What's this doing in the bike lane?

Share your pics, videos, streets, stories of what you find in the bike lane of the non-bike variety that has an impact on your ride and/or your safety. I've decided to keep it a little more open ended - cars, snow, buses, garbage, cabs, etc. If they shouldn't be in the bike lane, go ahead and add it to this thread. Please be safe if you are taking pics or video! :-) 

My hope is that we can collectively build some evidence of what we see when riding in the city with the overall hope of better enforcement of "bikes only" and improving maintenance. 

Update: More Hashtags to Capture Vehicles in the Bike Lane

With popular hashtags:
#BikeLaneShaming

#LaneSpreading (Chicago Bike Selling)

#ClearTheWay (ActiveTrans), there are many options to capture violations.

We think you should use ALL of them AND post your photos on The Chainlink. ;-)

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Permalink Reply by Paul Lazzaro on June 28, 2018 at 1:37am

The two years of this thread have demonstrated that paint is not infrastructure.  If it is physically possible to use a space for deliveries, double parking, ride share and taxi loading/unloading, etc., that space will not be available for cyclists to use.

Rules are rarely the most effective way to enforce good behavior.  If a wide, straight, street has a posted speed limit of 25 mph, drivers will never obey, because it's so easy to what they want to do, which is go much faster.  But drivers will slow down if physical obstacles are put in place (planters, sharp curves).  Drivers will not obey rules; they will only respect what they can't drive over.

Permalink Reply by Argonne69 on June 28, 2018 at 1:44am

Rules can be effective if they're enforced. If there's a good chance that one will be caught, and fined, it changes behavior. Unfortunately, the city does not enforce the laws.

I do agree with you though that paint is not infrastructure. While it does happen on occasion, it's rare to see a vehicle illegally parked in a physically separated bike lane. We certainly do need more of them. They're coming, but very slowly.

Permalink Reply by Paul Lazzaro on June 28, 2018 at 3:20am

Traffic laws are not well enforced because they are not popular.  Ref. the restrictions on the use of speed and red light cameras.

Permalink Reply by Carter O'Brien on June 28, 2018 at 3:54am

Popular with who? People who get caught, maybe not. But that's the case with every law on the books.

Traffic laws are not enforced because CPD no longer has the staffing to do so. This started with shifting some of their traffic management duties to the TMA staff we now see, and then extended to squad cars.

The cameras are an example of the City trying to automate this function as a cost-cutting measure. They bungled the implementation of the cameras re: the corruption, the clear decision to time the infractions to increase revenue (the so-called "short yellow"), and so on, but the cameras don't lie. If people don't want tickets, all they have to do is not run lights or speed. Last I checked a speedometer is standard issue on every vehicle licensed in IL, there really is no excuse. If you get a ticket, you pay it, and you'll be more careful the next time you're tempted to gun it as a light is turning from yellow to red, not to mention making a complete stop at a red before turning right, motorist behavior that is particularly offensive to pedestrians crossing like they are supposed to.

Permalink Reply by Paul Lazzaro on June 28, 2018 at 6:46am

Most Americans, even most Chicagoans, are drivers.  And most drivers violate the rules of the road.  If the rules are enforced too well, someone will be voted out of office.  This is why resources for enforcement are lacking.

If you think I am in favor of this behavior, you misunderstand me.  I am lamenting it.

Permalink Reply by S on June 28, 2018 at 9:32am

Change that from most drivers to most people violate the rules of the roads and you'll be more accurate.  Cyclists routine run stop signs/reds, ride the wrong way down streets, use sidewalks, etc.  Pedestrians jaywalk all the time, cross streets regardless of the signal, etc.  

Permalink Reply by Carter O'Brien on June 28, 2018 at 7:02am
I don't know how old you are, but this is not what happened here. Traffic laws were enforced in the first half of Richard M. Daley's reign, then the City ran out of money, and the enforcement slowed down. The only complaints I recall were from cops, as they saw the shift to TMAs as a way to undermine the union (which was probably true).

I don't think it's any more complicated than that, unless we're thinking getting a red light ticket is somehow substantially different than getting one from a flesh and blood cop. If anything, I'd say most drivers would rather not have their license taken away and/or have to deal with a cop giving them the 3rd degree. "Do you know why I pulled you over?" is possibly the most loaded question in the history of civilization.

All that said, yep, most people drive. Last I checked I think even in Chicago, upwards of 60% of people are single-car commuting.

My position is the problem lies with the pitiful and inadequate way we renew drivers licenses without so much as a basic field test, much less instruction and/or a written test that would get older drivers up to speed on sharing the road with cyclists, stopping for pedestrians in crosswalks, etc. But I'd also wager that this is due not to anyone's subjective preferences so much as a reluctance to pay the expense that would entail. As always, "follow the money" is a pretty sound approach to analyze any system involving people.
Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on June 28, 2018 at 3:44pm

The city of Chicago has never had very significant traffic law enforcement

Permalink Reply by Tom A.K. on June 28, 2018 at 5:55pm

Back in the old days everyone feared the white-hatted traffic officers. 
Back in the old days everyone on the streets feared the white-hatted traffic officers. 

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on June 28, 2018 at 11:44pm

So back before time began basically...

Permalink Reply by Tom A.K. on June 29, 2018 at 5:38am

Come on dug, you were around in the pre-historic days. Maybe not fully aware and understanding of things around you. Umm wait, yeah, just like you still are today.

Permalink Reply by Maurice on June 28, 2018 at 7:14am
Ran out of money? Traffic / parking enforcement is hugely profitable for municipalities. Cops writing tickets all day pay for their own salary several times over. Some small municipalities practically run on speed traps.

CPD don't write tickets because their CBA prohibits the city from imposing ticket quotas. Most cops don't even carry ticket books. The (reasonable) solution has been to turn parking enforcement over to revenue. More people writing these tickets = more money for the city, relieving pressure on taxpayers.

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