Commuting - canal st bike lane- A joke? (chicago)

So I'm working today. Over in back of the buildings around madison/riverside on the canal st. bike lane. I'm just wondering who's joke it was to set up a bike lane (im talking about the one from like Jackson To washington with the following hazards/obstacles:

A) Several Loading Zones on the inside of the bike lanes where cars are allowed to park and pull in and out of

B) A taxi stand or two

C) Right turn lanes at the end of bus stops

D) mmmm potholes and manholes (killed my back rim on a huge pothole on state st. last night. huuuuuuge dent, had to replace. tire didnt blow for some reason)
and the kicker:

E) OPEN METAL VENT GRATES (just like the bridges) SPANNING THE ENTIRE BIKE LANE (Northbound) that vent the underground train stations.

oh and add in the lack of enforcement.

i know what you mean -- in ny, the bike lands in manhattan are a joke at best -- it seems that all the potholes are funneled to the side, and i'll give you $50 if you can ride down more than one block (especially on broadway) without having three delivery trucks, four taxis, and two obese men in mercedes from uptown stopped to get their wives the latest consumer good.

it's the commuting life -- and that's just cars.... if you want a real hair-raising experience which teaches you about how pedestrians are also bad for bikers, try biking over the brooklyn bridge... what a treat.

The beautiful thing is in Manhattan the interconnectedness of the grid and the wide multi-lane avenues means that you can get around very comfortably in the normal vehicle lanes. Take a smaller street if you want to move crosstown with little hassle or take an avenue up- or downtown. In rush hour you'll be booking past the cars (if you like to filter) and the rest of the time there's enough room for them to pass you comfortably.

So I'm working today. Over in back of the buildings around madison/riverside on the canal st. bike lane. I'm just wondering who's joke it was to set up a bike lane (im talking about the one from like Jackson To washington with the following hazards/obstacles:

A) Several Loading Zones on the inside of the bike lanes where cars are allowed to park and pull in and out of

B) A taxi stand or two

C) Right turn lanes at the end of bus stops

D) mmmm potholes and manholes (killed my back rim on a huge pothole on state st. last night. huuuuuuge dent, had to replace. tire didnt blow for some reason)
and the kicker:

E) OPEN METAL VENT GRATES (just like the bridges) SPANNING THE ENTIRE BIKE LANE (Northbound) that vent the underground train stations.

oh and add in the lack of enforcement.

The metal vents are the most dangerous because sleet and snow will make it slippery as ice. Be careful.

i know what you mean -- in ny, the bike lands in manhattan are a joke at best -- it seems that all the potholes are funneled to the side, and i'll give you $50 if you can ride down more than one block (especially on broadway) without having three delivery trucks, four taxis, and two obese men in mercedes from uptown stopped to get their wives the latest consumer good.

it's the commuting life -- and that's just cars.... if you want a real hair-raising experience which teaches you about how pedestrians are also bad for bikers, try biking over the brooklyn bridge... what a treat.

I know exactly what you mean about Broadway but it's still better than 5th Avenue during rush hour! The Brooklyn Bridge is a tourist trap so you should bring the loudest air horn possible! Seriously. I rode behind one guy who had it and scared the day lights out of everyone on the bridge!

A bike lane as described is not safe. Therefore, it's useless.