How to train drivers not to "door" cyclists

[KLizotte]

I am really, really going to try to remember to do this every time I drive. It’s so simple!!!

For decades now in the Netherlands, many drivers have been trained (and tested for their licenses) on a behavior that dramatically reduces the risk of doorings. They do not even have a name for it because it is simply how one opens a car door. Basically, instead of using their door-side (left) arm, they reach over with their other (right) arm. This simple behavioral shift causes drivers to look back naturally and see whether or not there are oncoming bicyclists.

The Dutch Reach is a practice where instead of using your near hand — usually the driver’s left hand — to open your car door, you use your far hand. Your right hand,” Charney told The World. “In doing that, you automatically swivel your body. And you position your head and shoulders so you are looking directly out. First, past the rearview mirror. And then, you are very easily able to look back and see if there are oncoming bicycles or cars or whatever.”

http://99percentinvisible.org/article/dutch-reach-clever-workaround-keep-cyclists-getting-doored/

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[secstate]

This notification popped up during my ride home from the airport yesterday

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[SpaceJockey]

Very interesting, however, I assume there is a relative lack of enforcement or simply the necessary cultural factors for that to be effective. As it is drivers seem to have significant difficulty using their directional and abiding by posted lane markings and signage while in motion, let alone their actions while parked. I stand by my claim that the bike lane is one of THE MOST dangerous spots you can ride a bike, and bikers should exercise extreme caution and ride defensively at all times.

[secstate]

@SpaceJockey 192761 wrote:

I stand by my claim that the bike lane is one of THE MOST dangerous spots you can ride a bike, and bikers should exercise extreme caution and ride defensively at all times.

I’ve been doored once so far, and not in a bike lane but while filtering past stopped traffic in the service road alongside Virginia Ave in front of the Watergate. An Uber/Lyft passenger decided to bail out rather than wait for traffic. Fortunately I was wasn’t going terribly fast but it gave us all a good scare.

[lordofthemark]

@secstate 192768 wrote:

I’ve been doored once so far, and not in a bike lane but while filtering past stopped traffic in the service road alongside Virginia Ave in front of the Watergate. An Uber/Lyft passenger decided to bail out rather than wait for traffic. Fortunately I was wasn’t going terribly fast but it gave us all a good scare.

Um hmmm.

Teaching the Dutch reach is not an issue only for door zone bike lanes – there are lots of other occasions where even riders quite aware of DZ issues end up in DZ’s however briefly, and of course there are lots of newbs and less confident riders who will ride in door zones in the absence of a painted bike lane.

Of course for painted bike lanes that are alongside parked cars (some of course are on streets with no parking) in addition to education and enforcement we should improve the infra. Especially in places with high parking turnover we should look to widen the bike lanes (and I particularly like treatments I have seen in Arlington where the buffer striping is painted on the door zone side) and flipping the lanes into PBLs.

[ChristoB50]

I especially like riding the Eads bike lane… ie, parallel parking out away from the curb, placing parked cars adjacent to the moving traffic with a buffer zone on the passenger side of the parked cars (into which passenger doors can open) and then the bike lane placed adjacent to the curb.
I think most drivers about to get out of their parked car are more likely to check their rear for the oncoming vehicle traffic (as an intuitively sensible measure — and self-preservation) than they might be to check their rear (for cyclist-preservation while opening a door).

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[SpaceJockey]

As a counterpoint, I (eye) st se just off of South capital near the new Slipstream cafe has a treacherous bike lane that meanders from between the parking lane right in front of an apartment building to a bike/car interchange for car traffic headed to I-395S. I think the only surprise is that the majority of my close calls have been with pedestrians turning the blind corner either from or to the apartments and crossing the bike lane to their cars.

[Drewdane]

Now I’m wondering what shows up if one does a search for “Dutch Reach” on Pornhub…

[lordofthemark]

@SpaceJockey 192778 wrote:

As a counterpoint, I (eye) st se just off of South capital near the new Slipstream cafe has a treacherous bike lane that meanders from between the parking lane right in front of an apartment building to a bike/car interchange for car traffic headed to I-395S. I think the only surprise is that the majority of my close calls have been with pedestrians turning the blind corner either from or to the apartments and crossing the bike lane to their cars.

That’s been a total mess with the construction. And yeah, having a PBL for only a teeny segment is less than ideal and the driveways are not great. I don’t prefer taking the lane there though. It’s a dense place in the city, I just accept I’m going slowly there. Lately I have generally taken L or K to First to Eye, to avoid the Eye and NJ intersection, which is problematic and not because of the bike lane. The left turn from NB First to WB Eye is not great though (I do it to the PBL, but I think it would be just as hard to the general travel lane)

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