4 ms·

> WTF is a bike doing in the middle of the road? If there's no bike lanes, then the bikes go all the way to the right, there are almost no exceptions. Mainly d

by schoen 4y ago

> WTF is a bike doing in the middle of the road? If there's no bike lanes, then the bikes go all the way to the right, there are almost no exceptions. Mainly door zones of parked cars: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dooring https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dooring That's the main reason I was taught to take a full lane with my bike, and the main reason I do. (Apart from things I perceive as safety issues -- mainly dooring! -- I always try to make sure motorists can pass me when they want to.)

mrweasel 4y ago
Look at the picture in the Wikipedia article, like NYC bikes lanes, that lane has been placed by an idiot. It's on the wrong side of the car. Still, in places with no bike lanes, I sort of see your point, but who in their right mind opens a door straight into traffic. If it's a bike it's going to unpleasant for the rider, if it's a car, your car door comes off. I think it's less of a problem here in Denmark, partly do to placement of the bike lanes, but also because you don't park your car on the side of major roads and because drivers a more expecting of bikes perhaps. I mean dooring happens, but very rarely.
- schoen 4y ago
  I'd say you're lucky to have better infrastructure that contributes to better safety. The bike lane placement in that Wikipedia example is dangerous because of the door zone, but it's not atypical for the United States. > who in their right mind opens a door straight into traffic. If it's a bike it's going to unpleasant for the rider, if it's a car, your car door comes off [...] I mean dooring happens, but very rarely. Here in the U.S., I believe it's the most common cause of cyclist injuries in some cities (!). Opening doors into traffic without looking is not that unusual, and there's a lot of discussion about how to change that habit. Edit: the sibling comment points out that the habit of looking before opening doors may be different for drivers versus passengers. Anecdotally, I think some of the worst offenders are taxi and rideshare passengers (in the back seat).
- rob74 4y ago
  > that lane has been placed by an idiot. It's on the wrong side of the car. No, it's on the right (i.e. correct) side of the car - drivers are trained to look into the side mirror before opening the door, passengers not (and even if they were, they can't use the mirror on their side).
  - schoen 4y ago
    There are now some protected bike lanes in which parked cars provide part of the protection (!), but you need a lot of space in order to construct one without having the passenger-side door zone overlapping the protected lane. It's pretty nice as a cyclist, in the minority of cases where there was enough space to do it this way. I suspect it may have required eliminating an entire traffic lane in some places!
  - Symbiote 4y ago
    Passengers in Denmark are trained to look before opening the door (by parents, usually), and it's the drivers responsibility if the passenger isn't capable of that. A taxi driver will often remind you at the end of the journey, if you're obviously foreign. (And you have forgotten passengers in the back seats.)

by schoen 4y ago

mrweasel 4y ago

Look at the picture in the Wikipedia article, like NYC bikes lanes, that lane has been placed by an idiot. It's on the wrong side of the car. Still, in places with no bike lanes, I sort of see your point, but who in their right mind opens a door straight into traffic. If it's a bike it's going to unpleasant for the rider, if it's a car, your car door comes off. I think it's less of a problem here in Denmark, partly do to placement of the bike lanes, but also because you don't park your car on the side of major roads and because drivers a more expecting of bikes perhaps. I mean dooring happens, but very rarely.

schoen 4y ago
I'd say you're lucky to have better infrastructure that contributes to better safety. The bike lane placement in that Wikipedia example is dangerous because of the door zone, but it's not atypical for the United States. > who in their right mind opens a door straight into traffic. If it's a bike it's going to unpleasant for the rider, if it's a car, your car door comes off [...] I mean dooring happens, but very rarely. Here in the U.S., I believe it's the most common cause of cyclist injuries in some cities (!). Opening doors into traffic without looking is not that unusual, and there's a lot of discussion about how to change that habit. Edit: the sibling comment points out that the habit of looking before opening doors may be different for drivers versus passengers. Anecdotally, I think some of the worst offenders are taxi and rideshare passengers (in the back seat).
rob74 4y ago
> that lane has been placed by an idiot. It's on the wrong side of the car. No, it's on the right (i.e. correct) side of the car - drivers are trained to look into the side mirror before opening the door, passengers not (and even if they were, they can't use the mirror on their side).
- schoen 4y ago
  There are now some protected bike lanes in which parked cars provide part of the protection (!), but you need a lot of space in order to construct one without having the passenger-side door zone overlapping the protected lane. It's pretty nice as a cyclist, in the minority of cases where there was enough space to do it this way. I suspect it may have required eliminating an entire traffic lane in some places!
- Symbiote 4y ago
  Passengers in Denmark are trained to look before opening the door (by parents, usually), and it's the drivers responsibility if the passenger isn't capable of that. A taxi driver will often remind you at the end of the journey, if you're obviously foreign. (And you have forgotten passengers in the back seats.)