, but I try to avoid if I can. Unfortunately there isn't another good way to get into the Loop from the South Loop, maybe Franklin but it's blocks out of the way.
Dearborn is poorly re-paved and as another poster mentioned is littered with 6 inch deep manhole covers, has multiple standing water zones, is full of idiot pedestrians who walk off the curb without looking (I once hit one) or stand in the intersections and scream bloody murder if you ask them to not block your green light, and has very poorly timed lights. I ride it enough to know the light cycle and from S to N it's Harrison to Congress, Congress to Van Buren, Van Buren to Adams (yeah 2 blocks!), Adams to Madison, Madison to Randolph, Randolph to Lake (sometimes you can make Lake), and Lake to Wacker. That's 12-15 minutes to go a mile while on Franklin or State I can do the same trip in 5 minutes without breaking any laws.
Poor design and maintenance begets frustrated people and pushes us to ride elsewhere. I never take Dearborn south. Clark is much much faster, and I feel it is safer too since the pedestrians aren't standing or stepping in the street without at least looking for cars.
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Then there's this... https://youtu.be/7dCmC2fyHsk
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Maybe it's not too bad during off rush-hour periods, but I ride it regularly to work and back. Between dodging the manholes north of Daly Plaza (where they paved the lane but didn't adjust the structures as they should have) and the pedestrians, it's not a relaxing stretch. But to each his own I guess.....
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I agree that it's "perspective dependent." The shortcomings reported in this thread and elsewhere are factually true. If they don't bother some cyclists, that's fine, but they certainly exist.
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Just familiarity I guess.
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X post. I posted it on What's this doing in the bike lane?"
Seriously? To use the bike lanes as a shortcut to avoid backed up traffic?
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