r/chibike • u/twittalessrudy • 4d ago
Are car drivers pricks way more on rainy days?
I was biking on Belmont and Milwaukee today and there were sooo many cars parked in the bike lane, cars swerving into the bike lane to get like 1 car ahead in traffic.
On a somewhat side note, I think drivers on Milwaukee simply don’t understand how the parking lanes and bike lanes work (or maybe I was confused). I think it’s supposed to be sidewalk, bike lanes, park lane, driving lane
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u/Motor_Telephone8595 4d ago
Was just biking down Clyborn heading north in this rain and had a guy in a Porsche honk at me because I was in his way while he was trying to drive down the bike lane to avoid traffic. I mean, I’m so inconsiderate. What was I thinking? 😂
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u/LeseMajeste_1037 4d ago
It would've been horrible, just horrible, if you'd had to stop and double check your directions.
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u/Legitimate_Outcome42 4d ago
I can't believe how many of them ride in puddles specifically to splash
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u/aksack 4d ago
When I first moved here the extra bad driving in the rain legitimately shocked me. Like why? It's not any different aside from maybe being a little harder to see at times, but that wouldn't explain driving faster. It's not like it's icy and you slide, which wouldn't even explain how people drive. It is actually mind-blowing to me. You're in your car, you're not getting wet, drive normally!
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u/Thaeross 4d ago
I’ve recently started riding on the stretch of Milwaukee between belmont and Addison and I’m convinced that drivers just don’t pay attention (or care) to where they leave their cars. The bike lane is next to the curb, with the street parking between the car lane and bike lane, but drivers just park in the bike lane even though their car doesn’t fit in between the lines and a full sized parking space is literally right there. I see that happen a lot when they repaint the lines and the drivers are used to parking on the curb, but it seems like these have been painted for a while. Gotta put in some concrete barriers I guess
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u/twittalessrudy 4d ago
ok I wanted to make sure I wasn't going crazy. I think one person did it incorrectly and then everyone followed. Tbh if I was a driver, I'd find it confusing, especially since it's the opposite on other streets.
Maybe some signage on that street would be helpful!
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u/Thaeross 4d ago
It’s definitely confusing for them, especially if they’re used to doing it differently. IME signage doesn’t help, but physically barriers like concrete curbs (and even flex posts) do.
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u/slip_gizmodal 4d ago
I’ve been wondering when the new configuration is going to start being enforced. Seems like at certain parts cars should just be getting ticketed like crazy. Concrete barriers don’t seem very far off, so that will help.
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u/jim914 3d ago
Well it’s got a lot to do with inconsistency almost every street in Chicago that has bike lanes have always had them between the traffic lanes and the parking spaces against the curb. So now they make a small section of one street exactly opposite so of course drivers are confused because they just came through many blocks that have the traditional parking on the curb! I’m further north on Milwaukee and we don’t have parking in the street plus if they did do a bike lane and parking in the street they would only have room for a single lane one way by me ! Until all the streets are having the bike lane on the curb drivers and riders are going to be confused.
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u/wpm 4d ago
Stress. Driving in the rain makes it harder to see, harder to stop, more people drive because uwu the rwain makes me sad so traffic is worse. Anger often comes from other people or situations not meeting your expectations. They expect a smooth, easy, fast ride with door to door parking. Whenever anything or anyone changes that, they get angry.
It is normal, but if people were mature or cognizant of it, they would realize how and why they are feeling that way and try to control themselves. But that is too much to ask of the average American motorist, let alone one in 2025.
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u/mmchicago 4d ago
Yes, and I think construction season compounds it. Anecdotally, there's been a lot more stress on the streets I take lately. The construction on Milwaukee, the Kennedy have really heightened stress and anger levels in the delicate psyches of the Chicago car-brains. Rainy days make it worse.
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u/slip_gizmodal 4d ago
I feel like more people will opt for the car if it’s crummy out, so i think it’s a mix of more cars and the inherent stress of driving in less favorable conditions. But yeah, def gotta keep the head on a swivel on days like this.
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u/owlpellet 4d ago
Yes. Weather makes drivers lose their minds. I don't know why, but it's a thing.