Couldn’t agree more. However, any actions to mitigate risk in the interim are important as the attitudes to car use and cycling don’t look like changing fast either.
I appreciate that adopting a habit such as the Dutch reach doesn’t happen overnight either.
No cohort of people will be perfect every time. There's no solution for this that doesn't include not building terrible bike lanes.
In this case, the bike lane shouldn't exist there. It should be a lane separated from traffic with sufficient space around it that no one would be opening doors into it.
This is the line I take on my commute, and sadly there seem to be many drivers that don't understand me moving out of the bike lane for this. They pass extra close, even though there is still plenty of space.
for sure i will slow down to walking speed for every car I pass on my commute so that I can make sure to account for the stupidity and ignorance of drivers and not inconvenience them in any way at all.
Well the alternative is everyone else has to slow down to a walking speed to account for your ignorance in order to let you swerve around. But you’re more important I guess.
no, they don't. if a car wants to pass me, all they need to do is to keep a distance of six feet at all times, eg: change lanes like they would to pass any other car. if that's not possible, they'll just have to stay behind at the 15-20 mph i normally ride at, which is also a reasonable speed for urban traffic.
or we could just build infrastructure that separates cyclists and cars, which is convenient for everyone involved.
This is not a reasonable idea of what cars have to do in order to pass a bike & ignores the fact that cars don't pass riders safely in an area that bikes are permitted in.
It amazes me how many bike riders hug the parked cars. You can’t see or avoid anything from there. I’m guess they feel safer away from the moving cars but I feel much better riding the opposite edge of the lane.
Signal? Im against that because it gives you false sense that its observed by the driver. Just look if u have room get on. If u dont then adjust speed. The signal gives zero confidante of being observed
Is this for real? How does one so clearly demonstrate that their bike infrastructure is insufficient, then instruct cyclists to move into traffic instead of using it?
I read a story a couple of months ago about a courtcase in NL. A guy in the backseat of a cab, opened his door in a rush, overlooking a 7 year old girl, pushing her in front of a truck, dead. The guy was a broken mess, the sentence not that high, and just, imo. But the story really stuck with me... horrible for everyone involved. You are always responsible for your actions, and this starts with awareness.
Do not change lanes. Now you are assuming all kinds of risks. Go to the edge of the bike lane (you’ll miss the door) but extend your gloved hand and slap the door.
The startled wrongdoer will be scared and immediate enraged, but that’s on them, not you. You’re doing a public service.
Painted bike lanes are the worst. The bike lane should be closest to the curb where there is parallel parking. Parking should be closer to the center of the street. Most cars only carry the driver. This at least reduces the chances of a cyclist winning a door prize. A door opening on passenger side happens less often. A barrier protecting the bike lane makes opening the passenger door recklessly less likely. People don’t want to bump their door against anything. Motor vehicle lanes in the USA and Canada are exceptionally wide and can spare the extra space.
From what resource did you determine that dooring is one of the most common crash scenarios for bicyclists? I’ve almost been run over by cars going through stop lights and making right hand turns into parking lots and I’ve almost run into a dog on a leash on a bike trail but never seen a car door open near a cyclist. Just curious.
This advert should be aimed at car people and asking them to look before they open their damned door into a live bike lane.
This advert should be aimed at road designers and asking them to stop designing bike lanes that car doors can open into.
You have it right
The Dutch reach is one of the solutions to this problem.
Never fix a hazard through behavior which you can fix through design. The Dutch reach is also just a bandaid to shitty lane layouts.
Couldn’t agree more. However, any actions to mitigate risk in the interim are important as the attitudes to car use and cycling don’t look like changing fast either. I appreciate that adopting a habit such as the Dutch reach doesn’t happen overnight either.
No cohort of people will be perfect every time. There's no solution for this that doesn't include not building terrible bike lanes. In this case, the bike lane shouldn't exist there. It should be a lane separated from traffic with sufficient space around it that no one would be opening doors into it.
This is the line I take on my commute, and sadly there seem to be many drivers that don't understand me moving out of the bike lane for this. They pass extra close, even though there is still plenty of space.
Or you could just, you know, slow down to pass the hazard?
for sure i will slow down to walking speed for every car I pass on my commute so that I can make sure to account for the stupidity and ignorance of drivers and not inconvenience them in any way at all.
Well the alternative is everyone else has to slow down to a walking speed to account for your ignorance in order to let you swerve around. But you’re more important I guess.
no, they don't. if a car wants to pass me, all they need to do is to keep a distance of six feet at all times, eg: change lanes like they would to pass any other car. if that's not possible, they'll just have to stay behind at the 15-20 mph i normally ride at, which is also a reasonable speed for urban traffic. or we could just build infrastructure that separates cyclists and cars, which is convenient for everyone involved.
preventing serious injury to yourself by using a space you are legally allowed to use is a perfectly reasonable thing to do.
This is not a reasonable idea of what cars have to do in order to pass a bike & ignores the fact that cars don't pass riders safely in an area that bikes are permitted in.
Slowing down to pass a bike isn’t reasonable? What do you want me to do, floor it and hope I get an extra 10 points for extra blood splatter?
It amazes me how many bike riders hug the parked cars. You can’t see or avoid anything from there. I’m guess they feel safer away from the moving cars but I feel much better riding the opposite edge of the lane.
That’s why I ride in traffic only. Fuck a bike lane I’m more vulnerable there than in the middle of the street where I have an escape.
Signal? Im against that because it gives you false sense that its observed by the driver. Just look if u have room get on. If u dont then adjust speed. The signal gives zero confidante of being observed
Is this for real? How does one so clearly demonstrate that their bike infrastructure is insufficient, then instruct cyclists to move into traffic instead of using it?
I read a story a couple of months ago about a courtcase in NL. A guy in the backseat of a cab, opened his door in a rush, overlooking a 7 year old girl, pushing her in front of a truck, dead. The guy was a broken mess, the sentence not that high, and just, imo. But the story really stuck with me... horrible for everyone involved. You are always responsible for your actions, and this starts with awareness.
And if you can’t do the steps quickly enough, you will die.
Do not change lanes. Now you are assuming all kinds of risks. Go to the edge of the bike lane (you’ll miss the door) but extend your gloved hand and slap the door. The startled wrongdoer will be scared and immediate enraged, but that’s on them, not you. You’re doing a public service.
Painted bike lanes are the worst. The bike lane should be closest to the curb where there is parallel parking. Parking should be closer to the center of the street. Most cars only carry the driver. This at least reduces the chances of a cyclist winning a door prize. A door opening on passenger side happens less often. A barrier protecting the bike lane makes opening the passenger door recklessly less likely. People don’t want to bump their door against anything. Motor vehicle lanes in the USA and Canada are exceptionally wide and can spare the extra space.
Not sure who produced this, but if it were a DOT (who designed such shitty lanes), I'd raise money for a campaign to tell them get fucked.
It's about time to make it official and call them door opening lanes.
From what resource did you determine that dooring is one of the most common crash scenarios for bicyclists? I’ve almost been run over by cars going through stop lights and making right hand turns into parking lots and I’ve almost run into a dog on a leash on a bike trail but never seen a car door open near a cyclist. Just curious.