Watch out for those doors!
Posted by greg in Uncategorized, tags: bike lanes, Door, Doored, DooringA few days ago I mentioned hearing about what was probably the first dooring incident of the BU school year in the Comm. Ave bike lane. BU biker Eric Stratton was at the scene when he snapped this photo of the the aftermath:
According to Eric, the cyclist was mildly injured but is OK. The driver of this Mercedes “did the right thing” by taking responsibility for his actions. The driver stayed to make sure the cyclist was OK even when BUPD and the ambulance arrived and offered to pay for damages, etc. Eric also said the police will be ticketing the driver; according to those new bike laws that passed this year which allow ticking for dooring, police may fine him anywhere between $0-$100. We do not know what amount this ticket will end up being.
I was glad to hear that the cyclist was OK, and it was great news to hear that a driver took responsibility for his actions. I’ve heard too many stories where a motorist hit a cyclist and drove away, waving their fists in anger at a cyclist who has been flung to the ground and left with a ruined bike. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that such situations should be taken seriously, and to get the police involved.
Remember, biking in Boston can be extremely fun and practical, but just like when driving a car, safety should be taken seriously. Watch out for those doors, even in the bike lanes. And if you haven’t yet, check out this excellent Back to School Bike Guide put together by Boston Biker.
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Since the no parking sign is quite visible in that picture, why isn’t the driver also being fined for illegal parking in addition to dooring the cyclists? I’m glad the person took responsibility and did the right thing after the collision, but the incident likely would have never happened if they had parked in a proper spot.
Great pic, great story, and great link!
I bike commute to and from work, about 6 miles thru Long Beach Ca., every day, including a return trip at night on my lghted bike, and due to the constant presense of parked cars I take the lane giving me more than an open car doors length of safety.
Occasionally this annoys drivers, even when I wear my “3 Feet Please” Jersey, or Shirt. ;-D
I despise painted Bike Lanes to the left of where parked cars are allowed because the open car door enteres completely in the path of a cyclist in that lane.
In Long Beach everyone is oh so proud of 2 stretches of Bike Lanes on 2nd Street, and one on 1st, that I travel on with extreme caution.
The 1st part of the 2nd St. route is painted green, through a business district where cars park along the curb.
The 2nd 2nd St. section, and the 1st St. section, go thru a residential area where the parked cars are parked diagonally, and the drivers have to back-up to leave their space, and thus enter the bike lane.
On those 2 sections the cyclist also has to deal with the occasional cyclist riding the wrong way, ignoring the arrows, and the fact that the streets are one-way streets for all users!
George, George, George on Your Bicycle, Look Out for That…Ohhh!… Door!…
BU Bikes, the Cycling Advocacy Blog at Boston University, has a photo of the aftermath of a Dooring, and a link to an excellent Back to School Bike Guide, by Boston Biker. Read: Watch out for those doors! Clearly the……
about those green lanes in long beach, Kiril….
they are not intended to simply be green bike lanes. they are intended to denote that cyclists have a right to ride i safe distance from parked cars and other hazards.
so, take the lane. and check this link:
http://la.streetsblog.org/2009/06/29/cyclists-pumped-about-long-beachs-green-sharrows/