The Chainlink

As many cyclists opt for other modes of transportation down town (hopefully public transportation), people lose awareness of the bike lanes and the cyclists on them as the weather gets colder. I am one of the lucky ones who rides year round... pedestrians just need to pay attention.

I have more footage of pedestrians crossing intersections or stopping in the middle of the bike lane, but this one takes the cake. 

Video only shows what it shows... but I am glad I didn't rip my pants, and glad I always wear a helmet. Back is sore as well as my left hand and left knee. AY!

Bonus points: 

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Yep, I've had to do it too. Also grabbed someone by the coat or shirt as they were about to step into the path of someone riding at speed.

Those new islands encourage people to walk into the bike lane to get as close as possible to the other side of the street. And when the islands fill up people behind them are trapped in the bike lane.

Man, @clp has *one thing* to say and he says it every chance he gets! :)

True.

Ah, yet more evidence that walking in the Loop while zoning out on a smart phone is rude and can be dangerous. Come on, people. Would you cross the street while reading a book?

Seen it happen on State St. more than once. *sigh* People are STOOPID.

Well, one cannot ride too carefully here or anywhere in the pedestrian-dominated Loop.  Yes, peds can be dumb, distracted, etc. but cyclists should, I declare, do as I do when riding in this facility (especially at rush hours) -- slow down, stay super alert, and pretty much constantly ring a nice loud bell or constantly yell out as you ride "Hey, watch out, watch out, wake up, bike lane, bike lane, look where you're walking, hey don't be zombie, here I come, watch out, come on, think, careful, careful, move your dumb butt, watch out, watch out, you're in the bike lane, move it, etc. etc. etc."

No argument with any of that, but it really is hard to react properly to people that are literally stepping right into a bike lane in the middle of a block.

Very true.

Yep, I know and agree.  For me, my reaction depends quite a bit on my mood, and on how much of a rush I'm in (or think I'm in).  But you know, that's the same excuse (and from a certain perspective, perfectly valid) that I hear for all kinds of road/public ROW rage.  The damage of a 4,000 pound auto is more terrible, but a cyclist going fast hitting a pedestrian can be pretty nasty too.  The Loop at rush hour is a special world where pedestrians do (and should) dominate.

The Washington PBLs are particularly bad for this too, as peds wander out onto the bus islands while waiting for the light to change. Pretty much every intersection during rush hour requires some amount of slowing down and warning peds as you bike through. 

In general, I'm always amazed at how frequently I see pedestrians downtown stepping out into the roadway before the light turns, sometimes just to stand a few feet in the roadway so they can be the first one to go once it turns green.

It's the pedestrian version of shoaling, I guess.

That weird stretch of Randolph by Clinton is always lousy with pedestrians too, I'm not sure what city planner thought it was a good idea to have the bike lane route through a sidewalk like that.

I feel like making the bike lane a color other than green could help, it seems to signal 'safe' to some folks.

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