The Chainlink

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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My concern is the downtown area of the Evanston PBL on Chuch Street.  I felt like I might as well have been riding on the sidewalk.  Pedestrians don't treat the PBL as an active traffic lane and wander out not looking up from their phones until they get out to where the "real" traffic is out in the street.  Another problem is that cars were allowed to park right up to the intersection, so cyclists are hidden behind parked cars until the very end after a car has started to make the the right turn.  With a buffered lane, cyclists are visible to right-turning cars and can maneuver around a stopped line of right-turning cars.

These are my concerns with the Dearborn PBL, where there will be lots of pedestrians.  The PBL's in NYC have long turn lanes where turning cars are directed over next to the PBL, and away from the thru trafic lanes.  Then the turning cars need to wait for a left turn arrow before they are allowed to turn.  I hope these features are part of the Dearborn PBL.



David Barish said:

I think its a reasonable concern.  I don't see Bill's post as a complaint but as a warning that simply being in a PBL is not a magic potion to ensure your safety. You still have to have your wits about you.  I was in the evanston lane yesterday and felt a myriad of conflicting but distnict feelings- 1) Its great that there is such a lane and that the city wants to do something for cyclists. I like the green coloring to let everybody know that there really is something different about the lane.  2) Meh.  its no big deal. I don't feel much safer. 3) This is great- it may encourage kids and less experienced riders to run errands in Evanston via bike as I was doing yesterday. 4)where was that car? Where was that pedestrian? Is he/she going to cross the street?...still have the eyes wide open... 5)Cool. I see other bikes in my mirror. Enjoy the ride guys!

 

I think the Evanston lane makes this less of an issue as there is a protected distance and the plastic barrier thingies.  Dearborn may be another issue. I plan to try it tomorrow.

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