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.

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Ever try to get a delivery truck through a Chicago alley?

Drivers who can deliver through the alley usually do, it is easier for them to not have to deal with street traffic when they are trying to unload the truck.  Problem is the way some of the streets and alleys in congested areas are laid out there is no way to get a truck of any substantial size into some alleys.

Adam Herstein (5.5 mi) said:

Last time I checked, our city has these awesome inventions called "alleys".

Thomas Bruzan said:

  Much better for the environment if these hard working delivery men can quickly and efficiently make their rounds.  Try to imagine the waste of time fuel and effort if every stop required parking, locking up and then hiking the freight with a hand truck from a (possibly) rented legal spot. Should they circle around and around searching for a spot to park a truck? Have you ever backed up a big truck? I'm not understanding the desire to bring a horrific level of inefficiency into our city, and a living hell into these workers lives. Why? Because I might have to turn my handlebars? Try on the other guys moccasins folks.

                      Very best regards, Tom 

You know what really grinds my gears. . . The double parked car by the empty spot. It really doesn't take that much to pull all the way in. Right?

I have on occasion told them politely that it would be really awesome if they really parked.

As far as delivery guys. It's damn near impossible to park all the way. Even UPS trucks that do park on the occasion they find a spot are still halfway in the bike lane. 

And finally I do believe the city charges businesses for loading zones. Someone has to pay for it to be there and it is never ever large enough for a vehicle that actually needs to deliver. 

Dug, first off, don't give me the " Are you really that scared" crap.  That is the equivalent of trying to get someone to agree with you, by emasculating them because they don't.  Its horseshit, its a lame attempt to bully someone into YOUR opinion. 

Are you a Veteran Dug?  Ever spend any time in a combat zone?  Ever taken enemy fire?  That was the last time in my life I was scared of anything.

Do I follow every traffic law?  No.  If someone gets hurt, while I am breaking one of those laws, is it my fault.  YOU BETCHA IT IS.   Just because I don't follow every traffic law to the letter, doesn't exclude me from being able to have an opinion of  situations that could be improved.  I would certainly speak loudly against drunk driving, speeding in school zones, or any other situation in traffic where people were unnecessarily put at risk.

There is really a simple solution to the problem.  Amend the law.  Something as simple as, "No double parking from 7am to 9am, and 4pm to 6pm.  And then enforce it! This still leaves delivery trucks PLENTY of peak time to make deliveries as well as cutting down on the possibility of a cycle/vehicle incident.  Since this is when most cyclists and cars are on the road at the same time.

My original point was, what is the sense of having a law, that isn't enforced?  When people see delivery drivers do it, and get away with it, they do it.  Then it's the guy, who just doesn't want to park to run into Starbucks.  Or the cab driver just waiting on his next fare.  Laws are only as good as their enforcement. 

While we are amending the laws to remove vehicles from YOUR commute times, is  there anything else we should add? How about we do not allow motor vehicles to make left or right turns between those hours when YOU commute? While we are at it let's outlaw rain and snow in that same time frame. We already have enough laws that drivers and cyclists ignore. Less laws, more common sense. 

Why isn't the solution simply that delivery trucks should park in the traffic lane, like they do when there is no bike lane?

 

That way, cyclists do not have to vulnerably merge into moving traffic.

I'm picturing cars squeezing through the bike lane to get around the stopped truck on one lane streets like Clark. Either that or go around on the oncoming traffic side which is not safe for anyone.

If they tried that traffic would be backed up real fast in the 5 minutes a short delivery might take. Now picture a 30 minute delivery! Imagine the road rage and crap that would follow ... 

Alex Z said:

Why isn't the solution simply that delivery trucks should park in the traffic lane, like they do when there is no bike lane?

 

That way, cyclists do not have to vulnerably merge into moving traffic.

I was riding home Northbound on Dearborn yesterday.  Further North the bike lane turns into one-way Northbound.  A city garbage truck was parked on the traffic side of the bike lane; cars were parked on the curb side of the bike lane.  I went between them and DID NOT LIKE IT (claustrophobic, possibility of getting doored on both sides, etc.).  My personal preference would be for the truck to have pulled as close to the cars as possible and I take the traffic lane.  My experience tells me that moving traffic in the city knows how to deal with bicycle traffic.

What does military service have to so at all with this?

The are you scared thing is a serious question because the traffic interaction you have go around a truck double parked on a street with a bike lane is no worse than simply riding on many streets with no bike lane.  I am genuinely curious why it is people are so unwilling to make any compromise when they ride in order to make the road easier to use for everybody, not just themselves, and the only reason I can think of is fear; if it is not that what is it?

So we should eliminate the primary delivery window for UPS and FedEx as well as the delivery window for many businesses because it inconveniences a minority road user or just because inconveniences you?


Mark said:

Dug, first off, don't give me the " Are you really that scared" crap.  That is the equivalent of trying to get someone to agree with you, by emasculating them because they don't.  Its horseshit, its a lame attempt to bully someone into YOUR opinion. 

Are you a Veteran Dug?  Ever spend any time in a combat zone?  Ever taken enemy fire?  That was the last time in my life I was scared of anything.

Do I follow every traffic law?  No.  If someone gets hurt, while I am breaking one of those laws, is it my fault.  YOU BETCHA IT IS.   Just because I don't follow every traffic law to the letter, doesn't exclude me from being able to have an opinion of  situations that could be improved.  I would certainly speak loudly against drunk driving, speeding in school zones, or any other situation in traffic where people were unnecessarily put at risk.

There is really a simple solution to the problem.  Amend the law.  Something as simple as, "No double parking from 7am to 9am, and 4pm to 6pm.  And then enforce it! This still leaves delivery trucks PLENTY of peak time to make deliveries as well as cutting down on the possibility of a cycle/vehicle incident.  Since this is when most cyclists and cars are on the road at the same time.

My original point was, what is the sense of having a law, that isn't enforced?  When people see delivery drivers do it, and get away with it, they do it.  Then it's the guy, who just doesn't want to park to run into Starbucks.  Or the cab driver just waiting on his next fare.  Laws are only as good as their enforcement. 

When are you going to understand that cycling advocacy is all about each person trying to make the world perfect for THEM regardless of the negative impact on OTHERS.

I ride a bike, I am ENTITLED to everything being perfect for ME.

Michael A said:

While we are amending the laws to remove vehicles from YOUR commute times, is  there anything else we should add? How about we do not allow motor vehicles to make left or right turns between those hours when YOU commute? While we are at it let's outlaw rain and snow in that same time frame. We already have enough laws that drivers and cyclists ignore. Less laws, more common sense. 

Exactly.

It would make a HUGE mess of traffic.  Remember, a street with a bike lane on it is not a wider street in many cases, they have just narrowed the traffic lane; cars still need to have that truck moved over close to parked cars in order to get around it.

Rich S said:

I'm picturing cars squeezing through the bike lane to get around the stopped truck on one lane streets like Clark. Either that or go around on the oncoming traffic side which is not safe for anyone.

If they tried that traffic would be backed up real fast in the 5 minutes a short delivery might take. Now picture a 30 minute delivery! Imagine the road rage and crap that would follow ... 

Alex Z said:

Why isn't the solution simply that delivery trucks should park in the traffic lane, like they do when there is no bike lane?

 

That way, cyclists do not have to vulnerably merge into moving traffic.

It's interesting that that when we disagree with each other's opinions here on Chainlink the other person is an "entitled" (we love using that word here) idiot (obviously) and we should resort to personal insults.

This is not 'Nam, this is biking. There are rules.

Mark said:

Are you a Veteran Dug?  Ever spend any time in a combat zone?  Ever taken enemy fire?  That was the last time in my life I was scared of anything.

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