Nasty bike on bike crash on LFP near 31st this morning

Biking north into work this morning I observed a racer dude and a guy on a mountain bike plow into each other. The mountain bike guy was heading south and the racer dude was going north. They both basically turned right into each other. Why neither one could get on their brakes is beyond me. The racer guy was on a TT type of bike and even had on a one of those TT teardrop style helmets. I suspect he was on his aerobars and was haulin' ass and didn't want to slow down. They both got up yelling at each other about one guy keeping on coming towards the other while the other guy was yelling about the other one turning in towards him. This incident occurred right where the path splits south of 31st, right near the basketball court. For some reason, the path splits there and the more western branch is labeled "Bike Only" with both signs and painted icons on the pavement while the essentially straight, northbound lane is now marked "No Bikes" with actual painted words on the pavement spanning the entire path. The dumb thing, is that the north end of this area of the LFP where the two paths merge back together (just a hair south of the new underpass at 31st), there is no painted markings telling bikes that they have to veer right onto the more western path when heading south. Apparently the guy on the mountain bike was headed south on the "No Bikes" path and TT-guy was heading north, intentionally disregarding the "No Bikes" markings. The guy on the mtb was swerving to his left thinking TT-guy was going to veer west onto the "Bikes Only" path. Neither one gave ground or speed and thus a collision. An ambulance was called for TT-guy who was rolling around on the ground rubbing his lower back and moaning a lot. Mountain bike guy seemed to be fine. I see several things that should be discussed about this situation.

1. TT-guy needed to slow down. There are too damn many people out on the path going balls out at 25+ mph, many of them on aero bars. The path, even in the morning at 7:20 AM is TOO CONGESTED to be going all out on a training ride. Ride fast and reckless like a dick and crap like this bike crash happens.

2. What the hell is up with this absurd "Bikes Only", "No Bikes" crap? I can understand where someone might have thought it was a good idea to segregate these two stretches of the path to maybe keep the pedestrians away from bikers and vice versa, but I can tell you it doesn't matter. There are plenty of bikers on the path they're not supposed to be on, and just as many peds as ever on the path that they apparently are not supposed to be on. Also, if the essentially more straight path, the eastern-most one, is supposed to be "No Bikes" why the hell isn't that painted on the northern edge so southbound cyclists will divert to the western-most path? Finally, why is there even this segregation of this part of the path? The little "Bikes Only" section is so short it's practically pointless not to mention it's a major access point for the skate park and the basketball court.

3. Final point - bike defensively. I'm always on my brake hoods when other bikes or peds are around and my head is on a swivel. I constantly anticipate that some other cyclist or ped is going to do something stupid so I don't ride balls-out when I'm around other people. I only open up and really increase my speed when I've got plenty of distance to react to anyone up ahead of me or when the path is more or less clear sailing ahead. How many times have we seen a thread this year regarding the aftermath of some collision between a high speed cyclist and a pedestrian or other cyclist? If you want to ride balls-out, take it easy until you get to Northerly Island and then do intervals 'til your little heart's content. Keep your high speed jackassery off the LFP when you're around other people.

▶ Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Jeremy on July 2, 2012 at 11:20am

I agree with kiltedcelt. A MUP has too many different users on it during peak hours to be a sensible training spot. Multi-use might mean everyone has equal right to be out there, but if you can't see that morning rush hour is not the right time to get out and go completely balls out there's something wrong with you.

If you've got the discipline to train that hard I salute you. But you should also have the discipline to get up an hour earlier and train when traffic isn't so heavy. 8 AM isn't the time to pretend it's the tour.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by kiltedcelt on July 2, 2012 at 11:34am

If you have to train early before you go to work or something, then probably getting out on the path at 5:00 AM is going to be far safer than being out there from 6:30 AM and on, since that's when there are LOTS of commuters on the path (riding slower), as well as joggers and people out for a morning stroll. When I first started riding the path, I was doing it for the purpose of training. This was before I started commuting. I had the same gripes about slower commuters, roller-bladers, oblivious peds with uncontrolled children, etc. I universally got shot down for assuming a racer-boy attitude about, "How dare these slower people interfere with my ability to ride at dangerously high rates of speed." I quickly realized that you just can't ride that way on the LFP. You want to seriously train, go somewhere else. I gave up on that kind of riding, mainly because it's too much like work ;) I've long since become a strictly commuter rider on the LFP and along the way I've developed a pretty curmudgeonly attitude towards the racer-set, but I think it's perfectly justified.

Jeremy said:

But you should also have the discipline to get up an hour earlier and train when traffic isn't so heavy. 8 AM isn't the time to pretend it's the tour.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Katie on July 2, 2012 at 12:45pm

I ride my TT on my training in my apt because it is too damn hard to find someplace to sustain speeds without worrying about crashing. I can't possibly imagine taking my TT out on the LFP.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Leah Jone on July 2, 2012 at 1:21pm

I recently went riding in Vancouver and the seawall has pedestrians and cyclists separated and it was great.

Matthew Talbert said:

I'm not sure if this has been mentioned, however, I think it would be nice to have two separate paths: one for pedestrians/joggers and the other for bikes. This is how they roll in Minneapolis and it works great. However, this would not be possible on the lakefront path in Chicago, at least through certain stretches. The worst part of the path where this is not physically possible from Fullerton all the way to Ohio where the beaches are. Granted, there are a few idiots that purposely stand in the middle of the path and know exactly what they are doing. However, there are many space heads that don't even realize they are on the a path for both pedestrians and bikes. Better signage COULD help. However, do we really listen to the "Please Dismount" sign at the Shed Aquarium. Granted I'll slow down when I see bottle necks, but sadly, those who prioritize speed over safety won't listen.

To your point though, those racers NEED to slow down. I will sometimes take my racing road bike out there, but I at least will be courteous enough to realize that my top speed is less important than safety. I try to keep my fast road bike to the North Shore Channel and North Branch. I will more often bring my hybrid out to the LFP, which will keep me at a safer speed and does not have pedals that will clip my feet on.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by James BlackHeron on July 2, 2012 at 1:55pm

Perhaps a lot of folks see someone on a drop-bar bike and wearing bike gear and assume they are going a lot faster than they really are. I don't dispute that there are some folks going way too fast on the LFP but by and by most of the riders on the path (in spandex or not) are going well under 14-15MPH when there are peds present.

15MPH still seems pretty fast to a ped though -especially when they are not paying attention and have zero situational awareness and a bike WHOOSHES right on by them. Even 8MPH is fast if you are walking like a zombie and it startles you as is goes by.

The last time I was on the Path was a couple of weeks ago for the Tour de Shore Start. It was somewhat early (7:30 or thereabouts) but not super-early when it is totally dead. I didn't see many riders going nuts and riding way too fast. I think I was only passed a couple of times by other riders wanting to go faster on the whole path down to where it ends at the far South end. We were only going about 14MPH max at that point but I bet some (even many) of the folks on foot thought we as a group were going way too fast due to the factors i talked about above. It's all a matter of perspective I suppose. 14MPH is not "fast."

And yes, I was wearing spandex and had clip-in pedals. But I don't think that 14MPH in areas between where it was crowded, and slowing down a bit to pass, is being unsafe -and like I said, almost nobody was passing us in the whole group of similarly-dressed folks and other riders on the path that were not with the TdS group.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Mark on July 2, 2012 at 2:50pm

I've ridden the LFT past 31st St twice since the construction ended. Both times I was confused by the "Bikes Only" sign. There is no warning or directions leading up to this area. This needs to be improved.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by kiltedcelt on July 2, 2012 at 4:40pm

If I'm trucking along at 16-18 mph and someone passes ME then they're obviously not just cruising along at 14-15 mph. The speed at which these two guys crashed indicates that at least one rider - the TT guy, was going faster than 14-15 mph. And when they crashed it wasn't just a coming together and falling over. These dudes bikes and bodies literally pirouetted. Shit went flying when they crashed. This was high speed, high energy impact and I got an excellent view because I was about 100 feet back as it happened. I get passed by guys sometimes when I'm going around 18 mph, and they don't creep by me, which would mean they're going only say 19 mph. The fly by which means they're easily going over 20+ mph. Yeah, lots of guys all clad in spandex keep it safe, but I think all the gripes that are coming up here are based on those guys who aren't keeping it at safe speeds when they're around "traffic."

James BlackHeron said:

Perhaps a lot of folks see someone on a drop-bar bike and wearing bike gear and assume they are going a lot faster than they really are. I don't dispute that there are some folks going way too fast on the LFP but by and by most of the riders on the path (in spandex or not) are going well under 14-15MPH when there are peds present.

15MPH still seems pretty fast to a ped though -especially when they are not paying attention and have zero situational awareness and a bike WHOOSHES right on by them. Even 8MPH is fast if you are walking like a zombie and it startles you as is goes by.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by James BlackHeron on July 2, 2012 at 4:49pm

My point is that the guys going really fast are pretty rare. They are out there though -but well under 1%. There are jerks in every mode of transportation.

I have more of an issue with folks on their aero bars on the LFP -regardless of how fast they are gong. That's pretty darn dangerous if you ask me and doesn't belong on the path IMHO. But what do I know???...not much it seems. But I do get really uncomfortable whenever they are riding on them near/behind me. I know the triatholon guys need to train like they race -but I'd feel a lot better if they didn't use 'em on the LFP and only out in the open where they have a chance of getting back on the bars with actual brake levers if they need to in an emergency.

kiltedcelt said:

If I'm trucking along at 16-18 mph and someone passes ME then they're obviously not just cruising along at 14-15 mph. The speed at which these two guys crashed indicates that at least one rider - the TT guy, was going faster than 14-15 mph. And when they crashed it wasn't just a coming together and falling over. These dudes bikes and bodies literally pirouetted. Shit went flying when they crashed. This was high speed, high energy impact and I got an excellent view because I was about 100 feet back as it happened. I get passed by guys sometimes when I'm going around 18 mph, and they don't creep by me, which would mean they're going only say 19 mph. The fly by which means they're easily going over 20+ mph. Yeah, lots of guys all clad in spandex keep it safe, but I think all the gripes that are coming up here are based on those guys who aren't keeping it at safe speeds when they're around "traffic."

James BlackHeron said:

Perhaps a lot of folks see someone on a drop-bar bike and wearing bike gear and assume they are going a lot faster than they really are. I don't dispute that there are some folks going way too fast on the LFP but by and by most of the riders on the path (in spandex or not) are going well under 14-15MPH when there are peds present.

15MPH still seems pretty fast to a ped though -especially when they are not paying attention and have zero situational awareness and a bike WHOOSHES right on by them. Even 8MPH is fast if you are walking like a zombie and it startles you as is goes by.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by kiltedcelt on July 2, 2012 at 9:43pm

+1 to this. The aero bars scare me too. Even aero bars with brake levers are still not safe. It's too unstable of a riding position for anything other than time trials or long stretches of road, free and clear of traffic of all kinds.

James BlackHeron said:

I have more of an issue with folks on their aero bars on the LFP -regardless of how fast they are gong. That's pretty darn dangerous if you ask me and doesn't belong on the path IMHO. But what do I know???...not much it seems. But I do get really uncomfortable whenever they are riding on them near/behind me. I know the triatholon guys need to train like they race -but I'd feel a lot better if they didn't use 'em on the LFP and only out in the open where they have a chance of getting back on the bars with actual brake levers if they need to in an emergency.

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Steven Vance on July 5, 2012 at 6:58pm

I've uploaded a bunch of photos of this problem area, taken Tuesday, 7/3/12. The sign is confusing. Does it mean that only bikes can ride on this path, or does it mean that one should bike only on this path?

The "no bikes" painting on the ground is only in the northbound direction (on the south end) and not seen in the southbound direction (on the north end). Whatever the Park District's intention was, they've failed to communicate it.

This photo is of the 4th intersection, the south split, looking north. All of the 8 photos are mapped with their approximate location.

From my "investigation" on Tuesday, there are four intersections between two paths. There is the eastern path that goes nearest the harbor, and the western path that goes nearest the skate park. There are two forks, one new middle intersection, and one very old middle intersection.

Each of the forks has different signage. The middle intersections have no signage.

The "no bikes" painting on the pavement is at the 4th intersection (southern most), represented by the above photo. The "no bikes" painting is not visible until *after* you've turned right (east) into the eastern path. The "no bikes" painting does not exist at the 1st intersection (northern most).