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• Ran outta room

  Just a couple more thoughts...If Chicago is actually going to enforce this new, tougher legislation, I'd love to see more police officers on bikes. I see a handful around the loop, but never any beyond downtown. I think it should be mandatory for each officer, perhaps in "civies", to traverse the city by bike. Have each do a week up and down heavily trafficked bike lanes like Elston or Milwaukee avenues. Perhaps, with a little experience in the bike lane, they'll be more sensitive to what cyclists endure everyday in Chicago traffic. I think they'd be surprised.

  Posted by Chad September 01, 2010 01:28:03

• Illinois bike legislation

  This is great news if it actually gets enforced. I don't see it happening here in Chicago. A friend of mine was hit by a car. He had road rash on all 4 limbs as a result of the accident. The police later sided with the motorist, who initially tried to leave the scene but couldn't because my friend blocked the car. In doing so, he approached the driver's side window and told the guy to get out. Because of this, the motorist claimed my friend was trying to assault him. Never mind that my friend was bleeding and his bike was visibly destroyed. Later, the guy tried to sue him, but the case was thrown out.
  Two days ago, during my commute home on Elston ave., I witnessed a meathead verbally assaulting a girl on a scooter. Apparently, he was offended that she had the gaul to call him out for cutting her off. I heard her yell, "you could have killed me!" His response was, "well, you need to get off the f*cking road!" Moments later, she passed my friend and me, telling us, "watch out for th a**shole behind you." Approaching the next light, he had pulled up on her right to accaust her again. Now, he was sitting right in the middle of the bike lane in his oversized SUV. So my friend and I rode around to his left to pass and I yell, "get out of the bike lane, you a**hole!" Interestingly, he and his friend didn't care to approach two guys on bikes.
  A short distance later, a car completely cut me off, making a right turn in front of me after having JUST passed me. So it wasn't like she didn't see me. Just up the road, a guy trying to pull out of a parking lot into bumper-to-bumper traffic, with nowhere to go, nearly hit me from the side. All of this happended within 5 minutes.
  Motorists in Chicago have noooo respect for cyclists. And they are even less educated about the laws. I actually had a CTA bus nearly run me down. When I pulled up to the door to ask the driver what her problem was, she said that if I was going to ride in the road, I needed to get a bike that was made for it. I was riding a road bike. And I couldn't tell you how many times I've heard motorists yell to a cyclist, "get on the sidewalk!" That's a $50 fine! My buddy that I ride to/from work with was cut off by a car that was double parked when the driver decided to dart out with a u-turn to get a parking space across the street. He tried to go around, but she never stopped turning. Finally, he ran out of room and went over her hood. There were witnesses everwhere for this accicent, but the police didn't ticket her b/c she wasn't "within 150 ft. of a red light." What the hell does that have to do with anything?! At least she did pay for the damages to his bike.
  Biking to/from work isn't nearly the workout it used to be. After witnessing/experiencing these types of things on a daily basis, I've slowed down a LOT. It's just not worth it. While it still saves me money, it's just not as fun as it used to be.

  Posted by Chad September 01, 2010 01:10:31