Can't believe people still park in the bike lane on Broadway when there's a whole empty lot right behind the coffee shop

I counted 7 cars blocking the lane during my morning commute yesterday and nearly got doored by a driver who didn't check before opening, has anyone else had close calls like that around the downtown area?

3 comments

3 Comments

zarar6720d ago

Ugh, it's honestly terrifying how careless some drivers are with their doors. You're right about that lot being empty too, I've seen it myself. The worst part is the city keeps painting these bike lanes but doesn't actually enforce anything on them, so drivers treat them like extra parking spots. I've had to swerve into car traffic a few times to avoid getting hit by someone flinging their door open without looking, it's a miracle nobody's been seriously hurt yet. Do you think the city would actually respond if enough people filed complaints, or are we just stuck with this mess?

dakota_nelson4320d ago

Yeah, that "miracle nobody's been seriously hurt" part really stuck with me, @zarar67. I used to think painted bike lanes were better than nothing, but seeing how drivers treat them like parking spots has totally changed my mind. Filing complaints might help a little, but honestly I think we're stuck until they add physical barriers or start actually ticketing people.

finleyf8819d ago

Three times last month I nearly became a hood ornament because some genius parked their F-150 in the bike lane right by the coffee shop. The city painted those lanes bright green and drivers just see free parking, it's insane. I actually called 311 to complain about a truck blocking the lane and they said "we'll send someone out" but nobody ever showed. At this point I'm convinced the only way I'll stop almost dying is if I start biking with a go-kart body kit so I look more like a threat. Maybe if I attach a fake police siren to my helmet drivers would finally notice I exist. But hey, at least I'm getting a great arm workout from all the sudden swerves.