Just an informal poll. I'm interested in hearing what other Chainlinkers encounter in their travels that present the most typical, day-to-day hazards.
Lousy street/road surfaces? XPWay interchanges? RR tracks? Bridges? Speeders? Peds?
For me, it's distracted motorists, (either on/engrossed in a cell phone) and drivers that gun it through an intersection after the light turns red. They seem to be everywhere in the city where I do the majority of my riding.
Thanks for your responses. Be seen and be safe.
Tags:
Road/bike lane conditions
Texting/distracted drivers
CTA buses parked in bike lanes
Other cyclists, esp Divvys 3-across on LBP.
Most hazardous area: The Navy Pier/Ohio street detour, up the bridge, under LSD. I avoid it, by crossing west into the Loop on Madison or Monroe, which presents its own challenges.
Landscapers' trucks, especially the dump truck with an oversized trailer in tow.
Ouch! Please try a little more compassion Jeff K. I am sure you, just like the rest of us, have made a few mistakes in riding. There is a reason the motorist opening their door has a hefty fine - it's not legally considered the fault of the cyclist.
So in general, let's all avoid attacking others with words like "dummy" and "Don't be stupid!". I am sure there is a nicer way to give advice about avoiding the "door zone". Generally, it's counter-intuitive to ride the bike closer to traffic and away from the parked cars even if it is much safer than hugging the cars.
You may not have meant this specifically for someone but someone did just get doored and many Chainlinkers have been doored at one point.
I would love a Chicago with streets setup that it's always possible to make forward progress on a bike without ever having to venture into the door zone. Unfortunately, that's not the city we live in, so I ride outside the door zone whenever I can, and I cautiously venture into it when necessary. Due to some combination of caution and luck, I've yet to be doored. I'm smart enough to recognize the luck in there. Stop blaming the victim.
Sometimes you have to choose the lesser of two evils. On the left, you may have a car bearing down on you - close. Then immediately in front, a massive crater that you only spotted at the last moment. On the right, the door zone. In an instant, you have to decide which poses the greater threat. In these situations, I sometimes venture into the door zone. When I do, I slow down as quickly as possible and watch carefully, but that doesn't protect me 100% from a moron flinging a door open without looking.
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