The Lakefront Path

Although one specific incident did spark this post, it is a constant problem that I'd like to stop.

Don't draft me. I'm sorry if you took it as a challenge when I passed you're carbon bike & lycra outfit, but it wasn't. That happened to be a comfortable pace for me today. Maybe tomorrow you'd kill me while training. I'm just riding. My bike has front & rear racks, fenders, & a bag with a book and tools. I ain't racing on it. If you feel the need to draft me, you'll never be strong enough to win races. Either pass or get dropped.

Views: 201

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by S on September 8, 2009 at 7:01am
mike w. said:
Ali said:
It gets boring after about the the 100th time to say on your left...either have the common sense to behave predictably, or expect to get yelled at when you veer into my path...Hopefully the day will come when you try and grab my wheel and watch me drop you like a sack of potatoes.

-Ali


Sorry that you find common courtesy so boring, Ali.

Just be on the road when and if you do pass me. (On a path, i'd just smile and wave.)

And then if you don't want me on your wheel, just ride away from me. i'd be disappointed in you if you couldn't. ;-)

Peace. Out.

Mike, it's more of a safety issue than anything else. If I'm riding with people I trust, I'm fine with them drafting off me. But I'd rather not have strangers riding 2-3 feet behind me when I'm going fast. Getting rear-ended after successfully avoiding an accident is not fun.

Permalink Reply by GabeW (not the other Gabe) on September 8, 2009 at 8:18am
This is my observation: The lfp and bike paths like it were conceived as recreational areas, but now many more people are turning to bikes as transportation as opposed to recreation. That's turned the path into a highway, as people have said, but it's still perceived by many to be a place to go for a relaxing good time with friends and family. The two just don't mix and that's a problem. Unfortunately I don't know of a good solution.

I want to ride my converted fixed gear on the "highway" to work and school without dealing with cars.
I also want to ride it on a lazy ride with my wife on the weekends to enjoy.
I also want to ride my purpose built racing frame for exercise. I want to ride it fast.

The fact that it's a bike path makes me think I should be able to ride my bike (all three descriptions) on the bike path. It's a bike path. For bikes.

What to do????

As for drafting, it's like tailgating in a car. It's not safe, people do it for different reasons, and there are ways of dealing with it.
Permalink Reply by S on September 8, 2009 at 8:37am
GabeW (not the other Gabe) said:
This is my observation: The lfp and bike paths like it were conceived as recreational areas, but now many more people are turning to bikes as transportation as opposed to recreation. That's turned the path into a highway, as people have said, but it's still perceived by many to be a place to go for a relaxing good time with friends and family. The two just don't mix and that's a problem. Unfortunately I don't know of a good solution.

Another problem is that the lakefront path isn't only for bikes. There are other users there (runners, rollerbladers, people out for a stroll, etc) and they have just as much of a right to be there as the bikers.

Maybe the solution would be to convert one lane of lsd to bikes only and let the people that need to move quickly use that. Too bad this is unlikely to happen.

Permalink Reply by Duppie on September 8, 2009 at 8:50am
What makes you think it is a bike path? To my knowledge it is a Multi Use Path or MUP, meaning that walkers, joggers, rollerskaters, beachgoers, etc. have the same right to access it.
Frank


GabeW (not the other Gabe) said:
This is my observation: The lfp and bike paths like it [...] The fact that it's a bike path makes me think I should be able to ride my bike (all three descriptions) on the bike path. It's a bike path. For bikes.
Permalink Reply by GabeW (not the other Gabe) on September 8, 2009 at 8:55am
^really? there are pedestrians on the path? I've never noticed. Unless they're walking 3,4,5,6, or 10 abreast across the whole path. And I don't think rollerblades existed when the path was designed. Now they use it with huge side to side strides that take up an entire lane - it wasn't designed for that. The vehicles have changed, the road needs to be updated.

of course evanston had a crushed limestone path next to the bike path for walking. nobody ever walked there. Always on the paved bike section.
Permalink Reply by Chucko on September 8, 2009 at 9:04am
Same here, and my favorite way to discourage that on my touring bike is to pick a line that involves the most bumps and potholes. Not a problem on my 32c touring tires, but less fun on 23c racing tires. A few good jolts and they'll be off your wheel in no time.
Permalink Reply by Lisa yeah on September 8, 2009 at 9:05am
That happned to me on my commute this morning. So so annoying. Keep on going, you know?

8vPete said:
At least he didn't pass you and then slow down. That's happened to me on the the LFP, sooo annoying.
Permalink Reply by GabeW (not the other Gabe) on September 8, 2009 at 9:08am
OK - this is funny.

I was just thinking about what I wrote about updating the road for the vehicle...comparing it in my mind to the changeover from horses to cars and the new roads that were built.....I looked out my window and what did I see: a mounted officer on the lfp. lol
Permalink Reply by Lisa yeah on September 8, 2009 at 9:15am
I just completely avoid the LFP north of Roosevelt. It's a zoo, especially the tourists around Grant Park who don't even look when crossing the path.

evanK said:
As far as I know there aren't any speed limits on the path, but I hear of a lot of other paths around the country that impose a 15mph limit and actually enforce it. Let's not get to that point.

I often jokingly call the path a "Bike Highway", which is really what it feels like to me most of the time that I use the path. Unlike highways, the users of the path move at drastically different speeds. This is not a big problem when it's not too congested. BUT, like highways, though, you can be cruising along minding your own business, and then suddenly from out of nowhere, there's a lot of traffic--causing you to have to slow down. I think it is just human nature to be frustrated by this--frustrations that can come across as asshole.

And I'll agree with Ali: "it gets boring after about the the 100th time to say on your left"
Well, maybe not *boring*, but tedious. After a while, you start to only get "Left!", and then a while later I stop caring. If there's plenty of room to pass, it really doesn't seem necessary. If it's tight, you'll get plenty of warning. I'm not too into myself, I'm just not that into other people.
Permalink Reply by Duppie on September 8, 2009 at 9:15am
This sounds a lot like the average driver coming up with reasons why cyclists should get off the road: Incoherent and selfcentered
Frank

GabeW (not the other Gabe) said:
^really? there are pedestrians on the path? I've never noticed. Unless they're walking 3,4,5,6, or 10 abreast across the whole path. And I don't think rollerblades existed when the path was designed. Now they use it with huge side to side strides that take up an entire lane - it wasn't designed for that. The vehicles have changed, the road needs to be updated.
of course evanston had a crushed limestone path next to the bike path for walking. nobody ever walked there. Always on the paved bike section.
Permalink Reply by GabeW (not the other Gabe) on September 8, 2009 at 9:21am
It's not. Don't worry

I don't think 3,4,5,6, or 10 bikes riding abreast across the whole road is good behavior either, and if I was driving and came across it, I'd honk and yell. Single file unless there's room for a car to pass allowing 3 feet, that's the rule.
Permalink Reply by mike w. on September 8, 2009 at 12:35pm
Understood. Under normal circumstances, i let the leader know i'm back there, and appreciate it when someone on my wheel does the same. When i know someone's back there, i hold my line and try to warn about the bad pavement, glass, etc. Generally, one should not attempt drafting without a proper skillset and experience. When you're sleigh riding you can't be daydreaming. BTW, 2-3 feet is a really big gap if you're looking for any benefits. Serious drafting is at the 6" to 1' range and far too close for comfort in average circumstances.

S said:

Mike, it's more of a safety issue than anything else. If I'm riding with people I trust, I'm fine with them drafting off me. But I'd rather not have strangers riding 2-3 feet behind me when I'm going fast. Getting rear-ended after successfully avoiding an accident is not fun.

RSS

Groups

© 2008-2016   The Chainlink Community, L.L.C.   Powered by

Disclaimer  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service