Is it worth it to try to educate people?

Is it worth it to try to educate people in a civil manner about biking when you're probably going to get yelled at?

For example, this morning I was biking south on Wells around Ohio when there was a runner jogging south with traffic, in the bike lane. She was in the buffered lane itself, not even in the parking area to the right (and with headphones on). It's too bad I couldn't explain that she's putting bikers at risk by taking their lane in the few seconds that I passed by.

It just puts a damper on my morning when the response to my "this is not a jogging lane" is "fuck off!"

Julie

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Permalink Reply by Michael B on June 27, 2012 at 1:37pm

The reality is there are far more cyclists using sidewalks than there are runners in the bike lanes. On my run today a cyclist swooped up from behind me when there was a perfectly fine bike lane in the adjacent street (Damen along Horner Park). As a runner I don't run in the streets the sidewalks are dangerous enough thank you.

When I'm riding & I do encounter a runner or any obstruction I simply glance over my left shoulder, make sure it's clear & pass them. The last thing I would ever do is try & startle them. There has to be a certain give and take while riding in this city. I personally don't have the time or the inclination to try & "educate" people for every infraction I encounter.

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Permalink Reply by Carter O'Brien on June 27, 2012 at 1:48pm

+1

notoriousDUG said:

When a jogger is in a protected, dedicated, bike line I think it is an issue and they are putting themselves and cyclists at risk. The road is a shared surface, cars and bikes. The LFP and similar paths is a shared surface, bikes and peds. The protected or buffered bike lane is just that, a bike lane.

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Permalink Reply by James BlackHeron on June 27, 2012 at 1:48pm

It always seems to be that "same guy" on the sidewalk in my neighborhood and often in other parts of town too. Some dude in a backwards baseball cap and grungy T-shirt on a beat-up department-store mountain bike with lots of rust and the rear wheel way out of true. The guy is carrying 2 or 3 plastic shopping bags looped over the grips as he rides and is going at barely more than a walking pace.

Did they clone this guy 10,000 times? Every time I see a guy riding on the sidewalk it is this same guy...

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Permalink Reply by Serge Lubomudrov on June 27, 2012 at 1:54pm

Just to be sure: you know I was kiddin', right?

Michael B said:

The last thing I would ever do is try & startle them. There has to be a certain give and take while riding in this city. I personally don't have the time or the inclination to try & "educate" people for every infraction I encounter.

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Permalink Reply by Carter O'Brien on June 27, 2012 at 2:01pm

+1 as well. I gave up on trying to educate people many years ago when I started commuting on the LFP - there just aren't enough hours in the day to even begin to address the crazy things people do. However, I make exceptions and will get snarky for the clearly stupid things like biking with a dog leashed to your handlebars. I watched a guy on the North Branch Trail get instantly jerked 90 degrees to his left when his dog went after a deer which had gone bounding across the path.

Michael B said:

The reality is there are far more cyclists using sidewalks than there are runners in the bike lanes. On my run today a cyclist swooped up from behind me when there was a perfectly fine bike lane in the adjacent street (Damen along Horner Park). As a runner I don't run in the streets the sidewalks are dangerous enough thank you.

When I'm riding & I do encounter a runner or any obstruction I simply glance over my left shoulder, make sure it's clear & pass them. The last thing I would ever do is try & startle them. There has to be a certain give and take while riding in this city. I personally don't have the time or the inclination to try & "educate" people for every infraction I encounter.

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Permalink Reply by Carter O'Brien on June 27, 2012 at 2:03pm

Hey, don't make fun of my shirt! : P

seriously, funniest post all day, thanks.

James BlackHeron said:

It always seems to be that "same guy" on the sidewalk in my neighborhood and often in other parts of town too. Some dude in a backwards baseball cap and grungy T-shirt on a beat-up department-store mountain bike with lots of rust and the rear wheel way out of true. The guy is carrying 2 or 3 plastic shopping bags looped over the grips as he rides and is going at barely more than a walking pace.

Did they clone this guy 10,000 times? Every time I see a guy riding on the sidewalk it is this same guy...

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Permalink Reply by Joe Schmoe on June 27, 2012 at 2:17pm

Michael B is right... I live in Rogers Park, and am constantly infuriated w/all the cyclists on the sidewalks. The cops used to ticket aggressively for it, but well, I guess w/the reduced manpower that's not happening anymore. That and dogs off leashes are huge quality-of-life issues on the north lakefront, IMO.

Having said that, cyclists have to share every single other through-way with pedestrians, or cars. Can we just have our 3 feet? Boo too jogging in the bike lane.

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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on June 27, 2012 at 2:22pm

+1

Joe Schmoe said:

Michael B is right... I live in Rogers Park, and am constantly infuriated w/all the cyclists on the sidewalks. The cops used to ticket aggressively for it, but well, I guess w/the reduced manpower that's not happening anymore. That and dogs off leashes are huge quality-of-life issues on the north lakefront, IMO.

Having said that, cyclists have to share every single other through-way with pedestrians, or cars. Can we just have our 3 feet? Boo too jogging in the bike lane.