Hey Chain Linkers:

Have any of you who  ride on Protected Bike Lanes experienced issues with getting doored (or almost doored) by passenger-side doors?  I'm leery of riding in PBL's in part because passengers are not accustomed to looking in the side view mirror (which is angled for the driver in any case, not particularly easy for a front-seat passenger to check) might fling their doors open.  Just like how passengers in cabs just open their doors into bikers' paths.  With the new lane on Dearborn (see the invaluable John Greenfield's recent Forum post), I brought this up.  Seems worth discussing.

Am I crazy to worry about passenger-dooring?  What's the group-mind's experience?

Bill

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I haven't experienced this on the protected bike lanes, but both times I was doored it was passenger-side from people who just decided they'd get out of their car or cab while it was still in the line of traffic. 

I'm pretty sure that some li'l sticker in cabs telling people to look before they open the door would do wonders for dooring. 

I'm aware of one PBL dooring so far, and it was done by a cab passenger.  It hasn't happened to me.

I did experience a non-PBL dooring similar to the one Peenworm describes above.  The cabbie stopped at the stop bar for a 4-way stop, right against the centerline, looking like he was just pausing for the stop sign.  Instead, his passenger opened the door as I was pulling up on the right.  *special*

I'd guess PBLs are less bad for dooring because at least there's one side of the lane which doesn't have cars on it, so you can conceivably stay out of the door zone. Something which, if there's traffic on a regular street, isn't an option. 

i can think of few lane/street configurations more dangerous than a PBL. Who thought that was a good idea?

I'm with you. Let's call 'em Buffer Protected Bike Lanes instead, just like CDOT calls them. There is no confusion in that designation.

http://gridchicago.com/2012/jackson-boulevard-bike-lane-downgraded-...

h' said:

We need to stop referring to them as "protected bike lanes." We were promised protected bike lanes and what we ended up with was buffered bike lanes.  

I would like to see the eradication of the use of "protected bike lane" or "pbl" to refer to anything other than a truly protected bike lane, i.e. one which has a physical barrier to prevent, or at least significantly minimize the likelihood that cars or parts thereof will encroach into bicycle travel space.

Who's with me?


mike w. said:

i can think of few lane/street configurations more dangerous than a PBL. Who thought that was a good idea?
i favour the eradication of separate bike lanes, "PBLs," "Buffer Protected Bike Lanes," and segregated lanes altogether.

I agree. BTW, when was the whole "We are traffic" debate won by the PBL/BPBL crowd anyway?

mike w. said:

i favour the eradication of separate bike lanes, "PBLs," "Buffer Protected Bike Lanes," and segregated lanes altogether.

I know of one that happened to a customer at the shop.

That may be the same one I mentioned, as I know that he's a Rapid Transit customer.

notoriousDUG said:

I know of one that happened to a customer at the shop.

Not according to CDOT. The bike lane has a buffer between the cars and bicyclists, therefore it is "protected". Not sure what is not clear about that ;)

(Note the emoticon)



h' said:

Not sure my point got across. To refer to a buffered bike lane as "protected" is basically a lie.



Duppie said:

I'm with you. Let's call 'em Buffer Protected Bike Lanes instead, just like CDOT calls them. There is no confusion in that designation.

http://gridchicago.com/2012/jackson-boulevard-bike-lane-downgraded-...

h' said:

We need to stop referring to them as "protected bike lanes." We were promised protected bike lanes and what we ended up with was buffered bike lanes.  

I would like to see the eradication of the use of "protected bike lane" or "pbl" to refer to anything other than a truly protected bike lane, i.e. one which has a physical barrier to prevent, or at least significantly minimize the likelihood that cars or parts thereof will encroach into bicycle travel space.

Who's with me?


mike w. said:

i can think of few lane/street configurations more dangerous than a PBL. Who thought that was a good idea?

Hi Bill,

I've almost been doored a few times in the lanes. I think you are not crazy!

This speaks to a need for greater driver and passenger education about the lanes and looking before dooring. I'm working with some Chainlinkers on driver and cyclist focused education but we hadn't included the passenger focused information. 

Anyone know if CDOT is planning education on this?


Thanks!

Katie

I feel much safer in a buffered bike lane than being confined in a PBL.  My most frustrating experience was riding in the Church St. PBL in Evanston recently.  In 5 blocks, I twice had pedestrians start to cross in front of me on my green light, almost got hit by a car turning right that didn't see me - even in my hi-vis, and got pinned in by a chain of cars turning right waiting for pedestrians to cross.  BRING ON THE BUFFERED BIKE LANES!!

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