Continued concerns about the trail separation - The Chainlink2024-03-29T08:18:15Zhttps://thechainlink.org/forum/topics/continued-concerns-about-the-trail-separation?commentId=2211490%3AComment%3A1126708&x=1&feed=yes&xn_auth=noHumans have been creating so-…tag:thechainlink.org,2019-08-12:2211490:Comment:11267082019-08-12T14:20:43.655ZDavid P.https://thechainlink.org/profile/DavidAPertuz
<p>Humans have been creating so-called lines of desire for as long as they have been walking. </p>
<p>Humans have been creating so-called lines of desire for as long as they have been walking. </p> It's a matter of perspective.…tag:thechainlink.org,2019-08-12:2211490:Comment:11266372019-08-12T13:39:03.433ZPhillip Hutchinsonhttps://thechainlink.org/profile/PhillipHutchinson
<p>It's a matter of perspective. I don't commute on that section of LFT but if I did I'd likely just ride the ped path west of Cricket Hill to avoid the conflicts you note and take a more direct route. </p>
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<p>The only time I'm up there (on a bike) is usually super early in the morning when the only other people out there are a few cyclists and joggers. At those times, the detour around Cricket Hill is awesome because it's mostly empty, and I'm just riding to get miles in, not to get to…</p>
<p>It's a matter of perspective. I don't commute on that section of LFT but if I did I'd likely just ride the ped path west of Cricket Hill to avoid the conflicts you note and take a more direct route. </p>
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<p>The only time I'm up there (on a bike) is usually super early in the morning when the only other people out there are a few cyclists and joggers. At those times, the detour around Cricket Hill is awesome because it's mostly empty, and I'm just riding to get miles in, not to get to a destination.</p>
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<p></p> If you want to avoid this, an…tag:thechainlink.org,2019-08-12:2211490:Comment:11268012019-08-12T03:11:26.637ZBrian Shttps://thechainlink.org/profile/BrianSobolak
<p>If you want to avoid this, and don't mind a little gravel, when headed northbound turn right by the clocktower and go behind the golf tee off. It's a gravel park district road with butterflies, birds, and a family of raccoons. It passes the mouth of Montrose Harbor and pat the bird houses. You can follow the road east again by Montrose beach and dog beach, and then up a limestone path before rejoining the main path by montrose field house.</p>
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<p>Yes, it's still a 1/2 mile longer,…</p>
<p>If you want to avoid this, and don't mind a little gravel, when headed northbound turn right by the clocktower and go behind the golf tee off. It's a gravel park district road with butterflies, birds, and a family of raccoons. It passes the mouth of Montrose Harbor and pat the bird houses. You can follow the road east again by Montrose beach and dog beach, and then up a limestone path before rejoining the main path by montrose field house.</p>
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<p>Yes, it's still a 1/2 mile longer, but lovely and far enough from the car traffic to actually be quiet. </p> There is a lack of compliance…tag:thechainlink.org,2019-08-10:2211490:Comment:11268762019-08-10T19:47:40.938Zketoguychicagohttps://thechainlink.org/profile/ketoguychicago
<p>There is a lack of compliance with standards, and a lack of enforcement of standards. Which is to say things are a bit of an anarchistic free-for-all in some instances, and also coupled with a fair amount of hypocrisy from time to time. </p>
<p>Suppose a mom wants to keep the stroller from the edge of the path so the wheel doesn't get stuck and flip their kid out? Instead, mom decides to "take the lane" you know, to be safe. That's a great way to frustrate someone behind them on a bike,…</p>
<p>There is a lack of compliance with standards, and a lack of enforcement of standards. Which is to say things are a bit of an anarchistic free-for-all in some instances, and also coupled with a fair amount of hypocrisy from time to time. </p>
<p>Suppose a mom wants to keep the stroller from the edge of the path so the wheel doesn't get stuck and flip their kid out? Instead, mom decides to "take the lane" you know, to be safe. That's a great way to frustrate someone behind them on a bike, just as when a cyclist does it in front of a motorist.</p>
<p>Do we wish pedestrians would comply with signs about trail use? Of course, and when they are driving and walking, they wish we'd follow stop signs and one-way signs too. </p>
<p>When a pedestrian is too slow and obstructing cycle traffic and are on the wrong path, of course that's annoying, and quite frankly in the wrong etiquette as well. Likewise when cyclists depart from a perfectly good bike lane, car drivers find that frustrating. </p>
<p>When a cyclist is too fast or too slow, other cyclists find that frustrating just as do motorists and pedestrians.</p>
<p>What should we do as cyclists? We can do what we should do no matter our mode of transit. Be courteous, abide by the rules, be good role models for children or newer cyclists who may see us, and be polite fellow travelers with those around us. Otherwise we're just perpetuating the chaos instead of helping things. </p>
<p>It's really an opportunity, we all have the chance to be good ambassadors of cycling every time we ride. </p>
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<p></p> I've tried to stay off the no…tag:thechainlink.org,2019-08-09:2211490:Comment:11268752019-08-09T21:23:43.376ZDawnhttps://thechainlink.org/profile/Dawn
<p>I've tried to stay off the north path now designated a running path but I hate the new path for bikes around Cricket Hill for so many reasons. It's full of pedestrians, dogs, coolers, soccer players and children, not to mention terrible curves, bad transitions across intersections and a generally clunky layout. I've taken to biking the road around it instead of the actual path. And I refuse to bike the area from the lot around the lake to Foster beach house. It's always a cluster. Plus the…</p>
<p>I've tried to stay off the north path now designated a running path but I hate the new path for bikes around Cricket Hill for so many reasons. It's full of pedestrians, dogs, coolers, soccer players and children, not to mention terrible curves, bad transitions across intersections and a generally clunky layout. I've taken to biking the road around it instead of the actual path. And I refuse to bike the area from the lot around the lake to Foster beach house. It's always a cluster. Plus the new bike path is a half mile longer, which matters if you're trying to get somewhere or beat a storm or get somewhere quickly, which is normally what bikers want to do.</p> CPD has raised the path under…tag:thechainlink.org,2019-08-09:2211490:Comment:11267002019-08-09T21:14:58.699ZTricolorhttps://thechainlink.org/profile/Tricolor
<p>CPD has raised the path under there so it doesn't flood as easily, and most people still bypass it when it's bone dry. Even with all the orange catch-fences it hasn't stopped a lot of people. I finally gave in and use the underpass, but still not the longer "bike" path to the north.</p>
<p>CPD has raised the path under there so it doesn't flood as easily, and most people still bypass it when it's bone dry. Even with all the orange catch-fences it hasn't stopped a lot of people. I finally gave in and use the underpass, but still not the longer "bike" path to the north.</p> I agree. I don't expect anyth…tag:thechainlink.org,2019-08-09:2211490:Comment:11268732019-08-09T21:14:47.929ZDawnhttps://thechainlink.org/profile/Dawn
<p>I agree. I don't expect anything to change. People will keep doing what they do and now they have more places to crash while they do it. One day on my way home from work at 5 pm, a group of probably at least 10 spandex clad bikers were riding in a pace line and just zipping past me like they were on their way to the world cup of urban cycling. It was 5 pm. There is such a thing as rush hour on the path and I feel like it was their quest to ride it as fast as possible dodging tourists,…</p>
<p>I agree. I don't expect anything to change. People will keep doing what they do and now they have more places to crash while they do it. One day on my way home from work at 5 pm, a group of probably at least 10 spandex clad bikers were riding in a pace line and just zipping past me like they were on their way to the world cup of urban cycling. It was 5 pm. There is such a thing as rush hour on the path and I feel like it was their quest to ride it as fast as possible dodging tourists, children, and runners like they were part of some urban obstacle course. It's not a game, but people seem to think it is. I used to enjoy riding to work but will likely stop soon as the frustration has begun to outweigh the enjoyment. :(</p> While I don't condone bypassi…tag:thechainlink.org,2019-08-09:2211490:Comment:11267942019-08-09T21:08:48.386ZDawnhttps://thechainlink.org/profile/Dawn
<p>While I don't condone bypassing the underpass at Montrose, I understand why people are doing it. The flooding there (or even the very real probability of it) is often enough to get me to change my route to avoid it.</p>
<p>Another area where people are cowing a path is near Irving Park in front of the playground. The reroute for runners around the playground and tennis courts is fine until you have to cross three lanes of traffic to get back to the southbound side of the running path. Even…</p>
<p>While I don't condone bypassing the underpass at Montrose, I understand why people are doing it. The flooding there (or even the very real probability of it) is often enough to get me to change my route to avoid it.</p>
<p>Another area where people are cowing a path is near Irving Park in front of the playground. The reroute for runners around the playground and tennis courts is fine until you have to cross three lanes of traffic to get back to the southbound side of the running path. Even worse are those who aren't running in the grass but on the bike path in a section of the bike path that is more narrow than most, making passing difficult in even moderate traffic. I'm not trying to Lance Armstrong around people, but I find that bottlenecks of bikers/runners can be just as dangerous as the speedracers.</p>
<p></p> Agreed. I am avoiding doing m…tag:thechainlink.org,2019-08-09:2211490:Comment:11267902019-08-09T21:00:08.619ZDawnhttps://thechainlink.org/profile/Dawn
<p>Agreed. I am avoiding doing my long runs that way just because I know the path is underwater. That at least is something a little more unforeseen than the fact that people running in the heat might actually like to get some water without having to cross a busy path full of Armstrong-wannabes. I imagine some runners choose to run in that narrow spot on the right side of the southbound path between North Ave and Oak Street just so they can get water without having to cross lanes of traffic. In…</p>
<p>Agreed. I am avoiding doing my long runs that way just because I know the path is underwater. That at least is something a little more unforeseen than the fact that people running in the heat might actually like to get some water without having to cross a busy path full of Armstrong-wannabes. I imagine some runners choose to run in that narrow spot on the right side of the southbound path between North Ave and Oak Street just so they can get water without having to cross lanes of traffic. In fact, I'm willing to bet a lot of runners ignore the path designations to avoid having to navigate across lanes of bike traffic. Lord knows I've been tempted to do the same.</p> I've often thought that some…tag:thechainlink.org,2019-08-09:2211490:Comment:11267872019-08-09T19:28:00.258ZGary Adamshttps://thechainlink.org/profile/GaryAdams
<p>I've often thought that some low shrubbery would be very useful there, and a few other places. </p>
<p>I've often thought that some low shrubbery would be very useful there, and a few other places. </p>