Sun Times on Steven Vance's "Close Calls."

Steven's name in lights.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/22375535-418/website-gives-cyclists-pl...

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Permalink Reply by Tim on September 13, 2013 at 9:56pm

yet another useless article that brings out all the trolls on the comment boards......

Permalink Reply by Tim on September 14, 2013 at 10:07am

look at the comments on that article. 

Permalink Reply by Tom Z on September 14, 2013 at 3:24pm

Yes, there are some idiot comments, but that's always the case in the comments section of the Newspaper articles.  Some of them make good points about cyclists needing to follow the rules...

Tim said:

look at the comments on that article. 

Permalink Reply by Tom Z on September 14, 2013 at 4:15pm

Actually look at it as a percentage. I see a higher percentage of cyclists that disobey traffic laws then drivers.

I'm a cyclists and it ticks me off when I'm cycling and stopped at a red light and have someone else just blow right through knowing the lights going to change in less than a minute.

Drivers get the impression nearly every cyclist is skirting the law. I constantly see people riding the wrong way in the bicycle lane on Milwaukee. I saw one nearly get hit by someone turning right off a side street. I would have sided with the driver there.

Yesterday, I saw a cyclist cut off a lady on a side street. This cyclist was going the wrong way down a one-way street.

How can you expect drivers to respect cyclists when these are the crazy stupid things I have seen in the last couple of days alone.


Jeff Schneider said:

One claimed that drivers adhere to the rules of the road much better than cyclists.  Uh, I drive about 40 miles every day in the city/suburbs for my work, and that's not what I see.  Speeding, failing to stop for pedestrians, failing to stop before making a right turn on red, passing in intersections - these behaviors are the norm, not the exception.  A lot of people, whether in cars or on bikes, don't give a crap about the other people on the road.

Tom Z said:

Yes, there are some idiot comments, but that's always the case in the comments section of the Newspaper articles.  Some of them make good points about cyclists needing to follow the rules...

Tim said:

look at the comments on that article. 

Permalink Reply by Tom Dworzanski on September 14, 2013 at 4:27pm

I sometimes feel like drivers are extra careful around me because they've been around reckless cyclists and know they don't follow the rules. For example, I'd say 90% of the time motorists flag me to go on a stop even though I'm yielding to them because they were there first. It's sort of like when you see a drunk driver swerving all over the road: you may not respect him, but you'll probably give him plenty of space. Not that I condone disobeying the rules of the road but in a way I see those who don't as a mixed blessing.

Permalink Reply by Tom Dworzanski on September 14, 2013 at 6:13pm

I'd agree with this for suburban riding. People in the 'burbs don't treat cyclists well.

Jeff Schneider said:

As for percentages, I'd say only about 30% of the drivers I see every day are courteous and competent.  I usually don't see any bikes (I'm driving mostly in suburbs), so I can't really compare percentages.

Permalink Reply by Maurice on September 14, 2013 at 7:06pm
A super-majority of drivers in the Chicago area (and probably elsewhere) routinely disobey traffic laws. Driving 56+ in a 55 MPH zone is disobeying. Driving 31 in a 30 is disobeying. Failing to come to a complete stop at every single stop sign is disobeying. Changing lanes or turning without activating your turn signal sufficiently early is disobeying. Etc.
Permalink Reply by Albany Park Al on September 15, 2013 at 2:47am

Stop at any red light on Milwaukee Ave and watch for how many cyclists also do so.

It will be a minority.  At least that's what I've seen every time I've counted.

Now, how many cars blow through that red light?

Permalink Reply by Albany Park Al on September 15, 2013 at 6:46am

I should have edited the above to add:  red-light-running cyclists are obviously not nearly as dangerous in terms of kinetic energy as red-light-running auto drivers, by an order of magnitude probably.   However I would say they are a 'super-majority' of cyclists, at least on some routes, and there is obviously danger, not only from potential collision but from behaving unpredictably and therefore confusing other traffic, pedestrians, etc. 

Driving (or cycling) at 31 mph in a 30mph zone is by the barest margin technically breaking the law, but probably no more dangerous.   That's a ridiculous straw man.

Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on September 15, 2013 at 9:26am

+1 I would also like to thank Divvy riders new to city riding AMEN!

Tom Dworzanski said:

I sometimes feel like drivers are extra careful around me because they've been around reckless cyclists and know they don't follow the rules. For example, I'd say 90% of the time motorists flag me to go on a stop even though I'm yielding to them because they were there first. It's sort of like when you see a drunk driver swerving all over the road: you may not respect him, but you'll probably give him plenty of space. Not that I condone disobeying the rules of the road but in a way I see those who don't as a mixed blessing.

Permalink Reply by Maurice on September 15, 2013 at 10:23am
It's not a straw man. It's a direct response to the rather silly claim that "a higher percentage of cyclists [] disobey traffic laws th[a]n drivers." Both groups generally disobey traffic laws, and most violations are not dangerous. The relevant goal should be to increase safety, not to increase technical compliance.
Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on September 15, 2013 at 5:13pm

Ah, so this is why a bunch (well, three) of submissions came in yesterday espousing low "opinions" of people who bike in Chicago. One was from a guy who said his child was hit by someone riding a bike. All three submissions mentioned that bicyclists need to follow the rules of the road. The website doesn't currently accept close calls experienced by people who weren't bicycling (and the website states this) so I deleted them. 

New topic...

I got a Close Call about bicycling northbound on Elston Avenue across Ashland. I bet a lot of you have experienced this: a driver will turn right onto northbound Ashland, across your path, from the through lane. This is an easy design fix – guess we'll have to wait until CDOT and IDOT are better friends. (Elston Avenue north of Armitage Avenue is under IDOT's jurisdiction.) 

I waited to post this Close Call until I could finish my video that demonstrates it (I filmed this video, not the submitter). 

The Elston Avenue right hook. 

Submit your close call. 

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