Just How Violent Was The Fourth?
Violent Weekend Concludes
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Farmer's Market Roundup - Summer Harvests
Chicagoist spends many a morning jogging along the lakefront path, and we’ve seen plenty of moves that would qualify for This Week In Stupid. It’s not uncommon to see spaced-out joggers, top-speed rollerbladers and full-tilt cyclists, not to mention wandering kids and dogs. Especially during the warmer months, the lake path is a hazardous free-for-all. 
Not surprisingly, now there’s a lawsuit. In 2004, one cyclist collided with a rollerblader’s dog, and now he’s pressing charges, CBS reports. James Ford filed a suit last week against Chicago resident Mark Campbell. The suit claims Ford was riding southbound near Belmont Harbor when Campbell’s dog strayed into the oncoming path and the two collided. The defendant is accused of violating the Animal Control Act, and Ford wants more than $30,000 for the damages.
It’s unfortunate that accidents happen along the lake path, but we think a little common sense goes a long way to avoid such collisions. Certain activities need to stay off the path altogether or only during low-usage hours.
Like, the rollerskier guys – swinging sharp poles and taking up lots of room. Maybe don’t do that at 2 p.m. on a sunny Saturday. Parents, why would you put your kids in one of those bicycle trailers? Maybe we’re channeling our overprotective mother again, but what if a careless cyclist crashes into the trailer? That can’t be good for the kids. Marathon training groups? Great, keep up the good work. But, don’t take up the whole path while you’re at it. And everyone, can we all just stay on the right and pass nicely – and not skim by us so closely we brush elbows. No offense, but we don’t want to touch you.
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it would be nice if the lakefront trail was as wide as the central park trail (the autobahn of park trails were even rollerskiers and joggers can co-exist....alas not too many people will want a 4-lane highway replacing the lakefront trail.
They should call the stretch between Oak Street and Fullerton The Oblivious Suburban Family Walking Abreast Parkway.
Making it wider would just put more people on it. And while that is stating the obvious, I mean that it will give more people more opportunities to wander about, creating more problems. Biking along the lake should be forbidden. Not that I don't like biking, but they move at the highest speeds and stand to have the biggest injuries. Perhaps a second path should be made along side, made of dirt to keep Rollerbladers off. That eliminates another factor. Glad I'm a swimmer. I stay out of everyones way.
The lakefront path is one of my favorite things about Chicago! However, all users should be obviously aware of the potential risks and be personally accountable for any resulting injuries.
For those groups that were suggested to refrain from peak time periods - the kid trailer, the marathon group, etc - I think that the path is intended for exactly what was said, "A free for all". For those who are more interested in their safety, or do not want their elbows brushed, I would suggest going to the northern or southern ends of the trail where the path traffic is light at all times of day. OR if you are that concerned, use common sense to refrain your own personal activity from those peak time periods that can be inherently more dangerous.
2 new rules for the Chicago Lakefront Bike path:
1) No Biking.
2) Dogs must use common sense.
Agreed with Emmy, the problem needn't be "solved" by exiling certain groups (bikers, cyclists, walkers, runners, joggers, rollerbladers, etc) if people would just use common sense and remember they're all sharing the space and who they're sharing with.
If you're going to ban biking, ban rollerbladers. They take up more room. I'm always having trouble passing rollerbladers who feel the need to take up BOTH sides of the path with their sweeping strides.
I bike on the lake path to and from work occassionally (I usually ride streets because it's a shorter ride, and less windy). In the mornings I never have a problem - anyone on the lake path at 6:30 AM is there on a mission. They're joggers or bikers who know how to use the path and know how to do it right.
Coming home on a nice day is a different story. A few weeks ago, I was riding home on a Tuesday afternoon around 3 PM. Basically all the bikes on the path had to STOP to go around a group of shirtless Chads walking down the path by the beach, dripping with testosterone.. They took up the whole path, and no amount of yelling was making them move at all. They had big muscles and couldn't be bothered by some wimpy cyclists.
Don't get me wrong - there area bunch of annoying cyclists as well. I can't tell you how many times I'm passed on the path without so much as an "on your left" while some dude in his ultra-light lycra bodysuit and five ounce racing frame threads himself between me and the oncoming bikes in the other lane, so as to not lose one precious MPH. That's dumb. Those people suck.
The point is, no matter if you're on a bike, blades, or on foot, you have just as much of a chance to be a raging douchebag. So instead of suggesting that cycling be banned on the lake path, how about teaching folks how to use it properly? Then everyone can get along, and the shirtless fratboy clones can go find somewhere else to be assmunches.
You have to watch yourself. I'm surprised there haven't been more lawsuits.
I can't even believe how crowded the path gets between Oak and Addison. I generally stay away. I run on the paths around Monroe Harbor to the Museum Campus, and it's not so bad in that area. Only thing you have to watch out for is the dweebs in full spandex on racing bikes going 40 MPH. I hate those guys. Otherwise, the path is for everyone, I say.
Uh, it doesn't appear as though anyone one is being charged with anything, despite the claim in the post. Rather, this is a civil lawsuit being filed, at least according to the CBS link.
May seem minor, but there is a world of difference between a civil lawsuit and charges being filed.
the dweebs in full spandex on racing bikes going 40 MPH
vs.
a group of shirtless Chads walking down the path by the beach
Oooh, is there gonna be a brawl in this thread?
Ban Biking on the Lake Shore Path? It is a bike path. That is what it was made for. I would be in favor of making an additional pathway next to it for joggers and walkers. I think more trouble is caused by idiot people not paying attention than by bikers going fast.
I'm all for biking on the path. I just don't like bikers going extremely fast.
And spandex/lycra should be generally outlawed in any case.
"In the mornings I never have a problem - anyone on the lake path at 6:30 AM is there on a mission. They're joggers or bikers who know how to use the path and know how to do it right."
Absolutely true.
Joggers (I am a runner) need to be aware of the jogging path on the side. Where there is no jogging path, they can stay to the side of the paths.
And bikers, don't be jerks (I'm a cyclist, too). "Share the road" carries over to the path.
Ultimately, the problem is people thinking only about themselves, and not about how their actions impact other people. Walking four-abreast down the path might be more convenient for you, but it impacts others. Screaming down the path on your racing bike might be what YOU want to do, but it can cause injury/danger to others. Walking your dog off-leash might be fun for him, but it could scare the crap out of someone else. Stuff like that.
Seriously,
It's a bike path and people in 'fruit-boots' need to stay in their lane or get off. In my opinion they're the worst as they glide back and forth across the whole paved area. Pedestrians have endless amounts of land to walk along as well as the best space right on the lake itself.
I third getting rid of the spandex guys!
Cycle geeks, bladers, and joggers alike.
For years, I've avoided the lakefront path, from Oak Street Beach to Belmont Harbor, because of the critical mass of people. Ideally, signage every half-mile and at every major inroad to the trail would be posted, showing right-of-way (slower traffic yields to faster traffic; everyone travels in a straight line, no more than two abreast, etc.). However, I don't have much faith in the rest of humanity to actually read the signage, comprehend what it means for them, and heed the suggestions.
Until then, I'll just enjoy the lack of congestion the south side of the lakefront trail provides, and hope none of the more egregious offenders catch on.
The suit claims the dog strayed into Ford's bike path, which resulted in a collision that “caused pain and suffering, disability and which also required medical treatment” to the plaintiff.
not that i'm defending the owner's actions (or lack thereof), but.. i can't imagine the dog felt too good, either. what happened to it?
I bike the trail pretty often at night and am surprised by the inconsistent lighting along the path. It's either totally bright or totally dark. I've had a few close calls as a result (and seen many more).
On nice days I felt safer biking through city streets than on the North Side lakefront. Too many people ambling obliviously across the path and those goofy four-foot wide vehicles tourists ride made traffic grind to a halt.
Biking along the South Side lakefront is a dream. Good thing most Chads and Kates are terrified of anything south of Van Buren.
How about separating the bicycle path from the pedestrian path? This could be done from Fullerton down to North Avenue. Along that stretch of the path there is a strip of grass and sand in between the path and the highway. If the city had planned things better, they would have put the bicycle path all the way at the western edge of this strip, and had it reservered for cyclists only. The center path could then have been reserved for pedestrians and roller bladers. This would also have eliminated the problem of bicyclists having to avoid little kids running across the path to get to from the beach to the grassy area or vice-versa.
No offense to anyone here, but can there be a moratorium on the use of "Chad"? At this point it's about as overused (and usually as inaccurate) as "yuppie" in terms of vaguely hypocritical slurs.
Do you want us to stop saying "Trixie" too?
I've already substituted Kates for Trixies, but if Chad is so offensive to people I will use Tad instead.
Now that I think about it, "Chad" was the wrong term for those guys anyway. They weren't really "Chads", they were "Chiefs".
What's a Chief?
All the taxpayers in Chicago help(ed) pay for the creation and maintenance of the path. I'd like to know... have the "ban the bikers" contingent ever bothered to look at the path? Please notice that bike design on it happens to mean it's a designated bike lane. It is, in theory, the one place we have to "safely" ride where the threat of being killed by drivers isn't looming over us every second we're on our bike, pedestrians have the mall.
I'd love to see 2 paths, one for joggers, walkers, strollers and one for bikers, bladers and skateboarders but in the meantime...
Pedestrians, here's a dazzling revelation... it's a park. You can walk on the grass, you can walk in the sand, you can walk on any of the multiple levels of rock lining the shore! I know, it's crazy! There's even a walking/jogging path that already exists along much of the bike path. Why not take advantage of moving off the path, you get the pleasure of less traffic and danger on your way.
Dog owners, same as above but also... keep them on short or locked leashes. Teach your pet to walk to the outside along the path, it'll keep him and all the other people using the path safe. The stick the size of an oak tree in his mouth, tell him to drop it. And pick up their poop so people can walk off the path without fear of a poopshoe.
Volleyball players and people playing at the beach, look before you cross the path and never EVER hit a ball back across the path after fetching it. Getting a broken nose from being hit in the face by your bad serve isn't fun.
Don't stop suddenly to tie your shoe, pick up something you dropped, take care of your crying or temper-tantrum throwing child. Move off the path where you're safe, wait till it's clear, then get it. If your child drops their pacifier, I doubt you're really going to put it back in their mouth until you've washed it off, if even after that. Is it worth causing a wreck? If you were in a car you'd pull off to the side of the road rather than risk the life of everyone around you (looking for cyclists first of course). Why would you not do that on the lake path? You don't have magic red brake lights or turn signals on your butts nor strollers. In other words, you have less ability to warn your fellow pathgoers that you are doing something, so move to the right so people can continue safely around you.
And when someone does say "on your left" don't move to the left as you look to see who said that and don't act all pissy because someone tried to let you know they were coming by.
"Chief" is a term my friends have adopted to refer to folks who have more testosterone than sense. You can ofen identify a "Chief" by his backwards baseball cap and his refusal to visit any establishment that doesn't show at least three sporting events from his alma mater at any given time.
Joe, if your interpretation of a Kate is an Irish American Princess, then your presumption that they would think anything south of Van Buren is terrifying would be incorrect since most Irish American Princesses are from areas like Oak Lawn, Palos, Orland, Beverly and Evergreen Park which all lie south of Van Buren.
Widen the path. Post more signs in multiple languages urging people to stay to the right and to watch for cyclists.
Or create an elite corps of nannies to hold your hand and tell you what to do.
Am I imagining things, or are there markings on the pavement along a good chunk of the path that split 2/3rds of the path-lane for cyclists and the other 1/3rd for pedestrians (including joggers)? Or is that Central Park?
Completely agree with andi, SPD and navin.
I am so tired of people who feel uncomfortable by bikes speeding past and so advocate that bikers either be banned, slow to a crawl or walk their bikes. Even doing a very casual pace, I'm 4 or 5 times faster than someone walking. That being the case, what will satisfy these neurotics? Ban bikes right? Yeah, and they call bikers the selfish ones.
If people would just take up PART of the lane (the RIGHT part that is), look behind themselves when they want to cross the middle of the path and move predictably in general, bikers would have no trouble getting past in their PART of the lane with plenty of room to spare, even when riding fairly fast. By the way, to someone on foot it may seem like bikes pass perilously close, but in reality there is PLENTY of space for everyone AS LONG AS PEOPLE WATCH WHAT THEY ARE DOING and don't take up the entire lane. Why is it that I can be constantly vigilant while riding, while everyone else feels entitled to be COMPLETELY reckless and unaware? Yet if there is an accident, it's the biker to blame for everyone else's lack of caution and common sense. I guarantee you that bikers pay closer attention to their surroundings out there than anyone else.
By the logic of those who feel that bikes cause terror just by moving faster than those on foot, I guess I should be able to demand that all cars around me slow down to less than my speed when I'm riding on the street. Right? As navin said, people can run or walk ANYWHERE in the city, whereas bikers have but a few places where we can ride in relative safety from the crazy drivers we have in Chicago.
As SPD pointed out, ALL of the problems from Fullerton to North could be solved if a bike-only path extending to North would be built between the current path and LSD.
To those who have suggested riding earlier or along different parts of the path, that's fine unless you commute on your bike to downtown. I never get near the lakefront on weekends, but I'm sure as heck going to avoid the streets during the AM rush during the week. Usually, I'm out between 7:00 and 9:30 and don't have any trouble, even near North Avenue. It's in the evenings that people clog the path while chatting, walking/blading/cycling 3 abreast,
tending to kids, and letting their dogs wander all over. I just cannot fathom how this behavior is considered to be fine, yet if I'm moving faster than a snail's pace on my bike, I'm considered a selfish terror on wheels.
Lastly, as for the lawsuit, I say bravo to the biker. I got into an accident that necessitated an emergency room visit once because a woman let her dog run into the path. After I crashed, she just disappeared. I would have LOVED to have sued her for my medical bills.
Lets ban idiots from the lakeshore.
I think by implimenting a ban on Chads and Trixies/Kates picking out the few remaining idiots won't be too hard.
And Joel-Chad, Chad may be stereotypical - but if someone is acting and dressing in a stereotypically Chad way, what else are you going to call him? If you think that if you get to know him, a secret depth to Chad-dom will open up, you're wrong - they're Chads.
wow. didn't expect to see so much elitism here.
In the spirit of parity, shouldn't there be a set of generic names for hipsters, too, a la Chad and Trixie? Like, say, Nate and Becca, or something? As in, "I walked into the record store and asked when the new Decemberists album would be out, and the Nate behind the counter just sneered and pointed to the Upcoming Releases board."
Everyone makes great points. Yes, watch yourself, stay to the right, don't pick up the pacifier...
The problem is, this is NEVER going to happen. Preaching to the choir right? I mean of course, WE all know not to do those things, but people won't change on their own.
There has to be an active, in the dirt plan to change things up, or it's always going to be the same.
I like the idea of a separate, pedestrian-jogger walkway, it might help. But there's always going to be the one Chad/Asshole/Hipster/Trixie/Yuppie/fjakdsl that's going to walk on the bike path.
Argh.
fuckin' fjakdsls. i hate them so much.
I'm just glad Labor Day has passed and the lakefront will not be crowded anymore. No matter how gorgeous it is, after Labor Day people just stop going to the lake. This is my favorite time of year for precicely that reason. After the marathon, there will be fewer of those running groups too. No more volleyballers. No more chads pumping iron at muscle beach. No more Chicago Sport and Social Club. Bliss.
I went for a ride this weekend and had several close calls with people who are not at all familiar with how the path works. It's pretty dangerous. I'd be afraid to walk through the North Ave. area with a kid or a pet. I got a bell this summer because it's easier than yelling "on your left" a hundred times. I've gotten lots of attitude since I began using it. From pedestrians, bladers and even fellow cyclists. It's funny how some people take it as some snooty affront, when all I'm trying to do is avoid collisions. I almost always thank people for announcing themselves.
I hate the fjakdsls too!
Bikes are fine on the bike path. But bikers should not be going really fast when there's a lot of people around. I see this all the time.
Slow down when there are a lot of pedestrians. There are often little kids at the park who cannot be expected to know the 'keep to the right' rule. Yes, their parents should be looking out for them, but accidents will happen, and they will be much, much worse if the biker is going 20-30-40MPH.
To the biking commuters: Hooray for you!
Unfortunately, you don't have a lane that will be bikes only, no matter what symbol is spray painted on the ground. The police will never, ever enforce such a thing in the real world us grownups live in. Can you imagine cops patrolling the lakefront cycle path handing out tickets or even stern warnings to tourists who make the grave mistake of strolling on the bike path, just so the bikers can cruise home faster? Your commute will have to be a little slower when there's people around.
And I expected nothing but elitism here. It's the only reason anyone comments on this site.
I haven't used the path in a long time but are people REALLY riding 40 miles per hour and often. I mean think about how fast that is.
I admit 40mph is impossible in some areas. However, go to the path around Museum Campus sometime, and you will see guys in full spandex outfits on racing bikes with the goofy plastic sunglasses and the cycling shoes that clip to the pedals going extremely fast. I obviously do not know their precise speed, but have seen people whizzing by really, really fast.
Slow down when it's crowded? I'd have never thought of that. As if most cyclists I see out there rip through North Avenue beach at 30mph on a Saturday afternoon. I love the way folks observe a relatively rare example of a behavior and then employ it to make gross generalizations about a whole group.
"All the time"? What does that mean? Seriously. I want you to stand out there for an hour. Count the total number of bikes that pass by and then tally how many do what you claim. Or maybe you're just predisposed to only notice bikes when they do something you don't like. Never mind that people who aren't on bikes are doing stupid crap all around you. No, only cyclists have to be perfect.
By the way, while I'm asking you for measurables, what constitutes a crowd in your estimation? Two people per 100 feet? Ten? A hundred? It seems like if a biker passes even one person at more than 5 mph, people like you get all hot under the collar.
Anyway, the bike path shouldn't be crowded to a standstill no matter how many people are near it. (Save for special events like the Air and Water show) It is intended to facilitate MOVEMENT. It's not for people to stand and talk, EVER. It's not for people to feed their kids, EVER. And for people who are moving, if they would just stay right, no matter what form of transport, there would always be room for movement. Is it ever OK to pass anyone in your world. Or should Fast walkers not pass slow walkers. Runners should not pass walkers. Skaters shouldn't pass runners. That's ridiculous. Stay right. If you need to pass, pass on the left, then move right so someone faster behind you can pass. It's like the autobahn.
Which leads me to another question. How slow is slow enough? Seriously, give me a number. Like Forrest Claypool, you gotta "be specific". As has been mentioned, bikes are just much faster than people on foot, period. Unless you are proposing banning bikes, anyone who's too nervous to deal with bikers moving between 10 and 20 mph should consider an alternate route. (Like the one that runs parallel to much of the bike path maybe? Perish that thought. Apparently if you're on foot you're entitled to BOTH!)
And who's 'elitist'? Are cyclists elitist to ask for equal room on a path that everyone else feels entitled to? Or are you just referring the Chad/Trixie stuff?
Never said most. I even said bikes are fine on the bike path.
Just realize it's a park, with a whole bunch of people from all over the place hanging out and goofing off. It's not, nor will it ever be a biker's only path where everyone will be following government orders to stay out of the way.
This is the truth. Just like you won't be getting an Angelina Jolie housecall tonight. Learn to live with it. (or without it).
the chad/trixie stuff. prejudice of any kind is pretty shitty.
No more Chicago Sport and Social Club. Bliss.
And no more girls in bikinis playing volleyball? No way!
Back to the topic at hand, why not hand out tickets to pedestrians on a bicycle only path? Or at least, have the police tell them to get off the bicycle path and get on to the pedestrian one? There are already bicycle cops patrolling the lake. Right now it appears that they just ride around waiting for something to happen. If there were a bicycle-only path created, why couldn't the cops who ride it stop any pedestrians they meet on it and politely tell them to use the pedestrian path instead? The problems we have now could be greatly reduced even if it's impossible to eliminate them entirely.
Whoa, Jeff! Just as Joel doesn't want to read the blanket assumptions about Chads (probably because it's hitting close to home [just kidding, Joel. We love your input here.]), let's not start assuming that everyone who wears spandex and clips his shoes into the pedals is a speedfreak. I do, am not ashamed to admit it, and can say that the fastest I've ever gotten on flat land is 32 mph. I never go that fast on the lakefront path, and point out how dangerous it is to those who do. 'Course, they usually can't hear me, since they have their ipods in their ears, which is simply stupid; bicyclists need the use of all five senses.
Now, on to SPD's citation theory. As much as I agree with you (odd finding myself writing that), you'd have people being cited for walking in the bike lane bitching at the cops for having nothing better to do than to pick on them. You'd also have a bunch of Tour de France wannabes griping after being ticketed for moving too fast, or having their iPods in their ears while they ride. They're just as dangerous as the rollerbladers, folks with dogs in need of obedience training, and sport and social club buffoons. If they decide to complain to their alderman (and take a look at what wards the north end of the path intersect), you just know a Natarus is gonna hop on his soapbox in front of a live mic. That'll get the mayor involved, and since he's a noted cyclist - but also the chief executive of a major metropolitan city - , he'll be siding with the alderman that the police have more important crimes to prevent.
When we're riding on the streets, we have to adhere to the rules of the road, along with other motorized vehicles. So it's really up to us bicyclists to monitor everything around ourselves, unfortunately. From the people with no attention span, to how much of the lane we take up ourselves, we are the ones with the targets on our backs. That means, when we're faced with congestion on the path, we take charge and ride at a casual pace that allows us to react and anticipate the unexpected. And, when the road ahead is clear, we ride at a faster pace, but still slow enough to be safe. It also means that we sometimes have to be dicks about it when someone gives us attitude about their cavalier approach to walking on a fifteen-foot wide stretch of asphalt teeming with people.
It's a bum deal. But I'd rather be a prick about how the path is utilized and get to my destination safely, than keep my mouth shut and wind up in an accident.
Chuck:
We already have police on the bike paths. As I pointed out, they mostly ride around or stand around waiting for something to happen. In between the time spent attending to accidents or brawls or whatever, they could spend some time ticketing or at least giving warnings to people who are reckless on the paths. It's not as if we have to reassign officers from homicide to the lake front patrol.
And I don't think that complaints from cyclists about tickets/warnings from police would be a problem. If the cops say that a person was ticketed because he was endangering others, city officials would tend to side with the police. I can't recall any situation where complaints from citizens about police behavior hasn't been met by the city with a response prejudiced in favor of the police.
SPD before the police can enforce speeding bicycles, tax payer money would have to be spent to make speed limit signs for a bike path. Since AASHTO does not have federal guidelines for such an animal, it would be left upto the IDOT to pilot a program. If Joe Moore were a state senator we might see this happen, but I highly doubt anyone in office would dare to introduce this. Thus the bike police must only be responders, if they were anymore proactive it could lead to lawsuits.
I can recall a cop being assigned to Washington Square Park on the north side as part of his beat, who was reprimanded last year for being a bit too vigilant for ticketing dog owners. This, after Burt Natarus received numerous complaints from residents of his ward about the cop. Who's to say that the cop wasn't in the right for ticketing the owners for not having their dogs on leashes, or not picking up after the dogs? You get enough complaints, there will be a backlash. There are enough folks on the path who would raise a stink to their alderman. Certainly, there are enough aldermen willing to politicize such a thing for publicity.
Also, it's naive to think those bike cops are assigned solely to the lakefront path, and simply waiting for an accident to occur. It's only a small part of their respective beats. If they have to constantly monitor the path for infractions, it'll be the cops who will complain, which the city will then favor.
Sorry, but bicyclists need to be proactive in setting the example on the path, regardless of how others using it act.
The actual bikepath issue is in better more knowledgable hands so I'll just say: Hey Chuck, I read your posts and have seen your photo and trust me, you and I are much more birds of a feather than I would be with any so-called "Chad." All the same, I just think the phrase is overused and overreaching at this point...it's kinda like the first time I saw one of those Alley "Because Backward Baseball Caps Are For Frat-Boy Clones" bench ads: are you fucking kidding me? Is this the high school cafeteria?!?
i was running on the lakefront path tonight and didn't see ANY of you there.
when did this thread become about this worthless "let's label others/let's not label others" bs? i dont give a fug about the labels, everyone's looking out for themselves regardless of where they live, what they look like and where they got their bachelor's degree. get it?
maybe chad, kate and the hipsters should all get together and rebel against the status quo, aka CHICAGOIST!
Sorry, but bicyclists need to be proactive in setting the example on the path, regardless of how others using it act.
Hey I'm "proactive" and responsible but the others are somehow held to a lesser standard even though in most cases the path wasn't even intended for their use? I'm sorry but what the fuh?
Oh to be post #52. To those who don't want bikes on the "Lakefront Bike Trail", what the heck are you thinking? Walkers and Runners, think grass or gravel path when things are busy. 'Nuff said.
Being a responsible user of the path aside, isn't this really the fault of the dog owner? I would argue that the path is for humans, not for animals. Even the most well trained dog can be unpredictable if there is too much stimuli for it to handle or if it percieves or mis-percieves a threat to its owner. We certainly can't expect dogs to anticipate and respond to bikers, joggers and various people also using the path - its not like they can read the signs or speak English. I love dogs, but people need to remember that they are animals, not humans.
I actually think the section of the path around 31st St beach is worse than the section around North Ave. People there seem to be several orders of magnitude more oblivious to path traffic, and there are a lot more people there who just stand on the path (they're not even walkers or joggers, just picnickers standing on the path when there's lots of grass around they could lounge on).
I don't like having to overtake bladers with their sweeping strokes, but then I have bladed before and I know you have to "sweep" to some extent, so I don't think bladers are being inconsiderate; they can't help it. Same goes for people with trailers and people on recumbent trikes or four-wheel bikes. They aren't being particularly inconsiderate and are fairly easy to overtake because they move predictably. The most dangerous people are walkers who don't look before crossing. These people do have a choice that doesn't involve not using the lakefront at all.
I've taken to biking at night instead. A good headlamp suffices for the unlit parts of the path.