AlmostTrick

Yes, the near head clip was pretty bad. I'm surprised no one mentioned the real magic that happened almost effortlessly right after that, at 54 and 57 seconds. Maybe you should edit that part out? Sorry, I get it. What the bike lane parkers are doing is wrong.

For whatever reason, I find myself more concerned about law breaking infractions while in my car than when on my bike. Guess I'm just happy to be riding.

Paul Barnard

Well said. I edited my language.

Daniel4

That looks like a driveway to the back of the houses or apartments. Unless, I'm wrong, there may be a parking pad behind where the delivery vehicle can park.

If I had a contractor working on my house, I certainly won't mind him using my driveway or parking space while he unloads or does his work. And it does look like this contractor is going to do some work in that house. If he happens to be blocking another car from exiting or entering, that other driver can ask the contractor to move. It has happened.

It goes hand in hand. If and when drivers re-learn to drive responsibly, not only will it be more safe for other drivers and their passengers, but the effect should result in improved safety for pedestrians, cyclists and other vulnerable road users.

homeless in ca.

Parking vehicles in the bike lane is worse than an inconvenience it is dangerous and socially irresponsible. And there is no need to park a delivery truck in the bike lane just to drop off a few boxes of office supplies. Those packages can be delivered with a cargo bike that is what bike lanes are for. For people to be able to move freely through streets jammed with cars and trucks..Delivery companies need to adapt to the reality that they don't own the road and must follow the same rules as everybody else.

I-Like-To-Bike

Bike lanes are for parking bicycles including bicyclist powered delivery vehicles in the bike lane? Who knew? How large and wide are the delivery vehicles that you are OK with for use and parking in the bike lanes and would not be inconvenient, dangerous and socially irresponsible by your definition?

It would take quite a fleet of bicyclist powered delivery vehicles to deliver the number, bulk and weight of packages to homes and businesses that are currently delivered daily in all types of weather by small trucks and vans by Fed Ex, UPS, the Postal Service, as well as food delivery services, etc. [Never mind the economics of the labor cost.] Would all these bicyclist powered delivery vehicles poking along in the bike lanes presumably with wide trailers, be OK with you? How would their parking in bicycle lanes for deliveries be any less of an inconvenience, less dangerous or less socially irresponsible to you and similarly entitled bicyclists?

homeless in ca.

Who parks their bike in the bike lane? 🤪

Paul Barnard

No, parking in the bike lane isn't dangerous. It may be the catalyst that causes a cyclist to make a bad decision. In some places in the CBD, there are two standard travel lanes and no bike lanes. Delivery trucks regularly park in the travel lanes to make deliveries. From a risk and risk mitigation standpoint, that is no different from a truck parking in the bike lane. You know what I do when I encounter that situation while pedaling? I make sure it's safe to go around, then I go around. My street is lined with autos parked in the travel lanes. Most streets in this area are. You know what I do when I encounter one while pedaling? I make sure it's safe to go around, then go around.

To remind you, this is the question you continue to dodge.

Thinking about the bigger picture, about 8 times more pedestrians are killed each year in the USA than are cyclists, so why is forcing him to push his dolly across 3-4 intersections or more a better solution than me going (pedaling) around?

I-Like-To-Bike

People who think bike lanes are intended for bicylist powered cargo delivery vehicles?

Cyclaholic

Wake up and smell reality.

homeless in ca.

So your argument is that since delivery trucks park illegally in the motor vehicle lane they should also be allowed to park in reserved lanes for bicycles.


You give the driver your lunch money.

tomato coupe

They're probably world tour riders. You don't see bike handling skills and fearlessness like that with ordinary cyclists.

Daniel4

Especially not from people too afraid to get out of their cars without bike lanes.

Paul Barnard

There must be a reason you are unwilling answer the question.

homeless in ca.

Ok let me try. More pedestrians are killed than cyclists because pedestrians are more numerous. Crossing the street is not nearly as dangerous as riding a bicycle on a busy street with trucks parked in the bike lane. You and I are both able to ride our bikes around trucks. But I am also able to politely reprimand bad drivers. Without using bad language or making offensive generalizations about younger generations as you have done.

Because your question was rhetorical I chose instead to dismiss your false premise that illegal parking is excusable under any circumstance and its absurd conclusion that the lives of irresponsible drivers must be preserved at all costs.

You are approaching the issue from the autosupremacist pov that the driver of the biggest vehicle is the most important person on the road. That is not the case. The delivery drivers bringing boxes of office supplies to the CBD are not nearly as essential as the professionals who work there and ride bikes or park their motor vehicles responsibly and walk like the rest of us..

Bad drivers who don't want to park their trucks responsibly and in your imagination can't cross the street without getting hit by another bad driver can be replaced. They are not essential

Paul Barnard

That's a fair enough answer. I don't agree with your assessment, but I appreciate you giving it a go. My POV is not an auto-centric one. It's one of practicality. What makes the best sense in the overall scheme of things? That's the question I ask. It steps outside of the "me first" mindset.

What makes you believe a bicyclist can't go move into another lane of travel without getting hit?

AlmostTrick

I tend to agree with your assessment of what's practical, and also have no issue riding around. Heck, like I said earlier, I'm in the regular lane as often as possible when I ride. That said, aren't motorists who believe they can park in the bike lane without reservation also, or even more so of the "me first" mindset? Aren't they the ones breaking the law?

Daniel4

I think we all expect the car to be given a ticket when it's double parked blocking the car lane. We can also expect it to get a ticket if it's parked on the sidewalk or where there are no-parking signs. So why do we allow cars to park in the bike lane?

Also, bike lanes have demonstrated they do get reluctant cyclists out of their cars and onto their bikes. If those kinds of cyclists have to go around cars and trucks parked in the bike lane by merging with vehicular traffic, that might be the kind of thing that will keep them from riding. And that includes families with young kids.

homeless in ca.

Paul Barnard

There is no question that some vehicles are parked or stopped in the bike lane without a thought given to how it might affect others. My tangent on this thread is that there are times when there isn't a reasonable option as it relates to delivery drivers. Well, an option that most folks would consider reasonable.

I am all for advocacy, but we all need to be aware of the larger picture. When we go scorched earth we are going to alienate some of those we need as allies. I had dinner with the wife of a local urban planner two nights ago. Her husband is the one who handles the bicycle infrastructure in our 3 parish (county) area. She gave me some valuable insight into some of the push back he gets. The screaming loudly and throwing a tantrum kind of advocacy can only carry you so far. Pissing one key person off can create an insurmountable hurdle.

The OP has said he subscribes to the broken window theory. I don't. If I were going to do what he does, I'd offer the photo, a brief explanation of the dangers it poses to cyclists and the reasonable alternative available. That's advocacy. Raising hell when a delivery driver stops in a bike lane on a largely empty street for a 2 minute pizza delivery isn't advocacy. Nor is it when a reasonable alternative doesn't exist in a CBD.

The local Facebook group I belong to is heavily anti-police. Back during the riots, they essentially celebrated attacks on cops. There are often anti-cop comments. When I offer the LEO perspective, I get jumped on. Just a few days ago they were complaining that cops/parking enforcement aren't responding to their bike lane parking complaints anymore. Gee, I wonder why.

Daniel4

I see lots of proper parking spaces around.

homeless in ca.

Talk is cheap. Every vehicle I photographed parked illegally had other options. Next time you see a vehicle parked illegally and want to make your point that the street is too empty or too busy to warrant a reprimand take a picture so we know what the hell it is you're talking about.

Daniel4

Audi ticketed for parking on the sidewalk (eventhough pedestrians can simply walk around it).

https://www.richmond-news.com/amp/lo...tation-3822114

And some people have no qualms about cars parked in the bike lane?

I-Like-To-Bike

And some people can't tell the difference in scale between the offense of those alleged violations cited by the OP and that of a motorist who ignores a No Entry sign and drives into and parks in a busy pedestrian-only entrance to a public transit station.

homeless in ca.

What is the difference?

I-Like-To-Bike

Does anyone with the capacity to take action on your complaints ever respond in a positive manner to your petty grievances about parking violations by delivery service drivers?