How Can We Get Enforcement on Clark Street Bike Lane (Southbound in am)

The bus/bike lane South of Diversey on Clark has become a joke. There are cars and trucks everywhere starting at around 8:15 - parked, stopped, or idling.  the whole point of these lanes is so bikers can void the busy Clark street traffic. Yet to get around these cars/trucks I have to do swerve intro traffic at least 15 times every ride (it seems).

How does one get CPD to enforce the law (signs say no parking/stopping 7-9)?  I am  not referring to the part of Clark farther South where this restriction is no longer in effect.

Is there a number I can call?  ActiveTrans? What about putting a large sticker on their windshields? :)

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Permalink Reply by Tom A.K. on August 3, 2014 at 7:12pm
There are so many traffic laws in our city
that are never enforced,
I have concluded that it is hopeless.
Cyclists will have to continue
to swerve into traffic endlessly.
That is the reality of today's mean streets.
Sorry.
Permalink Reply by Justin B Newman on August 4, 2014 at 2:56am

Determine which beat this area is in, and show up at the CAPS meeting?

Permalink Reply by Josh L. on August 4, 2014 at 3:16am

I just spoke with the desk officer at the 19th district. He was unfamiliar with that bus/bike lane (rather disconcerting as you would think any policeman would know about it) but was very courteous and tried to be helpful. He said they will dispatch on a general  compliant like mine but to go call 911 when I see a violator with the license plate and they should dispatch someone. So I would encourage everybody to do this!  I don't think it will catch the people who have stopped as I assume they will be long gone but perhaps some of the longer term parkers it will.  

I will be very, very pleased to see the look on some faces when they see CPD.  Yes, I'm an optimist.

Permalink Reply by Tom A.K. on August 6, 2014 at 12:03pm
Any updates of success for you yet? I tried your approach: Violators, plate numbers, 911, Dispatch, 35 minutes window brunch watch, No Police Dispatch. Hopeless.
Permalink Reply by Tom A.K. on August 6, 2014 at 11:37pm
The question in this post was: HOW can we get enforcement from CPD ? My answer was, we can't it's hopeless. I agree with you clp, it is unrealistic to expect enforcement from the PD. They have other priorities. There is too much crime. Cameras do all the enforcement now. Sure, there will be a cop there on a rare day giving out tickets for five minutes, but that's not gonna change the drivers. So WE have to deal with the idiots by trying to carefully swerve around them. We only need to have hope for our own survival. That's the reality of the mean streets. Ride safe. Ride tough. Ride on.
Permalink Reply by Chitown_Mike on August 7, 2014 at 2:12am

Should we do a group buy of stickers that say, "NO PARKING - BIKE LANE" and put them on the driver's windows??

You know the same kind the Dept of Revenue sticks on car's windows with the boot?  So they are stuck for days peeling them off?  Ride by, slap one on, and be gone.

Permalink Reply by Clement Jett on August 7, 2014 at 4:19am

We have started to get some good results tweeting pictures of cars in bike lanes to @ChicagosMayor @Chicago_Police @ChicagoDOT and the alderman using  #enforce940060

Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on August 7, 2014 at 4:34am

Stickers are great! We could also cut up pieces of paper.

If someone is going to organize this, I recommend you create an event so you can meet those who want to do this and pass out the stickers or leaflets to the group. Just my 2 cents.

Chitown_Mike said:

Should we do a group buy of stickers that say, "NO PARKING - BIKE LANE" and put them on the driver's windows??

You know the same kind the Dept of Revenue sticks on car's windows with the boot?  So they are stuck for days peeling them off?  Ride by, slap one on, and be gone.

Permalink Reply by Dave Jacque on August 7, 2014 at 5:34am

Stickers might be interpreted as vandalism. I think a firmly but politely worded paper message tucked under the wiper blade would work just as well.

Permalink Reply by Clement Jett on August 7, 2014 at 10:01am

According to the red eye article "Smith said she asked her ward superintendent to have the city install better signage at 1600 N Halsted, where Robinson tweeted a complaint."

So a little more than lip service.
http://www.redeyechicago.com/news/local/redeye-cyclists-twitter-has...



h' 1.0 said:

Can you define "good results?" I could see where that might get you some lip service, but actual real-world results? That would be pretty amazing.
 
Clement Jett said:

We have started to get some good results tweeting pictures of cars in bike lanes to @ChicagosMayor @Chicago_Police @ChicagoDOT and the alderman using  #enforce940060

Permalink Reply by Josh L. on August 7, 2014 at 3:05pm

thanks a lot for posting this..I'm going to use this approach. Also I was  not aware of the exact  city code.

Permalink Reply by Michelle S on August 7, 2014 at 4:11pm

Last September we noticed that the illegal parking on this stretch had gotten out of control, and we alerted Michele Smith's office of it. They let the revenue people know, and there was a two-week blitz of ticketing, which helped reduce the illegal parking for a while. I will check it out again tomorrow morning and alert the alderman of the situation. Maybe another blitz will do the job. 

Here's my Bike Walk Lincoln Park post and video of that stretch of Clark S... last October, when it was almost clear.

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