Taking the lane on Damen, Morgan, Taylor, or Harrison?
Fellow Flame Freewheelers,
As a UIC -- or West-loop -- regular, you probably bike the likes of Damen, Morgan, Taylor, and Harrison often. Morgan is the preferred N/S route to the East Campus, Damen is the same for the West campus, and Taylor and Harrison provide excellent East-West straights between both campuses.
All of these streets have stop-lights every block or two, and they also all see a fair amount of traffic -- from buses to private motor vehicles to bicycles. None of them have identified bicycle lanes (except for Damen once you are South of Harrison).
My question is, when you are biking one of these streets and you see the traffic light a block ahead of you has just turned red, do you still feel obligated to ride in the presumed (but unmarked) bike lane? Or, do you ever consider taking the lane -- where you are more visable and out of the way of potential dangers such as doors, pedestrians, and vehicles pulling out from the side? Have you tried both options (which, as far as I know, are equally legal)?
Gears,
bp
I'm on west campus, and live
I'm on west campus, and live about 2 miles straight north. I'm in the College of Dentistry, which is at Polk and Paulina.
My commute usually takes me down Ashland to Fulton, then over to Paulina which is much less busy. (North of Fulton, Paulina is too bumpy and I'd rather deal with a few blocks of heavy traffic on a wide road.) I cut through Rush's entrance/turnabout as well.
West of Loomis, Taylor has bike lanes, by the way. Legally, when no bike lane exists, we are supposed to ride as close to the curb as is "practicable." I think it's a safe argument that staying out of the door zone is part of that.
IL state law provides for exceptions to the "practicable" curb riding (that aren't contradicted by more severe Chicago ordinances AFAIK): "When reasonably necessary to avoid conditions including, but not limited to, fixed or moving objects, parked or moving vehicles, bicycles, motorized pedal cycles, pedestrians, animals, surface hazards, or substandard width lanes that make it unsafe to continue along the right-hand curb or edge. For purposes of this subsection, a "substandard width lane" means a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle or motorized pedal cycle and a vehicle to travel safely side by side within the lane."
So as I understand it, it's legal to take the lane when no bike lane is present. It's also legal (but foolish, IMO) to ride in the door zone, but some people feel safer there.
I agree, especially for Harrison
Eldorado wrote:
>So as I understand it, it's legal to take the lane when no bike lane is present.
Well, for everything except
Well, for everything except Damen I just take the lane. For Damen, I just head over to Paulina. There is so much less traffic on Paulina and it is very peaceful. I usually take Warren (I think that's the street) over, since it's 4 lanes, rarely used and has a bike lane. I don't like Damen, cause there's so much traffic and it's going unreasonably fast since most of the lights are in time with each other. And there's the expressway where people just cut right infront of you even when you take the lane.
i still feel obliged to
i still feel obliged to stick to the imaginary bike lane (b/c i'm focusing on the road ahead and not getting door'd versus looking behind me to pull out--i have no rearview mirror).