It's FASTER to Travel by Bike Than CTA! (Chicago: car insurance, buy)

[eevee]

Originally Posted by jwaiter

I used to commute by bike, I love, love, love the idea. In reality though it's only a matter of time before a car or truck lands you in the ER. It happened to me, that's when I stopped biking in the city. The car and truck drivers are total f'ing pr**cks and act like they own the road, even the bike lanes they use, f*ck that, it's not safe as long as the vehicle drivers act like they do. But I also hate the bikes who blow red lights, they should stop like everyone else.

Yeah, I think I'm just going to keep taking the CTA, if it pleases ya'll. Don't want one of these with my name on it:

[coldwine]

Jesse69 is one of those personas I've come to believe is more urban myth than reality. Like a figure from the Nightside: the crossdressing bicycling enthusiast.

[eevee]

Originally Posted by coldwine

Jesse69 is one of those personas I've come to believe is more urban myth than reality. Like a figure from the Nightside: the crossdressing bicycling enthusiast.

The crossdressing, unemployed, former NASA employee, proud SSI recipient, felon, traveling bike enthusiast. I've written and read young adult fantasy stories and have yet to come up with a character a strange and unique as Jesse69!

[coldwine]

Originally Posted by eevee

The crossdressing, unemployed, former NASA employee, proud SSI recipient, felon, traveling bike enthusiast. I've written and read young adult fantasy stories and have yet to come up with a character a strange and unique as Jesse69!

I know right?! You can't make this up!

[It'sAutomatic]

Originally Posted by eevee

Yeah, I think I'm just going to keep taking the CTA, if it pleases ya'll. Don't want one of these with my name on it:

The thing is, would you consider driving? You're kidding yourself if you think you're much safer in an automobile.

[eevee]

Originally Posted by It'sAutomatic

The thing is, would you consider driving? You're kidding yourself if you think you're much safer in an automobile.

I don't drive. And, all things being equal, being in a car is safer than being on a bike.

[quigboto]

Originally Posted by Aleking

jesse just wanted to tell you guys about his expensive bike

What he really wants to tell you about is his biking outfit.

[quigboto]

Originally Posted by eevee

The crossdressing, unemployed, former NASA employee, proud SSI recipient, felon, traveling bike enthusiast. I've written and read young adult fantasy stories and have yet to come up with a character a strange and unique as Jesse69!

Well, every story needs characters, and Jesse is nothing if not a character.

(No offense intended Jesse, you're alright in my book)

[quigboto]

For the record, I love the idea of biking my way around Chicago. In reality, I have found it to be too intimidating, even when I am biking very defensively, I feel very unsafe, and therefore take little joy or satisfaction in it. To those that do, more power to you, you are braver souls than I!!

I see this memorial almost every day:

[cubssoxfan]

Originally Posted by ChicagoMeO

It's like this on the lakefront path - the cement that goes right next to the water, in the middle of summer, around noon to dinner time - bikes come so fast and so close to you, that some of them, - you can feel the air swooshing from their bike onto your skin as they fly past you going too fast.

Same with those skaters. Oh dont get me started with the skaters! The ones that - in order to skate, they take up a lot of room when they have to do that thing where they lean to the right and take a step and lean over to the left and take the next step to skate, meanwhile they elbow you and your just a pedestian trying to keep to the right, and yet, they seem to take up half the sidewalk when skating. And they go very fast. One time, one of them said something that i later figured out they said "On your left".. but i couldn't heart it, and they almost ran into me. And i was not wearing headphones. Imagine if someone deaf or with earphones was in one of the speeders way.

They are so rude to be going that fast amongst the many pedestrians. Best time to walk or jog over there is early morning before it gets crowded.

Sharing the path can be a conundrum. I like the Twin Cities approach. 2 parallel yet separate paths. One for walkers and joggers and the other for bladers and bikers. Not enough land and not enough foresight to do this.