The Chainlink

The Broadway bike lane is a joke

There is no enforcement of this alleged bike lane. Two cars parked at the entrance of the bike lane in front of Azusa Liquors:

One ride along the Broadway "bike lane"

Toyota and BMW between Wilson and Leland:

One ride along the Broadway "bike lane"

Acura between Leland and Lawrence (no idea why this one came out in B&W):

One ride along the Broadway "bike lane"

Again, all of these pictures came from a single ride today, and all came from the half-mile stretch between Azusa Liquors and Lawrence. That's about one illegally-parked or -stopped car every 500 feet. At that rate you're better off taking the lane than having to constantly weave in and out around all these people.

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Permalink Reply by Jeremy on May 16, 2015 at 5:04pm

I complained about that to James Cappleman (that ward's alderman) previously.  His response was to call 911 to alert the police.

Permalink Reply by Joe Schmo on May 17, 2015 at 9:27pm

Isn't it the job of the police to issue parking tickets? Why would you contact the alderman about this?

Permalink Reply by Filka Bean on May 18, 2015 at 1:42am

Because it's easier to speed-dial the alderman while weaving in and out of the traffic lane every 500 feet than it is to keep punching in 9-1-1 over and over...

Permalink Reply by Bob Kastigar on May 18, 2015 at 9:04am

Often the alderman will get a response from the police more effectively than just one individual calling the police.

In the case of repeated problems like this one, a call to the alderman, especially if it your alderman, is far more effective.  Even if it's not your alderman, call anyway.

Permalink Reply by Eli on May 18, 2015 at 9:22am

For what it's worth, I did e-mail Cappleman when I posted this thread, and will post any response which I receive. But he is not my alderman (I'm in the 48th ward).

Permalink Reply by Joe Schmo on May 19, 2015 at 12:30am

I go to CAPS on a regular basis and I'm told that 911 calls don't resolve chronic issues. 911 only solves an issue that needs to be immediately addressed. Besides, the only one who can make a 911 call is the person witnessing the problem. 

If it's a chronic issue in a particular area, telling the police about it at a CAPS meeting is the best way to go. Have you ever thought about reporting the issue at your CAPS meeting? You can tell your alderman all the information and have him then tell CAPS, but why not take the middle man out and tell CAPS yourself?

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on May 19, 2015 at 9:11am

CAPS is often worthwhile for chronic problems like this.

Permalink Reply by Eli on May 19, 2015 at 9:56am

I've never been to a CAPS meeting. Since my experiences as a pedestrian and cyclist with CPD have been universally poor (e.g.: being mocked and hung up on several times when trying to report an assault by a driver, having a cop make a point of loudly reading out my home address to a driver who, minutes before, had stopped in such a way as to trap me in the left lane of a four-lane street mid-block, gotten out, and threatened to kill me) I have always felt that my attendance would be unproductive. Also, my understanding is that CPD considers parking enforcement "beneath them" and prefers to leave it to LAZ.

If I were to attend a CAPS meeting to raise this issue, is it more customary to attend the meeting for the district in which these cars were parked or the district in which I live? If the former, is it frowned upon to attend CAPS meetings in another district? I have always gotten the sense that they are for residents only.

Permalink Reply by Charlie Short 2.9 on May 19, 2015 at 10:11am

These are all great questions about how to deal with this issue.

LAZ has no jurisdiction in these cases, only in paid spaces. The Department of Finance, on the other hand, does. When you're asking this Alderman (or any other) for bike lane enforcement, don't ask the police to ticket first, ask for department of finance staff to ticket. They will sweep the area for about a week and that usually has a significant effect. Is it permanent? No, but it's much quicker. I've found that directing complaints to them on Dearborn has yielded decent results.

Also, calling your Alderman is better than emailing.  Additionally, making your complaints in person at a CAPS meeting or at the station will also yield better results.

Permalink Reply by Cara on May 21, 2015 at 2:10pm

I have this problem too! Thanks, Charlie, I never know how to report consistent problems like this.

Even when I have to ride outside the bike lane, I feel so much safer on Broadway than I did before the lanes were installed. It used to be so terrible.

Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on May 22, 2015 at 12:06am
No different than valets using the Kinzie lane for parking, livery SUV's driving in the Dearborn lane towards the House of Blues,drivers making the Milwaukee lane as a passing lane.

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