Hi all. Long-time reader, first-time poster, etc.

I've been reading with interest the discussions here and on Streetsblog about what to do when various drivers (private, commercial, city) park in PBLs. Some people have suggested, in the case of taxis, taking a photo and reporting it to the taxi company. That sounds good, but I had wondered whether the taxi company actually does anything about such reports.

Last night on Kinzie a taxi pulled into the PBL right in front of me in the westbound lane, just west of the RR underpass, to let out a passenger. I (politely, I hope) told him that he wasn't allowed to stop his taxi in the PBL, and he said, "What am I supposed to do? Stop in the middle of the street?" I said that I didn't know but he wasn't allowed to stop in the PBL.

Once it was clear that the driver was not going to move, I said I was going to take a photo of the taxi. As soon as I pulled out my phone he threw up his hands and said, "Okay, okay!" and immediately drove off with his customer still in the car.

So, my takeaway from this is that the threat of photographic evidence of traffic violation is something that taxi drivers take seriously, which leads me to believe that reports to taxi companies about such violations do have an impact.

I feel sympathetic to the driver's situation; I am sure that driving a taxi is a lonely job that requires long hours and it must be frustrating when there is not a proper place to drop off one's customer. But, I believe that I did the right thing here. If Chicago is to become a truly bicycle-centric city, the protected bike lanes must be clear so that the people who want to bike but are nervous about interacting with cars will have the confidence to begin doing so.