The Chainlink

Hi all,

I know hashtag campaigns don't have a very good rep, but I have found that tweeting and facebooking things to companies can be somewhat effective. In that vein, I'm sure you've all noticed how many cars park in bike lanes with no fear of enforcement, and I thought it might be good if we could start tweeting pictures of cars in bike lanes to @ChicagoDOT @ChicagosMayor and @Chicago_Police and using the hashtag #enforce940060 (the municipal code about cars in bike lanes). We can subscribe to it and easily retweet eachothers pictures. Maybe we can be annoying enough to get this law enforced? 
Here's my inaugural tweets on the tag 

Views: 3382

Reply to This

Replies to This Discussion

Mind pointing us to the death toll caused by all these terrible cyclists? Or do you have some definition of "worse" that ignores the damage caused? 

Not too hip said:

You are wrong. Most cyclists in the city are far worse than drivers. I see it every day and I don't blame drivers for being pissed. As someone who rides I am often upset with the people representing bicycles to the world.

Simon Phearson said:

By all means, let's enforce all of the traffic laws. While I am diligent about observing traffic rules while riding in traffic, I am increasingly dissuaded from that diligence as I watch cars treat bike lanes like loading zones, parking spots, extended right turn lanes, "buffers" for swerving out of their lane, etc., to say nothing of the near-total lack of signaled turns and lane changes, unsafe and illegal passing distances, red lights treated as "orange" lights, blocked intersections, texting and cell-phone-handling drivers, and - gasp! - speeding. All illegal. All unsafe. All, for what it's worth, a greater contribution to headache-inducing traffic congestion than anything cyclists are doing.

If cyclists are to be called out on their bad behavior - and I can go on about that, too - then let's not pretend that drivers are exemplary, better than cyclists, or even trying to obey traffic laws. Their behavior is, on the whole, more flagrant, more pervasive, and more unsafe. I think that's kind of the resentment behind this campaign, such as it is. It's like - fine, let's stop running red lights. But stop parking the protected bike lanes, already - such an asshole move.



Vilda said:

You know what you don't want? The enforce MCC 9-52-010(b) - that's: Obey Traffic Control Device The regulations in the Traffic Code applicable to bicycles shall apply whenever a bicycle is operated upon any roadway or public sidewalk or upon any public path set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles, subject to those exceptions stated herein.

Or MCC 9-52-010 A, B & C Bicycles-Operation-Rights and duties - Basically saying we have to obey all the traffic rules.

And since the rules have not been amended for bikes yet perhaps ignoring the moron in the bike lane and going around might be the right solution. Cause you know, no twitter campaign has ever backfired. And cars don't out number bikes at all...

I'm just here for the show.

One can only hope she regrets her actions.

On my way home in the Kinzie bike lane, I rang my bell and slowed down on a couple walking the entire width of the lane in front of the Mart. They gave me an offended type look for even being there. Go figure.

I regret not taking a photo of these two numbskullz.


h' 1.0 said:

After having this image posted on the internet, I have no doubt this woman deeply regrets her actions and will never set foot in a bike lane again.

Juan 2-8 mi. said:

One of my favorites is the pedestrians waiting for their taxi or lyft to pick them up in the bike lane.

I overheard a conversation that the Dutch are very aggressive with those types. Me, I just ring my bell then resort to my airhorn if they really need to wake up.

A nice write-up on Streetsblog. 

http://chi.streetsblog.org/2014/08/05/eyes-on-the-street-twitter-us...

Thanks, Steven! Keep up the tweets!

Cool. Here's another photo I took yesterday. Feel free to post it as well.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10100496967440092&l=2f3...


Clement Jett said:

Thanks for the photos Kathleen. I put em up here

Thanks Kathleen. Wow, three in a row parked there.

http://t.co/ghdxi9LROR

Kathleen said:

Cool. Here's another photo I took yesterday. Feel free to post it as well.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10100496967440092&l=2f3...


Clement Jett said:

Thanks for the photos Kathleen. I put em up here

I got a good response from Michelle Smith on your picture yesterday Kathleen. Tagging the alderman in these seems to help

Anyone ever seen these types of police write up violators?

Rarely. Patrol officers have other priorities. You will see Dept. of Revenue workers on bicycles writing up violations.

I have seen bicycle police writing tickets for no city sticker to cars parked in the park at Belmont Harbor.

On bikes? No.

But there is a nice cop who stands on the SW corner of Kinzie and Lasalle most mornings who is not shy about giving tickets to cars standing by the curb and people on their cell phones, if the E. bound light is red.

Juan 2-8 mi. said:

Anyone ever seen these types of police write up violators?

I'm intrigued that when we tried hashing out this very same issue here a year and a half ago the responses ranged from tepid to heckling.  And when MyBikeLane came and went some two years ago nobody cared.  Perhaps because this version is practical action oriented and tags city and alderpeople, where others were just shaming, it'll fly.  Still I must say this is the most absurdly obscure hashtag I've ever seen, and I dearly wish we didn't keep reinventing wheels. But good luck!

My reinventing the wheel is probably due to the fact that I wasn't active on these boards during the time periods you described. The obscurity is due to me trying to cram useful information into a few characters. Maybe I made a mistake in trying to do that.

The only way it's going to fly is if we continue our efforts to build off the early success we have had, which is largely getting people to use it. If we could go from getting about 8 photos a day being tagged, to about 10 times that, then we can really make the case that the city is letting an unsafe situation fly and leaving a ton of money on the table. The responses we've gotten from a few public officials have been positive, but I'm really after a sustained change in the status quo

Andronymous said:

I'm intrigued that when we tried hashing out this very same issue here a year and a half ago the responses ranged from tepid to heckling.  And when MyBikeLane came and went some two years ago nobody cared.  Perhaps because this version is practical action oriented and tags city and alderpeople, where others were just shaming, it'll fly.  Still I must say this is the most absurdly obscure hashtag I've ever seen, and I dearly wish we didn't keep reinventing wheels. But good luck!

RSS

© 2008-2016   The Chainlink Community, L.L.C.   Powered by

Disclaimer  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service