The Chainlink

I tried the search feature, and it isn't working.  I'm sure this is a common gripe. But why can't the city do anything about all the cars double parked in the bike lane.  ESPECIALLY UPS, FedEx, and USPS.  I could gather 4 or 5 pictures daily of these guys double parked in an obvious bike lane.

Maybe that is what I should do.  Start stopping and taking pictures with my cell. Then writing to the owners of companies.

"Forcing bikes to quickly merge with traffic is dangerous.  The city has created these wonderfully useful "Bike lanes"  however, we are unable to use them, because you keep parking your delivery trucks in them.  This is not a delivery lane. It is a bike lane.  Please instruct your drivers that this is unsafe, and Illegal."

Now if we could just get the CPD to do something about it.

Views: 5143

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Can you please link the thread.  I don't want to bore you all with things you have already read, discussed, or responded to.



Adam Herstein (5.5 mi) said:

I'm getting a serious case of déjà vu from this thread…

Getting between a truck and parked car is one of the worst places you can be on the road; if a door opens you are trapped.

Hence the "Go slowly".  Which I can not do, merging into traffic. 

adam herstein is bored with his life. maybe he should go find one and stop being so damn negative on every forum post!

It all depends. If:

a. There is is truly enough space (a full bike lane's width or more), and

b. You move slow enough to be able to stop on a dime;

then I'd say its nothing different than slowly but deliberately filtering to the front of backed up traffic.

Problems will likely occur if you go too fast or misjudge the available width.



notoriousDUG said:

Getting between a truck and parked car is one of the worst places you can be on the road; if a door opens you are trapped.

Double-parked anything is annoying, and it's annoying whether I'm on a bike or in a car - it's more annoying to me in a car, because it's harder to go around. But I don't think it's reasonable to propose that somebody double-park without pulling as far to the right as possible.

Also, UPS trucks and other such box trucks all have sliding doors on the curb side, so dooring is not a concern.

The company I work for has a "Premium" account with FedEx. I called them recently and put in a complaint about their drivers parked in the bike lane under the company's account, reiterating it is illegal, citing the city ordinance, ect, ect.

Got a case #, which doesn't mean much, but they said they would contact the local Chicago location on the matter. 

Doubt it did much, but I felt better for at least trying. 

 Notorious Dug said "Where should UPS, USPS and Fedex park their trucks when they make a delivery then?"

 I love those folks. They bring me birthday cards and bike parts. I wouldn't snitch on Santa either.

                  Best regards, Tom

P.S. I love drafting in their trucks wake.

Oh, gee, I don't know ... maybe in a legal parking spot like mere mortals do.

notoriousDUG said:

Where should UPS, USPS and Fedex park their trucks when they make a delivery then?

Been in Wicker Park around The Crotch much?  Where do you suggest the trucks delivering to all the businesses down there park if not double park?

It's really not that hard to just swing around a double parked delivery truck on a bike, just like it is not very hard to swing around them in a car.

I have terrible, terrible news for all of you; you are not an individual special snowflake whom the world was created for; there is a whole world going on out there beyond your world of one.  Commerce must carry on and sometimes that means you, or other people, will be inconvenienced by delivery trucks, cabs and all variety of things happening in and around the road.  Get over it, people have jobs to do because the world just keeps turning even though you ride a bike.

Seriosuly, it is really not that big a deal to check over your shoulder, signal and then pull out into the traffic lane to get around a parked truck; I mean the truck is parked there so you have TONS of time to figure out what to do.  

Share the road means everybody working together so things are easier for all of us, not just you.

Michael J Blane 6.5 said:

Oh, gee, I don't know ... maybe in a legal parking spot like mere mortals do.

notoriousDUG said:

Where should UPS, USPS and Fedex park their trucks when they make a delivery then?

They also do it when there is ample curbside parking (not to mention loading docks).  On Canal just north of Roosevelt, for example, you'll routinely find double-parked delivery trucks 20' away from giant empty parking spaces.

I was thinking about this issue tonight on my ride home. on Clark street there are always 2-3 cars parked in the bike lane with their flashers going. I have to risk my safey just so they can go in and get their dinners or whatever they are doing. Typically there is nobody in these cars....the bike lane is their temporary parking spot.

How can we get the city to act on this?

Any lawyers out there know if photos of cars in the lanes  - shot via cell phone - could stand up for a ticket?  

RSS

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

Disclaimer  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service