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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Permalink Reply by Argonne69 on September 10, 2018 at 4:51pm

Another example of the city extending a large middle finger to the biking community. The Dearborn St. bike lanes are closed from Polk to at least Jackson from what I could see today. Notice that they've managed to keep two lanes open for cars, but we get a big F-U. They couldn't have used one of the lanes for bikes, especially given that this is *the* major north/south route into the downtown area? Oh, that's right, some cars would have been inconvenienced in having to find an alternate route.

Permalink Reply by Ernesto Lube on September 10, 2018 at 4:58pm

I have to ride through that section in the next 15 minutes. ugh!

Permalink Reply by Argonne69 on September 10, 2018 at 5:07pm

They couldn't have made the east side of the street "No Parking", and used the parking lane for traffic?

Permalink Reply by Argonne69 on September 10, 2018 at 4:56pm

99 S Franklin St. 311 report submitted.

Permalink Reply by Argonne69 on September 10, 2018 at 4:58pm

27 N Franklin St. 311 report submitted.

Permalink Reply by Argonne69 on September 10, 2018 at 5:00pm

225 N Franklin St. 311 report submitted. Four minutes in the bike lane this afternoon, and three violators. Anybody in the Finance Department awake?

Permalink Reply by Steve Weeks on September 10, 2018 at 8:36pm

I was heading to Union Station this evening, along the Jackson Blvd bike lane. In front of the CPD Training and Education Academy there was an unoccupied squad car parked in the lane. Traffic in the adjacent lane was fairly heavy, so I stopped. As I did so, another car pulled into the lane and stopped. I rolled up and asked the driver, an officer, if he was aware it was a violation of Chicago Municipal Code to block the lane. He suggested that when a traffic lane is blocked, the thing to do is go around. I should have pointed out that a bike lane is not a "traffic lane", but didn't. It was a fairly civilized exchange. As I went around the empty squad car to photograph it and the abundant space for parking blocked off by blue barricades, the officer re-parked his car at the side of the building. I sent an account of this interaction and these images to the Commander at the academy, with whom I've had some interesting, if not necessarily productive, e-mail exchanges.

Permalink Reply by Argonne69 on September 11, 2018 at 8:31am

If you're not having productive conversations with the commander, then it's time to take it up the chain of command.

Permalink Reply by Steve Weeks on September 11, 2018 at 9:38am

I'll see what happens. I have noticed an apparent decrease in lane obstruction in front of the academy, but it's still happening to me a couple times a week at least. While I was there, a JimmyJohns delivery cyclist rode up and we chatted. He confirmed my experience. I will start reporting these events on Bike Lane Uprising, at least. Unfortunately, I don't have time to report every bike lane obstruction... there are so many!

I have suggested to the Commander that the spaces blocked by the blue barricades be made available for short-term, police-only parking. Stay tuned.

Permalink Reply by Argonne69 on September 11, 2018 at 11:22am

Why on Earth are the blue barricades there to begin with FFS?

Permalink Reply by Steve Weeks on September 11, 2018 at 11:41am

Good question! All I can think of is it's to keep the police from parking in front of the academy. Oh, wait...

Permalink Reply by Robert C. Finley on September 14, 2018 at 1:51pm

Semi or more than semi related on the topic of cranky, angry or unhelpful members of CPD. Chicago Tonight did a segment on the 12th. "Study: Civilian Complaints Can be Used to Predict Future Police Misconduct" Pardon is this is straying too far off topic. Yes - for myself - I do see an connection between CPD employees not giving a d**m about your bicycle lane complaint as relevant. Am I allowed to embed a URL? https://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2018/09/12/study-civilian-complaint... 

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