The Chainlink

You blew the red light east bound on Lawrence at Damen at 5:26 pm this evening.

 

There was enough time for the biker in front of me to make it half way into the intersection, northbound on Damen, before you came whizzing past my front wheel.

 

I yelled "You're an idiot!" at your big haired chick, self, and you looked back at me. I meant it!

 

I woulda testified for any of the cars, that managed to not kill you, if they had.

 

Keep riding like a tard!

love,

gabe

 

Witness bad behavior during your commute? Feel free to post. Maybe that lovely human can read it and think they are famous. Maybe you can also inspire the whole generation of kids to shower but we can start with small things.

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Me N bound from my turn around at Ohio Street beach along the LFP riding all the way to N of Wilson no hands and no brakes.

You all the people who were not on the LFP, thank you it was so nice to have the path back.

To the extra special driver in the white Jeep who made a fast right turn on red from Van Buren to Dearborn while honking at the pedestrian he cut off (who was crossing legally with the walk signal) - there's a special place in hell for entitled jerks like you. I hope you roast in misery when you get there.

Wrong-way cyclists seem to be particularly...hostile towards people that - mon dieu! - do not go out of their way to accomodate them. Last night I was riding home on Milwaukee around Central Park when I noticed someone who appeared to be heading the wrong way and heading directly at me. I saw him quite late, because despite it being night time he was riding with no lights. Of course. Sometimes I just keep going when I am far enough out in the main lane; sometimes, when the road is narrower, I just stop to let them go around me. I am not inclined to move out into traffic without time to check the lane just to accommodate someone else riding dangerously, so I stop instead and then they can go where they like. This is what I did on this occasion. As he went by me on my right, in a gap between parked cars, he said, angrily, "knock it off, asshole!" or something like that. Okey-dokey, chief.

Someone (on this forum, I think) suggested yelling "No brakes!" when heading towards a salmon. Since then, that's been my approach, and so far, it works every time at getting them out of the way.

When I see a salmon approaching i'll yell, "I'M not moving - I'M NOT MOVING! ", then the game of 'chicken' begins. I usually win 85 percent of the time.
The road is/was wide enough,one way and I'm almost bigger than your car but I know honking,telling me your gonna kick my ass and run me over just so I can take a pic if your berry eatin' ass at the next block.
Good job.
Attachments:

Me: Stopped on NB Lincoln Ave waiting for the light to turn. Light turns green and I slowly pedal out into the intersection waiting for final few cars SB on Ashland to make their left turns.

You: Bike messenger on a mint All-City and a huge purple duffel. You speed around me and the other cars that are waiting and ride directly at the Audi station wagon turning left from SB Ashland on to EB Belmont. This causes the Audi to swerve into my path. Fortunately I was riding slow enough to avoid the collision.

I caught up to you on WB Cornelia and rode up real close on your right to ask/yell, "Hey, wtf?"

It was not, as you shakily responded, "the car's problem" that it almost hit me trying to avoid your reckless, stupid ass. 

Also, you claimed I was splitting hairs and if you also wanted to split hairs that I shouldn't "pass you on the right." 

My man, I wasn't passing you, I was getting nice and close to scream at you. 

~fin~

Hey bearded cyclist that got ticked at me for "kicking" his bike while heading E-bound between Union and Ogilvie... um I didn't kick it you just happend to decide to roll through the pedestrian cross walk when I had the walk and you a red. If you are going to roll ahead to get a better spot, possible roll red, take my 6 next time and dont jaw off at me when you just broke the law, looks silly.

Last night I was walking from the 99th St. Metra station and witnessed something that really made me want to smack an ignorant driver. A group of moms were walking with their young children after leaving a day care center. They stepped off the curb at a MARKED crosswalk highlighted by signage. The nearest westbound driver on 99th stopped only because the moms made her do it.

Their group of 10 crossed the street right in front of that driver, who didn't leave them much breathing room. She rolled down her window and started yelling at them. "You can't cross here. There's no stoplight." She ranted on for a few minutes as she passed slowly behind them.  WTF is wrong with some people?

Every year or so I post this minority view when an appropriate thread arises- I find the  crosswalks at larger intersections are a great idea. They are marked and they let bikes and cars know to simmer down. I see such crosswalks at minor intersections on major streets and they seem to encourage people to walk into traffic and everybody looks confused. I am a bit baffled by these except to the extent where a crossing is really needed. When a light is a block away I  think they are silly. I see crosswalks in the middle of some streets and I think these are a bad idea.  As a pedestrian I come to one of these things and cars come and I find myself waving them on so I am not the one guy making 10 vehicles stop.  There is such a crosswalk at the Main Metra stop in Evanston. I always stay on the same  side of Main and walk a block to the light where I cross. I find it rude when my fellow passengers cross main  and  make the intersection a free for all. My biggest issue is the stop signs in  the middle of  the street that still confuse people. I see these things constricting the roadway making it narrower so cars are closer to me when I am on a bike. As a driver I will often want to move over when the road is clear to give more clearance to the bikes. I cannot do this as I will run over  the stop sign and plastic junk sitting in the middle of the road.

I think these things make actors in  the roadway  do counter intuitive things. We are all better off if we act in a predictable way.  All this being said, if there is a marked cross walk in the loop it is a good thing. Drivers should be warned that pedestrians are not fare game. 

There are certainly plenty of drivers in my neighborhood who are either ignorant or choose to disregard pedestrian safety for their own selfish reasons. The crosswalk I mentioned is near 3 day care centers, a Metra station and a neighborhood business district.

I was riding east on the Jackson bike lane this evening. A block or so west of Halstead a person was standing at the entrance to the crosswalk. I stopped. The person was talking on a cell phone and ignored me. Just as I gave up and started across the intersection this individual began to cross and gave me a dirty look.

It would help if there were a clearly marked area at each end of the crosswalk, visible from the street. With time and public education, it would be widely understood (by motorists, cyclists *and* pedestrians) that stepping into this marked area signals an intention to cross. A flashing yellow light would be even better. Well, a guy can dream, can't he?

Steve

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