The Chainlink

What's this doing in the bike lane?

Share your pics, videos, streets, stories of what you find in the bike lane of the non-bike variety that has an impact on your ride and/or your safety. I've decided to keep it a little more open ended - cars, snow, buses, garbage, cabs, etc. If they shouldn't be in the bike lane, go ahead and add it to this thread. Please be safe if you are taking pics or video! :-) 

My hope is that we can collectively build some evidence of what we see when riding in the city with the overall hope of better enforcement of "bikes only" and improving maintenance. 

Update: More Hashtags to Capture Vehicles in the Bike Lane

With popular hashtags:
#BikeLaneShaming

#LaneSpreading (Chicago Bike Selling)

#ClearTheWay (ActiveTrans), there are many options to capture violations.

We think you should use ALL of them AND post your photos on The Chainlink. ;-)

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by BikeScnhook on June 25, 2018 at 4:49pm

Any stills I get are about 99.99999999991312421943% of the time screenshots from video from my action cam.

Permalink Reply by Argonne69 on June 25, 2018 at 5:00pm

Yeah, for the past few months I've been using an action camera, but I left it at home in this particular case.

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on June 26, 2018 at 5:55am

Phone or camera out while you ride? 

Sounds dangerous. 

Distracted riding kills.

Permalink Reply by Steve Weeks on June 26, 2018 at 6:36am

GoPro on the helmet... no worries! :-)

Permalink Reply by Argonne69 on June 21, 2018 at 4:38pm

225 N Franklin St. 311 report submitted.

Permalink Reply by Argonne69 on June 22, 2018 at 4:38pm

125 S Franklin St. 311 report submitted.

Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on June 22, 2018 at 4:57pm

Franklin doesn't look as bad a Harrison. I might just try and videotape all those cars that use it as an express lane.

Permalink Reply by Argonne69 on June 22, 2018 at 5:01pm

I'd have to say you're right. On Franklin, they vehicles usually just stop. On Harrison, they often use it as a travel lane. At the last Mayor's Bike Council meeting they said that they were going to physically separate the bike lane on Harrison. However, I don't believe it's going to be done west of Halsted. I hope I'm wrong, though. It will be nice to have it separated near the Post Office and Greyhound Station, but it needs to be separated all the way to Loomis.

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on June 25, 2018 at 10:56am

Yes, Harrison really need to be a separated lane from the river bridge all the way over to Loomis. I don't know how many times I've encountered parked cars or even large trucks by the post office.

Permalink Reply by Steve Weeks on June 25, 2018 at 11:49am

When I see an obstruction ahead in my bike lane, I check my mirror, signal, and move left well ahead of the obstruction. I will generally take the lane to avoid having cars try to sneak past. Once past the blockage, I'll make a conspicuously sharp return to the bike lane which I like to think explains to any drivers behind me what I was doing in their lane. I rarely get honked at. And (LoL!) I don't worry about getting ticketed for being outside the bike lane... I don't think I've *ever* seen a cyclist stopped for an infraction (in Chicago), even an egregious one like going the wrong way on a one-way street in front of a police car.

Permalink Reply by BikeScnhook on June 25, 2018 at 11:52am

Is there any law against cycling in the street outside of the bike lane in the first place??

(BTW, there have been reports of enforcement of red light violations by cyclists at North and Damen.)

Permalink Reply by mike w. on June 25, 2018 at 12:15pm

This is the problem i have with bike lanes: the perception that one must ride only in the designated lane. i know in NYC cyclists have been ticketed for leaving the lane, even when dodging an obstructing vehicle.

 i have been scolded by drivers for not using a certain MUP that parallels a street in my town; there is no restriction -posted of otherwise- to riding in the road, but the perception of some drivers is that the MUP is the only place a bike should be.

It is not unlikely that someday a Chicago traffic officer might feel that a cyclist should be ticketed for leaving the bike lane, and take a notion to do so. They'd be wrong, but that won't necessarily deter them from pulling a rider over. The danger being that that attitude could become contagious among the local constabulary.

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