The Chainlink

car starts to weave into your lane, you knock/bang to get their attention... they are a cop...

I saw a car stoped askew and a bicyclist down when I got to Desplanes and Washington this morning. I recognized the cyclist as someone whom I had passed a bit further back on Milwaukee and who must have then passed me up again when I stopped to fidget with my chain. I was amazed to see a police office already there until I realized that the cyclist was in handcuffs. I didn't actually witness what happened but from hearing what the cyclist was saying and what the officer was telling dispatch on his cell phone and what a witness who did actually see some of this said something similar to the following must have occurred:

The officer was off duty, likely on his way home from work in his own civilian car.

the cyclist was riding in the bike lane on des planes.

The officer was weaving lanes a bit and driving a bit aggressively (according to the cyclist and the witness the officer said he was stopped and not moving to the on duty officer who arrived later but had indicated he was in motion when initially calling dispatch)

A witness showed up who said she saw the cop weaving as he drove and asked if she should stay to give her information the cop told her that he did not need her information and she could (/should) go. The cyclist said he did need her information and she should stay. This was a red flag that caused me to stick around. I got her number on two of my business cards and tried to give the cyclist one. The officer told me I could not give someone who was under arrest anything, I said its just a business card. He took the business card from me.  I told the cyclist I would post something to thechainlink.org so he can locate me if he doesn't still have her info. in the hopes of making this searchable I'm putting his name in the Tags, but I do not know if I have the spelling correct.

The bicyclist says he saw the officer weave a bit into the bike lane and knocked or banged on the car to alert the officer to his presence, the degree of force used for this knock was of some discussion ('a light tap?' 'no, loud enough that he could hear me' - 'he banged on my car hard, for no reason I was stopped')

Clearly blood was running hot, voices were raised but everyone was civil enough.

The cyclist asked what he was under arrest for the officer cited 'reckless conduct' or something vague and could not cite a statute number. The cyclist said he is a  lawyer, threats of lawsuits for improper arrest/detainment were issued.

What a mess...

For what its worth:

I don't think any cyclist bangs on windows unprovoked. Your hand is worth more than the glass and is more breakable, that's pretty clear even when road rage of getting cut off runs high.

The cop probably was tired coming off a hard shift doing thankless work and did not have any patience left.

No damage was visible to the car or the cyclist.

I'm glad no one got hurt, but what are you supposed to do when a car cuts into the bike lane... and its an off duty cop!

If you are the cyclist, and you need the witnesses phone number, call me at: tree one too, cinco quarto tres, eighty seven, 41.

I wrote this up within an hour of what I saw, but I arrived too late to see the events leading up to the arrest and even now my memory grows fuzzy... I wish my gopro hadn't been out of batteries, or that the cyclist had had one. ugh.

Streetsblog article http://chi.streetsblog.org/2015/11/09/cyclist-arrested-by-allegedly...

Most recent Streetsblog article: http://chi.streetsblog.org/2015/11/13/witness-officer-drove-reckles...

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Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on October 17, 2015 at 7:54am

The cyclist was advised by his attorney to keep a low profile. We won't have an update anytime soon. 

Permalink Reply by Donald P Kingston on October 17, 2015 at 7:57am

I picked up an airhorn about the size of personnel mace or purse size mace. I bought it at a truck stop. I have heard a kind are also made specifically for bicycles.  A better more fun way ( english teachers will like the last sentence ). Banging on car windows and doors or fenders can get you shot.

Permalink Reply by SixtyTwoPercent on October 17, 2015 at 8:05am

I agree Donald. It never ceases to amaze me how people feel entitled to thwack a car for any level of injustice, real or perceived. I guarantee you that if someone thwacked my car it would be an issue - and I still ride over a thousand miles a year on the streets - which would make me an informed driver and sensitive to leaving space. If the goal is to get attention, invest in a horn. If the goal is piss people off, put a palm on their car somewhere...it is nerve-wracking enough to drive in a sea of cyclists to then wonder if said thwack was from someone in your fender-well. I am clearly in the "alert and move away from issue" camp rather than "fight the man, the car, the institution by hitting" camp.

Permalink Reply by Carter O'Brien on October 17, 2015 at 8:38am
Smacking a car is unquestionably an extreme action - but the order of the behavior here is important, as in this and most cases it is a REaction to a far more egregious action

imo the outrage is best directed at the drivers on cell phones, using the bike lane to illegally pass traffic on the right, etc. If I am smacking your car, it is because I need to get your attention NOW because you are about to sandwich me into a parked vehicle or something equivalent. There is no time to honk a horn nor ring a bell, and those actions are not going to immediately get the driver's attention.

And in this case, the SUV driver was clearly antagonizing everyone on the road. I drive on a limited basis and there is absolutely nothing more nervewracking than drivers who behave in this kind of an erratic fashion.
Permalink Reply by Ben R. on October 17, 2015 at 10:12am
I disagree, with one thing you've said: thwacking is not the most expedient thing you can do. If there is not time to yell and scream, then there is not time to thwack a car. Plus screaming leaves your hands on your bars, better for stearing in evasive maenuevers and breaking. I don't think thwacking the car is 'wrong' under the circumstances I just think that there is a 'more right' option that doesn't cause further animosity.
Permalink Reply by Irvin Steinert on October 17, 2015 at 10:34am

True, I like the blood curdling scream tactic. I think that the striking is what might be the instinctive reaction for most people (men especially). I know from my martial art studies that in a stressful self defense situation we are most likely to do what is instinctive to us but that can be overcome with training. I think we should all start practicing our blood curdling screams!

Also mental preparation. While you are riding, think about it and say in your head "if that car comes close I'm going to AAAAAAAHHHHGLGLLGAAH!"

Permalink Reply by Irvin Steinert on October 17, 2015 at 10:44am

OH, but if you are being squeezed or crushed, smack and AAAAHHHHGLGLLGAAH!

Permalink Reply by Steve G on October 17, 2015 at 11:54am

I propose a multilevel human alarm scheme ;)

  1. Yell or whistle
  2. Light tap
  3. Knock
  4. Knock+scream
  5. Scream+bang
  6. Scream+bang+shriek

Permalink Reply by Carter O'Brien on October 17, 2015 at 1:34pm
Yelling just doesn't work if the windows are closed and the yahoo in question is yakking on a phone or has the radio blaring. The reverberation from smacking a thin metal roof or fender is going to be noticed by the driver.

Just to be clear, this is definitely not something I advocate for anything but "I am about to get crushed by a car" situations. My decades-running regular stress point where almost nothing works is the continuing north on Elston at Ashland intersection. Cars are just beyond unpredictable there, even when you take the lane they will try and veer over two lanes to turn on Ashland, and drivers finding themselves in the turn lane by accident will veer over from your right. Some actual traffic enforcement there might help, but Chicago PD long ago downsized that part of their operations.
Permalink Reply by Irvin Steinert on October 19, 2015 at 9:08am

True, and if it's inattention or ignorance that is the root cause of the encroachment then thwacking the fender or window will probably not escalate too far. If the driver is aggressive he/she is already in a rage and escalation is more dangerous for the cyclist.

Permalink Reply by Yasmeen on October 17, 2015 at 12:48pm

I agree that knocking/smacking/tapping a car is probably not the most effective approach and could put the cyclist in danger. As I mentioned, I prefer screaming if I am about to be hit. That said, what does it say of our society that a knock on a car is concerned so horrible, so offensive that it is somehow worse than hurting a person? So many comments on the DNAinfo article seem so much more focused on the tapping on a car panel (how dare that cyclist touch the car??) than the scary driving that was putting lives in danger.

Permalink Reply by Ben R. on October 17, 2015 at 12:54pm

Our society does very much think of your vehicle as an extension of your person and identity. If this were not the case no one would pay more for a luxury status car.

On that same point, the DNAinfo article lists the witness as a cyclist. This is likely true, she likely cycles often and considers that part of her own identity, but, in this instance she witnessed these events from her car while driving her daughter to school. I find it interesting that the DNAinfo article choose to identify her as a 'cyclist' and not a 'motorist' for the purpose of this article as she is both.

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