Illinois State Police have a message out for anyone trying to ride their bicycle on an expressway after a photo captured a person biking on I-90 in Chicago.
Yes they should have significantly better bike and pedestrian infrastructure
No, its not an excuse to behave like a fucking maniac and ride a bike on an expressway…That is an absolutely insane thing to do. Basically any other road is a better solution, even if it’s means taking a less direct route. Not everything can be done in a beeline from A to B.
No, its objectively insane behaviour…not to mention illegal (at least where I live). It’s not only dangerous for you (that bike helmet isn’t going to do shit to save you if you’re hit by a car at >60mph), but you’re creating a dangerous congestion because you’re going way too slow for the flow of traffic. Please don’t be an idiot and drive a bike on the highway, mopeds are not allowed there either (where I live)
You ride on the shoulder, not with the cars going triple your speed. There is no impeding of traffic. I’ll keep riding on the highway like I have for years. You can be a coward.
If you’re riding on highway that explicitly forbids cyclists and slow moving vehicles, do you think they’re going to be looking out for you when entering and exiting the highway…?
I never said I rode illegally. Here in colombia it’s perfectly legal to walk or ride your bike on the highways. Also the shoulders exist on the exits and entrances so why would they need to look for me? I’m not in their lane.
US infrastructure is insanely car-centric to the point where there are numerous places than you 100% cannot safely walk or bike to from certain locations, even when they’re just miles away sometimes.
Uhh… yeah? Is there not another road that travels the same direction as the expressway with a lower speed limit? This can’t possibly be the only road traveling that direction.
So they choose the fastest road possible that they can’t keep up with? Lots of other roads are far safer for them to be on since traffic isn’t going 2x their speed…
Sure it’s unsafe, so let’s just make it more unsafe by doing it illegally instead of legally on another road that’s safer……… smart idea……
All too often there isn’t another road as everything else is blocked, or at least leads to the expressway not in the direction you want to go. This pushes cars to the expressway (which is faster anyway), and away from places where people live. However it means you can’t get very far via non-car.
There’s always secondary roads, can you provide a city that only has one highway/expressway traveling a direction for reference please? Theres multiple “expressways” that travel the same direction with different speeds.
This person picked the fastest, instead of one of the others.
I don’t know for sure what this person’s situation and riding on the highway is obviously dangerous as fuck, but there are certainly places that you practically cannot get to without a car in the US with any reasonable measure of safety because of how car-centric our infrastructure is.
The shoulder of a freeway is probably safer than riding in the lane on a chaotic stroad of a feeder running alongside it where cars are still mostly going a minimum of 50mph and its still 3+ lanes. Much fewer places for cars to turn right and less distractions and you have a dedicated lane.
Do you not know what a highway express way is? The issue is all the feeders where you need to cross and traffic won’t be looking for you, since it’s expressly illegal for you to be there.
The issue is all the feeders where you need to cross and traffic won’t be looking for you
Where I’m at, the interstates only have entrance and exit lanes (which would be insanely dangerous to cross, but there only a small fraction of the interstate), no cross traffic ever, whether its the express lanes or the normal lanes. Maybe its different where this person was riding.
The feeders themselves are constant intersections with no shoulder or bike lanes and people constantly entering and exiting from side streets and businesses and much more poorly labeled lanes and lots of distractions on the side of the roads.
Maybe they should have proper bicycle infrastructure???
Yes they should have significantly better bike and pedestrian infrastructure
No, its not an excuse to behave like a fucking maniac and ride a bike on an expressway…That is an absolutely insane thing to do. Basically any other road is a better solution, even if it’s means taking a less direct route. Not everything can be done in a beeline from A to B.
Man… I live in Salem and there are people walking biking on I-5 all the time
Its only insane to you. I do it fairly regularly and it isn’t insane. Wear a helmet, act like a moped, and you’re golden.
No, its objectively insane behaviour…not to mention illegal (at least where I live). It’s not only dangerous for you (that bike helmet isn’t going to do shit to save you if you’re hit by a car at >60mph), but you’re creating a dangerous congestion because you’re going way too slow for the flow of traffic. Please don’t be an idiot and drive a bike on the highway, mopeds are not allowed there either (where I live)
You ride on the shoulder, not with the cars going triple your speed. There is no impeding of traffic. I’ll keep riding on the highway like I have for years. You can be a coward.
If you’re riding on highway that explicitly forbids cyclists and slow moving vehicles, do you think they’re going to be looking out for you when entering and exiting the highway…?
I never said I rode illegally. Here in colombia it’s perfectly legal to walk or ride your bike on the highways. Also the shoulders exist on the exits and entrances so why would they need to look for me? I’m not in their lane.
You are arguing for it, in a post about a place where it’s explicitly illegal to do it on this road. So what’s your point here then?
We are explaining why it’s insane in this particular case.
This was the statement that I was replying to. Which I made clear in my initial response. Learn to read better.
They could literally choose any other road than the expressway….
Could they?
US infrastructure is insanely car-centric to the point where there are numerous places than you 100% cannot safely walk or bike to from certain locations, even when they’re just miles away sometimes.
Uhh… yeah? Is there not another road that travels the same direction as the expressway with a lower speed limit? This can’t possibly be the only road traveling that direction.
So they choose the fastest road possible that they can’t keep up with? Lots of other roads are far safer for them to be on since traffic isn’t going 2x their speed…
Sure it’s unsafe, so let’s just make it more unsafe by doing it illegally instead of legally on another road that’s safer……… smart idea……
All too often there isn’t another road as everything else is blocked, or at least leads to the expressway not in the direction you want to go. This pushes cars to the expressway (which is faster anyway), and away from places where people live. However it means you can’t get very far via non-car.
There’s always secondary roads, can you provide a city that only has one highway/expressway traveling a direction for reference please? Theres multiple “expressways” that travel the same direction with different speeds.
This person picked the fastest, instead of one of the others.
I don’t know for sure what this person’s situation and riding on the highway is obviously dangerous as fuck, but there are certainly places that you practically cannot get to without a car in the US with any reasonable measure of safety because of how car-centric our infrastructure is.
Bruh. Are you out of your mind? Literally any other paved surface is safer than the highway.
Are you sure you’re responding to the right comment? I’m advocating for safer biking infrastructure.
The shoulder of a freeway is probably safer than riding in the lane on a chaotic stroad of a feeder running alongside it where cars are still mostly going a minimum of 50mph and its still 3+ lanes. Much fewer places for cars to turn right and less distractions and you have a dedicated lane.
Do you not know what a highway express way is? The issue is all the feeders where you need to cross and traffic won’t be looking for you, since it’s expressly illegal for you to be there.
Where I’m at, the interstates only have entrance and exit lanes (which would be insanely dangerous to cross, but there only a small fraction of the interstate), no cross traffic ever, whether its the express lanes or the normal lanes. Maybe its different where this person was riding.
The feeders themselves are constant intersections with no shoulder or bike lanes and people constantly entering and exiting from side streets and businesses and much more poorly labeled lanes and lots of distractions on the side of the roads.