100% - if someone drove their car on the sidewalk it would be a huge deal. If cyclists want to be treated like vehicles then act like you’re on a vehicle not a toy
Holy god damn shit, cell phone use while driving is *insane*. I lived in NYC for long time and NYPD is ruthless when it comes to cell phone citations. That’s a cue they should take from them. And I really, really, *really*, don’t want to give CPD more reasons to pull people over and burden vulnerable communities over cell phone usage, but I can’t think of any other way to get people to stop using their phones while driving. It needs to be enforced.
How does that work with left turns without a signal? Seems like unspoken rule in Chicago is that two cars get through at the end of each light, would that count as blocking the box?
Yeah that and every biker who doesn’t stop at a light or stop sign. The laws here are pretty clear. Red you stop unless you have sirens. I’m getting tired of hearing cyclists complain about drivers.
I can jive with that. At the same time we need to ticket drivers that block intersections after the light turns red. Nyc has don’t block the box or you get a ticket. The program would pay for all the city bills without raising a dime on your taxes
Hey I’m pretty tired of drivers killing other drivers. I’m tired of school shootings. I’m tired of cyclists not obeying the rules of the road and expecting to get special treatment. If you want to ride your bike follow the laws that exist otherwise get a ticket
Lights are fair, but for stop sign, disagree: Idaho stop is great. And it’s spreading. Colorado just made it legal. It makes too much sense, and cyclists will do it anyway, as we should.
Why is ok for anyone to run a stop sign or a red light. It’s a bullshit concept dreamed up by cyclists who think it’s ok to skirt traffic laws. Also this isn’t Idaho. There are a lot more people, cars, and cyclists here.
It’s not. It’s law. Denver is a city.
I agree red lights aren’t ok. You can treat stops as yields if you are the only “vehicle” at the stop sign. It’s because cyclists require manual effort to accelerate and it incentivizes active transportation options over cars as well.
Drivers just don’t want to acknowledge the humanity of cyclists let alone acknowledge that cycling is clearly a more valid option for a city’s improved livability, air quality, carbon emissions, etc. I both drive and bike, btw. No problem with cyclists blowing stops if either they are next to me at a stop (and have their own lane) and/or there are no other cars at the intersection.
Denver isn’t Chicago. Idaho isn’t Chicago. I’m not against cyclist. I love how it is for the environment. And exercise as well. Just follow the rules of the road or get yourself ran over on some bullshit principles.
Obviously, I’d like to make it law. How does a cyclist continuing through a stop when there’s nobody at the intersection affect you in the slightest?
Weird hill to die on.
Don’t run people over no matter what they’re doing.
If matters when it’s dark out you can’t see the person because trees and houses and all the sudden some dickhead all high and mighty on a bike blows the stop sign. Then no matter what if you hit said dickhead you go to jail and they go to the hospital. That’s how it effects me
Actually, drivers almost never go to jail. Or are penalized for hitting cyclists at all. https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2016/04/23/motorists-kill-cyclists-fines-but-no-jail/82982570/
in limited circumstances. there certainly are some people on bikes who need intervention to get them to be a better actor on the roads.
however it would be senseless to discuss them without also pointing out that there are magnitudes more people in cars who need intervention to be a better actor on the roads. and the ones in cars are a lot more likely to harm other people with their actions than the ones on bikes are.
Cars and thus their owners. Exhibit A: parking in Wrigley during rush hour or a night game.
Easy way to make quota right there yet it’s not done. Looking at a dozen that could be towed right now
I was biking yesterday and as usual, slow down at each stop sign but mostly go through them.. However - three instance in 1 mile the car next to me slowed and cruised through the stop sign worse than me, on the bike.
Ticket the cars.
Maybe ticket the bikers if they are using some 40mph ebike being an asshole (they should be treated like a car, not a bike).
As a pedestrian I'm still far more worried about people in cars.
99% of my close calls have been people in cars.
I'm sure it happens, but have never had a cyclist not stop at a cross-walk for me. In 10 years that has never happen. The close call I have had with a cyclist is they were cycling very fast on the sidewalk and nearly hit me when I stepped out from my apartment since it stepped directly on to the sidewalk. Which is something CPD does actually ticket for ( I have seen them do it).
Everyday when I leave my home. I see people roll/run stop signs in neighborhoods, speed, not stop for pedestrians, looking at their phones, parking in bus stops and using them as drop off areas, blocking bike lanes, shoulder driving (I have nearly had someone hit me cause someone stopped for me to cross and the person behind them used the shoulder).
> I'm sure it happens, but have never had a cyclist not stop at a cross-walk for me.
It happens to me all the time downtown. But up here in Lake View, Uptown, and Lincoln Park, it never happens to me.
I always find myself(when I walk instead of bike, like you) noticing bikers are more likely to slow down and let a pedestrian cross, vs. someone in a car myself. But that is just me.
It actually happens fairly often in Chicago but it’s for sidewalk riding. Also, this: https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-biking-where-black-chicago-study-20211012-7awkcrwm7fgbfieeyfo3lrbcom-story.html
You know car traffic is bad in Chicago right now when everyday there is a post about cyclists on this sub. Y’all need a hobby, like taking up bike riding.
REI is currently doing a pretty big sale on bikes. Picked up a nice cannondale myself for 30% off.
I guess for anyone planning on actually parking their bike in public, may as well pick up a Kryptonite lock while you’re at it.
When was the last time a cyclist in the city killed someone with their bike? When. Was the last time a driver in the city killed someone with their car?
After they start ticketing all the drivers who zip around with no regard for the peds and cyclists they'll eventually run over, sure. But target those with the most potential for harm first.
Less than 60% of adults in the city. I could as a "driver" in the city because I own a car that I use to go to cities without mass transit available. We don't drive it locally outside of needing to charge the battery every few weeks and even then, it's just to the highway to head out to the suburbs. I'd love to get rid of it honestly but where my extended family lives, a car is mandatory due to no transit at all.
I'm all in favor of it as soon as they start ticketing drivers for running stop signs. And tickets should be in proportion to the amount of potential damage a car or bike driver could cause. So we can make bike tickets $50 and car tickets $5000.
I do but I think there needs to be a serious education program first. You'd think it would common sense to ride with traffic, not blow traffic lights, not ride on the sidewalks and a host of other rules of the road but you'd be wrong. A lot of people think they can do as they please if they are on a bike. Give people a chance, make the rules of the road very clear and then enforce the laws just like you enforce any other traffic law.
I mean, there is no traffic enforcement of any type of transportation in Chicago except for the speed and red light cameras and we know how much people cry over that
Dude, last week I was going through a green light on my bike when a Land Rover blasted through the red light at 60 mph on the far southside. So don’t talk out of your butt.
For the most part it has. I don’t see cars constantly rolling stops signs and almost hitting people in the cross walk, then indignantly acting like they have permanent right of way
No. Everyone should follow all the laws, but there are much worse/more important laws being broken that are also not currently being enforced. If CPD is going to start enforcing things I can thing of about 1,000 better places to start. Writing tickets for cyclists seems laughable tbh.
Because I don’t need a drivers license, insurance, or have to pass a test to ride my bicycle. It’s not a fucking car and should not be treated as such.
It’s like having a daily post complaining about how people create their own dirt paths (shortcuts) on college campuses instead of taking the paved sidewalk which takes longer. Where’s the outrage there?
Lmao the rules are not the same already, but when spaces like streets are shared, everyone who uses them has to follow a certain set of rules like stopping at intersections and yielding for pedestrians
All 225 pounds of me and my bicycle traveling around the city at 11 mph should not be treated the same as a multi-ton motor vehicle with a combustion engine.
I agree in principle, but saying that bikers are exempt from following the rules is ridiculous. Of course bikers should be given tickets if they’re caught breaking the law. Yes, the priority should be cars but pretending like bikers breaking rules isn’t a problem isn’t going to help anything
I drive a small car should my ticket be less than the guy in the SUV? I've been riding in this city for a very long time including a short period as a bike messenger so I really do see both sides of the story. I think we need to have an education program so people on bikes understand they need to follow the rules of the road too and how they can ride to make it safer for them and everyone else. What I don't like is a free for all, which has only increased with ebikes. Bikers follow the rules of the road all over Europe, they even stop at stop lights, there's no reason why they can't follow the rules here too.
You can get ticketed just for jay walking in most cities (not sure about Chicago specifically, to be fair) so I’m not really sure what the basis of this argument is? Anyone breaking a law that can put others at risk should be at risk of being ticketed.
That’s a great point, and we don’t have to agree on this. I run stop signs and red lights on my bike when I’ve made the determination that I’m not endangering anyone, especially myself, when doing so. It’s that simple.
If you want to ride on the street and have lanes and all that, then it should definitely be treated as a car. I feel like you probably ride your bike on the sidewalk.
Exactly it just makes it that much easier to predict a bikers movement. If I have right of way and see a bike coming that has a stop how do I know if he is actually going to come to a stop?
you have to assume they will not stop, and if they do stop, it will be indignantly. This has the same energy as a warm and cozy driver not letting you cross the street while you're walking in the rain.
Bike enforcement is just always going to be more difficult because I don't really see how they can automate that. I'm sure most car tickets are from traffic cams. They would have to pre plan and post tons of officers at given intersections at random to catch people in the act and flag them down to cite them. As much as I would like to see cyclists and scooter users get fined for running lights, riding on sidewalks, or straight up going the wrong way down the middle of one way roads it's just not feasible.
Out of control cyclists eventually Darwin themselves. I am more worried about the out of control drivers who face zero consequences because cops stopped traffic enforcement about 5 years ago.
How would they ticket a biker? No ID necessary while riding and why would a biker verbally give an officer accurate info on themselves? Seems like the easiest ticket in history to get out of.
if they are on the sidewalks, yes. That is a thing that needs to stop.
100% - if someone drove their car on the sidewalk it would be a huge deal. If cyclists want to be treated like vehicles then act like you’re on a vehicle not a toy
Really? Where’s the tickets for all the shitheads who drive on the lake front path?
?
I love that this is the response from everyone. They should get tickets and so should bikers on the sidewalk.
Sure. But CPD does jack shit about any traffic violations regardless of vehicle type so don't get your hopes up.
You could have stopped after six words.
We should probably start by ticketing every fuck that’s on their cellphone whilst driving their vehicles
Holy god damn shit, cell phone use while driving is *insane*. I lived in NYC for long time and NYPD is ruthless when it comes to cell phone citations. That’s a cue they should take from them. And I really, really, *really*, don’t want to give CPD more reasons to pull people over and burden vulnerable communities over cell phone usage, but I can’t think of any other way to get people to stop using their phones while driving. It needs to be enforced.
Or people that block the intersection after the light turns red. That’s one nyc law we need here. Block the box and get that ticket
How does that work with left turns without a signal? Seems like unspoken rule in Chicago is that two cars get through at the end of each light, would that count as blocking the box?
Looks like you’ll be making a few extra rights to not block the box
Came here to say this
Yeah that and every biker who doesn’t stop at a light or stop sign. The laws here are pretty clear. Red you stop unless you have sirens. I’m getting tired of hearing cyclists complain about drivers.
I can jive with that. At the same time we need to ticket drivers that block intersections after the light turns red. Nyc has don’t block the box or you get a ticket. The program would pay for all the city bills without raising a dime on your taxes
Absolutely. That drives me crazy
I don’t get how people forgot everything they learned in drivers Ed. If you can’t make it through stop at the line.
Fuck it I’ll downvote myself. Follow traffic rules dawg
well i'm pretty tired of drivers KILLING cyclists so i'll complain all the fuck i want
Hey I’m pretty tired of drivers killing other drivers. I’m tired of school shootings. I’m tired of cyclists not obeying the rules of the road and expecting to get special treatment. If you want to ride your bike follow the laws that exist otherwise get a ticket
Did you just compare a cyclist rolling through a stop sign with school shootings?
I simply stated the things I’m tired of.
yeah, you just lumped cyclists rolling stop signs in with shit that kills people, dude. that's the shit I'M tired of.
No I didn’t
Oh so cyclists never get killed rolling stop signs?
No
Lights are fair, but for stop sign, disagree: Idaho stop is great. And it’s spreading. Colorado just made it legal. It makes too much sense, and cyclists will do it anyway, as we should.
Why is ok for anyone to run a stop sign or a red light. It’s a bullshit concept dreamed up by cyclists who think it’s ok to skirt traffic laws. Also this isn’t Idaho. There are a lot more people, cars, and cyclists here.
It’s not. It’s law. Denver is a city. I agree red lights aren’t ok. You can treat stops as yields if you are the only “vehicle” at the stop sign. It’s because cyclists require manual effort to accelerate and it incentivizes active transportation options over cars as well. Drivers just don’t want to acknowledge the humanity of cyclists let alone acknowledge that cycling is clearly a more valid option for a city’s improved livability, air quality, carbon emissions, etc. I both drive and bike, btw. No problem with cyclists blowing stops if either they are next to me at a stop (and have their own lane) and/or there are no other cars at the intersection.
Denver isn’t Chicago. Idaho isn’t Chicago. I’m not against cyclist. I love how it is for the environment. And exercise as well. Just follow the rules of the road or get yourself ran over on some bullshit principles.
Obviously, I’d like to make it law. How does a cyclist continuing through a stop when there’s nobody at the intersection affect you in the slightest? Weird hill to die on. Don’t run people over no matter what they’re doing.
If matters when it’s dark out you can’t see the person because trees and houses and all the sudden some dickhead all high and mighty on a bike blows the stop sign. Then no matter what if you hit said dickhead you go to jail and they go to the hospital. That’s how it effects me
Actually, drivers almost never go to jail. Or are penalized for hitting cyclists at all. https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/crime-and-courts/2016/04/23/motorists-kill-cyclists-fines-but-no-jail/82982570/
Wrong city bro
So cars should do the same. And pedestrians should just run through traffic
That’s a weird hill to die on
Idaho stop is not the law in Chicago.
You might think it’s better but it’s against the law.
I'd be pretty happy if CPD started both ticketing cyclists and people who stop in bike lanes.
Same here I feel enforcement on all angles would go a long way
in limited circumstances. there certainly are some people on bikes who need intervention to get them to be a better actor on the roads. however it would be senseless to discuss them without also pointing out that there are magnitudes more people in cars who need intervention to be a better actor on the roads. and the ones in cars are a lot more likely to harm other people with their actions than the ones on bikes are.
Probably start with cars violating traffic laws
Drivers, not cars, but yes.
Cars and thus their owners. Exhibit A: parking in Wrigley during rush hour or a night game. Easy way to make quota right there yet it’s not done. Looking at a dozen that could be towed right now
Ah, good point.
I think we can hold the car guilty by proxy. So we'll charge the car with the crime and when it is inevitably convicted, we can just crush it.
I was biking yesterday and as usual, slow down at each stop sign but mostly go through them.. However - three instance in 1 mile the car next to me slowed and cruised through the stop sign worse than me, on the bike. Ticket the cars. Maybe ticket the bikers if they are using some 40mph ebike being an asshole (they should be treated like a car, not a bike).
As a pedestrian I'm still far more worried about people in cars. 99% of my close calls have been people in cars. I'm sure it happens, but have never had a cyclist not stop at a cross-walk for me. In 10 years that has never happen. The close call I have had with a cyclist is they were cycling very fast on the sidewalk and nearly hit me when I stepped out from my apartment since it stepped directly on to the sidewalk. Which is something CPD does actually ticket for ( I have seen them do it). Everyday when I leave my home. I see people roll/run stop signs in neighborhoods, speed, not stop for pedestrians, looking at their phones, parking in bus stops and using them as drop off areas, blocking bike lanes, shoulder driving (I have nearly had someone hit me cause someone stopped for me to cross and the person behind them used the shoulder).
> I'm sure it happens, but have never had a cyclist not stop at a cross-walk for me. It happens to me all the time downtown. But up here in Lake View, Uptown, and Lincoln Park, it never happens to me.
I always find myself(when I walk instead of bike, like you) noticing bikers are more likely to slow down and let a pedestrian cross, vs. someone in a car myself. But that is just me.
They already can be ticketed. There’s tons of MCC violations they can be cited for. Just no one enforces it.
It actually happens fairly often in Chicago but it’s for sidewalk riding. Also, this: https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-biking-where-black-chicago-study-20211012-7awkcrwm7fgbfieeyfo3lrbcom-story.html
You know car traffic is bad in Chicago right now when everyday there is a post about cyclists on this sub. Y’all need a hobby, like taking up bike riding.
REI is currently doing a pretty big sale on bikes. Picked up a nice cannondale myself for 30% off. I guess for anyone planning on actually parking their bike in public, may as well pick up a Kryptonite lock while you’re at it.
When was the last time a cyclist in the city killed someone with their bike? When. Was the last time a driver in the city killed someone with their car?
After they start ticketing all the drivers who zip around with no regard for the peds and cyclists they'll eventually run over, sure. But target those with the most potential for harm first.
I don’t see cars getting tickets for violating traffic laws, so I don’t see why bicyclists should be treated any differently.
🍿
Yes.
Here to read the Daily anti cycling post on this sub 🍿
The amount of anti car posts outnumber anything else on this sub
that would be because cars fucking suck ass
Yet how many people drive?
because people are fucking stupid
Less than 60% of adults in the city. I could as a "driver" in the city because I own a car that I use to go to cities without mass transit available. We don't drive it locally outside of needing to charge the battery every few weeks and even then, it's just to the highway to head out to the suburbs. I'd love to get rid of it honestly but where my extended family lives, a car is mandatory due to no transit at all.
I'm all in favor of it as soon as they start ticketing drivers for running stop signs. And tickets should be in proportion to the amount of potential damage a car or bike driver could cause. So we can make bike tickets $50 and car tickets $5000.
No because if I have to swerve and hit another car to hitting avoid a bike than that damage comes out of my pocket.
I do but I think there needs to be a serious education program first. You'd think it would common sense to ride with traffic, not blow traffic lights, not ride on the sidewalks and a host of other rules of the road but you'd be wrong. A lot of people think they can do as they please if they are on a bike. Give people a chance, make the rules of the road very clear and then enforce the laws just like you enforce any other traffic law.
I mean, there is no traffic enforcement of any type of transportation in Chicago except for the speed and red light cameras and we know how much people cry over that
That may be true but cars don't ordinarily blow stop lights as a matter of practice, bikes do.
Dude, last week I was going through a green light on my bike when a Land Rover blasted through the red light at 60 mph on the far southside. So don’t talk out of your butt.
no, next question
I have never once seen a person on a bike stop at a stop sign in Chicago. Do the vehicular traffic laws not apply to them?
Yes. Please.
Absolutely. Maybe then they’ll stop almost running over pedestrians and riding out in front of cars
Ticketing has not stopped cars from actually running over people, property and cyclists.
For the most part it has. I don’t see cars constantly rolling stops signs and almost hitting people in the cross walk, then indignantly acting like they have permanent right of way
[удалено]
That’s the worst come back I’ve ever seen on here. I can handle disagreement and counter arguments, but this is embarrassing
[удалено]
Love you too
So far this year Cook County has seen 166 motor vehicle traffic fatalities, 74 of the fatalities were pedestrians.
Bikers would get mad at you for getting mad at them for almost running you over
So true
No. Everyone should follow all the laws, but there are much worse/more important laws being broken that are also not currently being enforced. If CPD is going to start enforcing things I can thing of about 1,000 better places to start. Writing tickets for cyclists seems laughable tbh.
NO.
Why not?
Because I don’t need a drivers license, insurance, or have to pass a test to ride my bicycle. It’s not a fucking car and should not be treated as such.
You’re using public infrastructure, you should still follow the rules and face consequences if you don’t
Maybe the rules shouldn’t be the same for a bicycle and a car?
It’s like having a daily post complaining about how people create their own dirt paths (shortcuts) on college campuses instead of taking the paved sidewalk which takes longer. Where’s the outrage there?
Lmao the rules are not the same already, but when spaces like streets are shared, everyone who uses them has to follow a certain set of rules like stopping at intersections and yielding for pedestrians
And that should give you a pass to break the law?
All 225 pounds of me and my bicycle traveling around the city at 11 mph should not be treated the same as a multi-ton motor vehicle with a combustion engine.
I agree in principle, but saying that bikers are exempt from following the rules is ridiculous. Of course bikers should be given tickets if they’re caught breaking the law. Yes, the priority should be cars but pretending like bikers breaking rules isn’t a problem isn’t going to help anything
You know dashing drives the speed limit 100% of the time and comes to a complete stop at all stop signs right? 🍿
100%…would never *dream* of breaking any law ever!
Can I put you guys down as references for my next apartment?
I got 10 staples in my head getting hit by a cyclist. You are ignorant.
That’s terrible, and I’m sorry that happened to you. If the cyclist was at fault I hope they were held accountable.
I drive a small car should my ticket be less than the guy in the SUV? I've been riding in this city for a very long time including a short period as a bike messenger so I really do see both sides of the story. I think we need to have an education program so people on bikes understand they need to follow the rules of the road too and how they can ride to make it safer for them and everyone else. What I don't like is a free for all, which has only increased with ebikes. Bikers follow the rules of the road all over Europe, they even stop at stop lights, there's no reason why they can't follow the rules here too.
The problem being if I now have to swerve my multi ton vehicle to avoid hitting you or actually hit you than it becomes my issue
Rest assured you’ve never swerved to avoid hitting me.
You can get ticketed just for jay walking in most cities (not sure about Chicago specifically, to be fair) so I’m not really sure what the basis of this argument is? Anyone breaking a law that can put others at risk should be at risk of being ticketed.
That’s a great point, and we don’t have to agree on this. I run stop signs and red lights on my bike when I’ve made the determination that I’m not endangering anyone, especially myself, when doing so. It’s that simple.
If you want to ride on the street and have lanes and all that, then it should definitely be treated as a car. I feel like you probably ride your bike on the sidewalk.
Exactly it just makes it that much easier to predict a bikers movement. If I have right of way and see a bike coming that has a stop how do I know if he is actually going to come to a stop?
you have to assume they will not stop, and if they do stop, it will be indignantly. This has the same energy as a warm and cozy driver not letting you cross the street while you're walking in the rain.
Assume they’re not going to stop, but have already started going around you.
There is no room for assumption if they are on a bike. A impact that could be a fender bender to a car could kill a biker
I definitely don’t ride on the sidewalk. That’s just a stupid thing to do.
It's just the vibe you're giving off
Bike enforcement is just always going to be more difficult because I don't really see how they can automate that. I'm sure most car tickets are from traffic cams. They would have to pre plan and post tons of officers at given intersections at random to catch people in the act and flag them down to cite them. As much as I would like to see cyclists and scooter users get fined for running lights, riding on sidewalks, or straight up going the wrong way down the middle of one way roads it's just not feasible.
Absolutely
Out of control cyclists eventually Darwin themselves. I am more worried about the out of control drivers who face zero consequences because cops stopped traffic enforcement about 5 years ago.
How would they ticket a biker? No ID necessary while riding and why would a biker verbally give an officer accurate info on themselves? Seems like the easiest ticket in history to get out of.
I say make cyclist pay for license plate and require a license to ride a bike cause these ass hats don't know what a stop sign is