The Chainlink

Bikers that always cut to the front of the line, repeatedly....

I am always getting quite annoyed of those fellow bikers, whom ride much slower than you, get in front of you at intersections. This is particularly bad on the diagonal roads where they will try to shortcut the light by pulling half way across it. 

Don't these guys have a clue after the 5th or 6th time that I pass them before they even finish getting across the intersection? It's not like this "head start" is really getting them up to speed any quicker. Most of the time they are just causing a potential conflict as I pass them....

I notice that it usually are the ones that are riding fixed gear... 

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As my Strava shows, this is where I sprint fastest on.

Chitown_Mike said:

What?!  I use Milwaukee to practice sprints.  It's a perfect spot to shoal and/or pass going fast.


But if the lead car is signaling for a right, never go around them on the right.  You don't know if they're going to turn on red or not.  Even if you end up in front of them there's a good chance they didn't see you doing it.

If I pass a line of cars on a street (Like State) where there's a chance to go right I always get on the left side of the right lane so there's no obstruction to turn right.  Since it's the slow lane anyone going straight can wait unless they're trying to ace out other traffic, which is kind of like cars shoaling one another.  And I have as much sympathy for them as I do for their biking counterparts.

Lisa Curcio 6.5 mi said:

Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't!  But I only go to the right of cars if I am sure I can get in front of them so they can see me

Absolutely!

Tricolor said:

But if the lead car is signaling for a right, never go around them on the right.  You don't know if they're going to turn on red or not.  Even if you end up in front of them there's a good chance they didn't see you doing it.

If I pass a line of cars on a street (Like State) where there's a chance to go right I always get on the left side of the right lane so there's no obstruction to turn right.  Since it's the slow lane anyone going straight can wait unless they're trying to ace out other traffic, which is kind of like cars shoaling one another.  And I have as much sympathy for them as I do for their biking counterparts.

Lisa Curcio 6.5 mi said:

Sometimes I do, and sometimes I don't!  But I only go to the right of cars if I am sure I can get in front of them so they can see me

I have actually said I am riding faster, please let me stay ahead so I don't have to ride into traffic to pass you again. A couple F***k you blah blah blahs from a few people.  Maybe cause I am a girl and they were guys?

yaj 7.4 said:

I experience this pretty often too!  Yesterday someone did it at the Damen/Diversey/Clybourn six way intersection, and Damen narrows significantly just past the intersection.  So I have to be stuck behind someone I've recently passed (often multiple times, if they've just shoaled the Damen/North/Milwaukee intersection and blown the light at the highway exit) or swing out into traffic to get around them.  So annoying.  Should I say, please don't make me pass you AGAIN?? 



Tricolor said:

But if the lead car is signaling for a right, never go around them on the right.

I think that holds true much of the time when they aren't using their right turn signal.  If the street beyond the intersection appears there isn't a lane for them to drive in, I don't think you can assume they are going straight just because they aren't signaling a right turn.  They are just as likely to be turning right without telling you.

I agree, and pretty much never move to the front on the right.  I'll go between cars and if I can't fit (or can see the light's about to change) wait behind them.

Amen.  It's sad that this is the status quo, but it gets back to the whole "intersection problem" in general, where too many motorists in Chicago seem to constantly (and illegally) use intersections as an opportunity to pass people on the right. 

I actually see shoaling as a subset of that problem, the uptown blog link shared earlier nailed it with the whole racing mentality.

Skip Montanaro 12mi said:



Tricolor said:

But if the lead car is signaling for a right, never go around them on the right.

I think that holds true much of the time when they aren't using their right turn signal.  If the street beyond the intersection appears there isn't a lane for them to drive in, I don't think you can assume they are going straight just because they aren't signaling a right turn.  They are just as likely to be turning right without telling you.

http://tinyfixbikegang.com/dont-bike-like-a-dickweed-10-rules-for-n...

"Don’t Bike Like A Dickweed: 10 Rules for New Cyclists"

5. Don't Shoal.

When you reach a red light, you should wait behind the cyclist who is already there. If you don’t, you’re shoaling. As Bike Snob NYC explains it: “No rider, no matter how slow or diminutive, will ever come to a stop behind another rider at a red light. Instead, it is standard practice to pass that rider and stop in front of him, even if this involves doing so in the middle of the crosswalk or in the actual intersection, well ahead of the traffic signal. ‘Shoaling’ is an incredibly rude practice, and it’s tantamount to cutting in front of someone at an ATM, supermarket checkout, or urinal line.”

Dummies, for the love of god, cut this shit out right the fuck now. If people are out there in front of you, obviously faster than you, what do you hope to accomplish by cutting ahead of them at a light? THEY’RE FASTER THAN YOU. You’re just going to get passed again. And if you ARE faster than them, there’s plenty of time to safely pass them after the light has changed.

I used to do this but won't anymore!

Yep.

The cyclist who for whatever reason decides they need to weave their way through a dozen cyclists on Milwaukee waiting at a red is like that person who doesn't grasp the finer nuances of bellying up to the bar.  If you're bumping into people, spilling drinks, etc., you're a jerk.  I don't care what your excuse is.  I don't care if you left late, I don't care if you're wearing fancy spandex or panniers, you're just a jerk.  That person is almost certainly a jerk when behind a wheel, or when waltzing into a crosswalk and ignoring a left turn arrow.

You pass another cyclist on the street when you can do so safely, that's the vehicular approach.  If to pass someone you need to hop on the sidewalk, blow a red light, etc., then don't do it. Doesn't seem hard to me.  I really don't mind the faster folks getting in front of me, I think everyone is talking about the same problem,  the pokey riders who still insist on scooting to the "front of the line" at a red.

Those folks would be better off if they learned to time their riding with the stoplights so they weren't rushing just to get to a red.  If you have a steady route, memorizing the number of times the light flashes Don't Walk at the busier intersections (it varies considerably) and expending your efforts accordingly is a very efficient way to travel.



Renee Patten said:

http://tinyfixbikegang.com/dont-bike-like-a-dickweed-10-rules-for-n...

"Don’t Bike Like A Dickweed: 10 Rules for New Cyclists"

5. Don't Shoal.

When you reach a red light, you should wait behind the cyclist who is already there. If you don’t, you’re shoaling. As Bike Snob NYC explains it: “No rider, no matter how slow or diminutive, will ever come to a stop behind another rider at a red light. Instead, it is standard practice to pass that rider and stop in front of him, even if this involves doing so in the middle of the crosswalk or in the actual intersection, well ahead of the traffic signal. ‘Shoaling’ is an incredibly rude practice, and it’s tantamount to cutting in front of someone at an ATM, supermarket checkout, or urinal line.”

Dummies, for the love of god, cut this shit out right the fuck now. If people are out there in front of you, obviously faster than you, what do you hope to accomplish by cutting ahead of them at a light? THEY’RE FASTER THAN YOU. You’re just going to get passed again. And if you ARE faster than them, there’s plenty of time to safely pass them after the light has changed.

I used to do this but won't anymore!

When it's warmer there's always more cyclists on the road. And with more people you have more newbies and rude self-righteous jerks. We can complain about them all day, but they are never going to stop being assholes unless they are newbies and eventually figure it out. It was the same way when I used to drive. One can either ignore them and stew in anger and maybe bitch about them on the internet, ignore them and just let it go, or confront them and say/do something. Considerate sharing of the road in Chicago? haha that is just wishful thinking.

Maybe we can shame them? Pfft maybe not... most people in our society have no shame.

Another big no-no is trying to pass a bus in order to make a right turn in front of the bus.  Since this is a very dangerous maneuver, it's also illegal.  Let the bus go, then make your right turn.

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