protected bike lane downtown

Gotta say, I don't like it for two reasons. It seems people who are getting into their cars use it as a sidewalk, and garbage tends to gather in the lane, especially around the Bloomer chocolate factory. I've ridden this a few times, and it's kinda sketchy. I think it was modeled after ones in Europe, but i don't think it's the best for Chicago. just saying.

Views: 311

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Krista on July 14, 2011 at 12:30pm

Coming back to the protected bike line, I've been using the lane on Kinzie since it opened and I was a total skeptic in the beginning. But I'm somewhat converted. When going westbound, when I pull into the lane on Wells, it's almost a sigh of relief for me. I'm not an ueber-confident rider, nor am I super fast (and my bike weighs 40 lbs without the pannier) so for someone like me, it's great. (I head downtown by 6:30 am and back up north at 4 to avoid the Milwaukee craziness and not slow anyone down.) 

 

I actually dropped into the board tonight to share what happened on my way home today on Kinzie westbound a little after 4. I was at the top of the Kinzie hill outside Blommers and there was a gentleman on the corner wearing a bike helmet with a clipboard. (Bike ambassador, apparently, now that I read the comments.) I stopped at the light and waited, as I always do. (I ride my bike as if I'm driving a car and stop for everything.) The guy made a note on his clipboard and said "Thanks for being a safe rider and stopping at the light." The light turned green so I didn't have a chance to find out more.

 

To the person who commented way above, "2) the timing of the light at Milwaukee [southbound] turning left onto Kinize is absolutely horrible and needs to be fixed to increase safety" I could not agree more! There were two bikers in front of me making the left (east) onto Kinzie this morning at like 6:30 am--we were all single file in the turning lane--and by the time I started proceeding through the intersection, the light had turned red. If I were a car, this would be fine. But at that intersection...scary.

Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on July 14, 2011 at 2:06pm

 

 A cheesy animation

counter argument against the creation of cycle tracks that are segregated from cars, proposed by some cyclists in Madrid, Spain [Ciudad Ciclista/City Cyclist] last November. 

 

I'm still undecided as to whether cycle tracks make more or less sense than riding in traffic, as we have been for years.  Yes, I know it's basically the old John Forester "vehicular cycling" argument, but there seems to be some validity to some of it.  Removing ourselves from the mix of traffic could be a first step to losing access to the roads.

 

A history of cycle tracks

And a review of the literature which seems to suggest that cycle tracks assuage cyclists' perceived yet somewhat baseless fear of being struck from the rear by a car on a straight length of road, yet being exposed to a much greater risk of being T-boned at intersections by turning cars whose drivers' view is blocked by parked cars as they cross the cycle tracks.  One suggestion I read was to morph each cycle track into an open cycle lane or sharrow at least 50 or 60 feet ahead of each intersection, so that car drivers will understand that cyclists are on the road with them and drivers' visibility of cyclists will improve before they cross paths.  Cycle tracks hide cyclists from motorists' view behind parked cars--out of sight, out of mind.

 

Then there is the problem of forcing all cyclists into the cattle chute, mixing the Lance Armstrongs with the little old ladies and 5-year-olds, a possible recipe for disaster.  Two-way cycle tracks seem especially risky for bike collisions.  And once cycle tracks are in place, we may get ticketed for "not cycling in the bike lane" (cue the Casey Neistat video....no, on second thought, we've seen that enough by now) or exceeding newly created bicycle speed limits, attempting to smooth out speed disparities between stronger and weaker riders.

 

Yet, the perceived safety of cycle tracks, even if illusory, will attract more risk-adverse cyclists to their bikes--specifically greater numbers of women, children and the elderly--and more cyclists on the road should make things safer for all.  Cycling becoming more commonplace will hopefully educate and accustom car drivers to our presence, making them more conscious and careful of us, as it seems to have done in Denmark and the Netherlands.

 

Cycle tracks, and to some extent, cycle lanes, may be a double-edged sword.  I'm eager to see how this works out over the next few years.

Permalink Reply by David P. on July 27, 2011 at 11:44am
FYI, these will get swept and plowed. A couple of old alley sweepers will be resurrected for cleaning, and they'll be cleared of snow with these: http://tracklessvehicles.com/index.htm
Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on July 27, 2011 at 4:39pm

I thought they were going to hire this guy to plow them.

 



David A. Pertuz said:

FYI, these will get swept and plowed. A couple of old alley sweepers will be resurrected for cleaning, and they'll be cleared of snow with these: http://tracklessvehicles.com/index.htm
Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on August 1, 2011 at 1:27pm

And I saw the beginnings of the end. 2 of the plastic "barriers" are down, one was parked on the other was missing.

A guy cut me off to pull in front of a parked delivery truck to park. I was in the "car lane" going around the UPS truck.

 

Rahm seems like a good guy but this bike lane thing. 2 thumbs down.

Permalink Reply by Kelly on August 1, 2011 at 2:43pm
They really should have come up with better barriers than some plastic poles. That was not the smartest decision.

Mike Zumwalt said:

And I saw the beginnings of the end. 2 of the plastic "barriers" are down, one was parked on the other was missing.

A guy cut me off to pull in front of a parked delivery truck to park. I was in the "car lane" going around the UPS truck.

 

Rahm seems like a good guy but this bike lane thing. 2 thumbs down.

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on August 1, 2011 at 3:54pm
For the most part, I'm not a fan of protected bike lanes. It just takes one car, truck, and/or bicyclist to do something stupid, and the utility of the protected bike lane is defeated. When that occurs, as it invariably will, bicyclists have fewer options to avoid the obstruction. I'm perfectly comfortable on the streets (with smooth pavement), some bike lane markings (or not) and a share the road mentality (as far as that goes). I'm in favor of infrastructure improvements which facilitate the flow of all traffic, and the backup of cars during peak driving periods suggests to me that the protected bike lane has failed to accomplish that goal. Kinzie has been my commuter route for three years now, and I liked it better before it had a protected bike lane. It's still a part of my inbound daily commute because there simply isn't a good alternative, but I can and do avoid it on my outbound commute (Fulton).  That having been said, the presence or absence of plastic poles doesn't compromise the intended purpose of the protected bike lane. In the short term, they are there to delineate where the through lane of car traffic, parked cars, and through lane of bike traffic is supposed to be. Once everyone "gets" that, the design, with all of its obvious limitations, will continue to function as a protected bike lane. 

Kelly said:
They really should have come up with better barriers than some plastic poles. That was not the smartest decision.

Mike Zumwalt said:

And I saw the beginnings of the end. 2 of the plastic "barriers" are down, one was parked on the other was missing.

A guy cut me off to pull in front of a parked delivery truck to park. I was in the "car lane" going around the UPS truck.

 

Rahm seems like a good guy but this bike lane thing. 2 thumbs down.

Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on August 1, 2011 at 4:10pm

I'm sure they "get it" the thing is they don't care. I stopped 2-3 times at a stop sign intersection because I saw a left turn signal on, then the driver waved me through or just stared at me like now what?

 

People can learn how to operate a machine but still not know how to drive.

Over educated,regurgitating, Masters Degree dumbasses.


Kevin C said:

For the most part, I'm not a fan of protected bike lanes. It just takes one car, truck, and/or bicyclist to do something stupid, and the utility of the protected bike lane is defeated. When that occurs, as it invariably will, bicyclists have fewer options to avoid the obstruction. I'm perfectly comfortable on the streets (with smooth pavement), some bike lane markings (or not) and a share the road mentality (as far as that goes). I'm in favor of infrastructure improvements which facilitate the flow of all traffic, and the backup of cars during peak driving periods suggests to me that the protected bike lane has failed to accomplish that goal. Kinzie has been my commuter route for three years now, and I liked it better before it had a protected bike lane. It's still a part of my inbound daily commute because there simply isn't a good alternative, but I can and do avoid it on my outbound commute (Fulton).  That having been said, the presence or absence of plastic poles doesn't compromise the intended purpose of the protected bike lane. In the short term, they are there to delineate where the through lane of car traffic, parked cars, and through lane of bike traffic is supposed to be. Once everyone "gets" that, the design, with all of its obvious limitations, will continue to function as a protected bike lane. 

Kelly said:
They really should have come up with better barriers than some plastic poles. That was not the smartest decision.

Mike Zumwalt said:

And I saw the beginnings of the end. 2 of the plastic "barriers" are down, one was parked on the other was missing.

A guy cut me off to pull in front of a parked delivery truck to park. I was in the "car lane" going around the UPS truck.

 

Rahm seems like a good guy but this bike lane thing. 2 thumbs down.

Permalink Reply by Mark on August 2, 2011 at 2:41am
I'd rather see buffered bike lanes.  That is, give us the width of the Kinzie cycle track and buffer zone, but put the parked cars back on the curb and get rid of the plastic bollards.
Permalink Reply by Vilda on August 2, 2011 at 8:09am
While drivin last week i had to use kinzie. oh god is it awful. why? bikers are friggin dumb! sitting at the red light at wells. had to turn right, southbound wells. 2 bikers talkin in the protected bike lane. light turns green i don't move and they just stare at the truck. Dear dumbass bikers, u have the right of way! the girl of the duo started inching fwd into my passenger window. i told her "i'm waiting for you" then the duo decided to go. good lord were they dumb!
Permalink Reply by Kelly on August 2, 2011 at 11:02am
You add so much to the conversation, Gabe. It's like reading a Myspace page.

Gabe said:
While drivin last week i had to use kinzie. oh god is it awful. why? bikers are friggin dumb! sitting at the red light at wells. had to turn right, southbound wells. 2 bikers talkin in the protected bike lane. light turns green i don't move and they just stare at the truck. Dear dumbass bikers, u have the right of way! the girl of the duo started inching fwd into my passenger window. i told her "i'm waiting for you" then the duo decided to go. good lord were they dumb!
Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on August 2, 2011 at 11:14am
Reading the magic words that grab the eyes and don't let go!

RSS

Groups

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

Disclaimer  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service