The Ride

Check out a discussion of the Best and Worst of the L (see Monday story ) on WLUW, 88.7 at 6 p.m. Friday. If you miss it, you can find it in the archives at the Outside the Loop Radio site.

Posted by Mary Wisniewski at 04:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I'm a frequent bike commuter. I think it's great exercise and a great way to clear your head before and after a busy day. I'm frequently irritated by car drivers who think bikes have no right to the road. However, I'm also irritated by bicyclists who think the rules of the road don't apply to them...

I see it every day -- bikes running red lights at busy intersections, bikes racing into the path of cars turning right, bikes on the wrong side of the road. On the weekend, you can see goofs in spandex, who have probably just rented "Breaking Away," treating the lakefront path like it's the Tour De France and bearing down on pedestrians and moms with strollers.

Just as I've never seen a car ticketed for being in a bike-only lane, I've also never seen a bike stopped for running a red light. It's hard for us, as cyclists, to convince drivers that we belong on the road if we won't follow the rules. How can we demand respect, if we don't earn it?

It seems like some bicyclists regard themselves as "Superpedestrians" -- they can be on the road AND they can run red lights AND terrorize walkers on sidewalks -- whatever works. Maybe they do this because they feel cars don't respect them, so why should they respect rules made for cars. Or maybe it's just a spirit of anarchy -- I'm a biker, free and easy, sticking it to the Man.... Maybe it's because they have no fear of being ticketed.

Anyone have any theories?

Posted by Mary Wisniewski at 04:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Ever wonder why there isn't an easier way to get to a city 300 miles away without going through airport security? Train fans, especially those who have seen the efficient train service in Europe, have been wondering for years. Here's a link to an essay on the subject. Go to the April 21 entry under the "Cluster---- Nation" articles. Here's an excerpt:

"The airline industry is dying and absolutely no thought is being given to how people will get around this big country -- except to make the stupid assumption that we can just drive our cars instead."

Posted by Mary Wisniewski at 10:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

Everyone has a bad transit story -- the belligerent bus driver, the train that got stuck for an hour, the delay at the airport.

But how about a few nice transit stories? Did anyone out there ever get a smile from a bus driver that made a bad night better? Or did a CTA motorman hold the train for you as you came galloping down the stairs, and keep holding it after you accidentally dropped your keys on the platform?

I used to work the "midwatch" shift at the City News Bureau of Chicago. That meant I worked until 2 in the morning, and had to ride home on the bus down Chicago Avenue to Damen, back when that neighborhood was definitely not trendy. It was a little eerie -- but the driver made all the difference. It was always the same crowd on the bus -- me and the cleaning ladies. He used to chat with us and sing us songs, and warn us to be safe. He greeted us in Polish and Spanish. And he always told us to be safe. Everyone was smiling when they got off that bus -- no matter how dark and stormy the night.

I've also encountered astounding acts of kindness from passengers. I was once on a subway train with a man who was certainly drunk and possibly crazy -- he was holding a whiskey bottle, waving it around and yelling about how angry he was. Passengers started moving away from him. I considered changing cars. Then a little lady sat down next to him and took the bottle out of his hand. "You won't be needing that anymore," she said, with great authority. She put his arm around his shoulder and started to talk him down. He started crying and confessed that his mother had died -- that's why he was drinking. Maybe his mother had died 20 years ago -- maybe it was yesterday. It didn't matter -- she gave him sympathy and he calmed down. It was a beautiful act of courage.

So please share your stories -- there are a lot of good eggs out there on mass transit, along with the bad apples.

Posted by Mary Wisniewski at 10:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)