The Chainlink

Are pedestrians allowed in the Kinzie bike lane?

On the East bound side there is no sidewalk for a portion of the lane, but there is a sidewalk on the other side of the street.  Sometimes there's pedestrians there; this morning it was a person with a water bottle getting their power walking in.

I'm I correct in thinking that she should have been on the other side of the street, on the sidewalk?  Or are pedestrians welcome in the protected lane?

... and what's the legality of lance-mounted tasers?  Because I totally want one now.  Ugh.

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Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on October 22, 2012 at 9:21am

good question.  I'm baffled here too. 

Permalink Reply by Tim S on October 22, 2012 at 9:25am

I tried to look on line and could find nothing. Perhaps a person from Active Trans could chime in as I am curious too.

Permalink Reply by BikeBoy5 on October 22, 2012 at 10:19am

I ran into a woman on that stretch earlier in the summer around 3AM (on my way to work.)  She was totally dressed in black save a white coffee mug, which broke when I sideswiped her. Just didn't see her until I was four feet away...then she yelled at ME!  I tried to explain that the walking part was on the other side of the street, but she wasn't in a listening/learning mood.  She wasn't hurt, from what she yelled but it scared the hell out of me.

That stretch in both directions often has walkers in the bike lane so beware.

 

BikeBoy5

Permalink Reply by Kevin C Dormant on October 22, 2012 at 10:20am

They must be allowed. I see them all the time.

Permalink Reply by Bill Savage on October 22, 2012 at 10:20am

Yet another reason to avoid these bike lanes at all costs. 

Permalink Reply by BikeBoy5 on October 22, 2012 at 10:29am

Yeah.  Nobody asked for my opinion about putting them in, but since they are there, I use them.  Eventually walkers and drivers and bikers will get used to the configuration and peace and harmony will prevail across the land.

And monkeys will fly out of my...

 

BikeBoy5

Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on October 22, 2012 at 10:45am

Is a pedestrian an "intended and permitted user" of a protected bike lane?  Come on attorneys--take a look at the holes in the alleys cases and the parkway cases and the defects in the parking area cases and render an opinion!  Of course, people walk and run all of the time in places not intended for that use but no one will stop them.

Permalink Reply by Cheryl on October 22, 2012 at 10:48am

Actually, during one of the recent stings, a jogger who cut into the lane just before the sting (and just in front of me) was told it's not a running path. Too bad he had headphones on and didn't hear, or pretended not to. I've also seen police hanging out in the area gently advise pedestrians it's not a sidewalk. So there are some ad hoc attempts at educating pedestrians.


Clint H said:

As a matter of law, the answer is, "Who knows?" As a matter of practicality, the answer is that pedestrians will go wherever they want to go, because the police who regularly conduct bicycle stings on Kinzie will never tell a pedestrian not to. Joggers and power walkers and people with giant mega strollers see protected lanes as an extension of their sidewalk. You just have to get used to it.

Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on October 22, 2012 at 10:57am

A blast from my airhorn clears things up nicely.

Permalink Reply by Far'arned Retrogrumpalunkus #63 on October 22, 2012 at 11:03am

+1

They seem to be able to get into the lane without any trouble.  Nobody seems to stop them or tell them otherwise that they should not be there -or if anyone does they do not listen.

Every time I'm on Kinzie I see peds in it going in both directions in the blocks between the bridge and Wells by the Merchmart. Sometimes it seems more sidewalk than bike lane.  

Would big "no peds" symbols painted onto the pavement every 100 or so feet help?    Probably not.  They have to know better -they just don't care.   It's too much bother for them to cross to the North side of Kedzie and perambulate over there instead of blocking the bike lane.  

Almost always they are wearing suits/formal attire it seems.


Kevin C said:

They must be allowed. I see them all the time.

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on October 22, 2012 at 11:34am

They should not be there but they are entitled morons to lazy to cross to the other side of the street where there is a sidewalk.

The part that I think is interesting is how few of them would walk out in the street in car traffic but feel perfectly OK walking in bike traffic; only self preservation prevents ignorant behavior.

Permalink Reply by Cheryl on October 22, 2012 at 11:49am

Yes. And I always find this so interesting in light of all of the wailing by pedestrians in the comments to any bicycle news item about a friend's aunt's cousin who was hit and killed by a bicyclist.

notoriousDUG said:

The part that I think is interesting is how few of them would walk out in the street in car traffic but feel perfectly OK walking in bike traffic; only self preservation prevents ignorant behavior.

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