Video: Dashcam captures frightening moment a London cyclist was doored by van driver

dougie_c wrote:

Yep, "a door and a little bit more."

And develop the habit of scanning vehicles that you pass for signs of occupancy. If you're going fast enough so as to be unable to contemplate the probability that the door of each vehicle that you pass will open (e.g. on a descent), then that'd be "a door and a whole lot more."

Cyclists who fail to take this space are letting the rest of us down.

But it's important to co-operate with motorists: when there is space to let them pass safely, move in smartly, let them go.

But I suspect many cyclists, particularly those who aren't hard-core Strava types or active-travel activists, will be influenced by the incessant refrain from petrolheads, complaining about cyclists 'being in their way' and 'taking up the whole road'. And not just expressed in person on the roads but on forums and in newspapers and all forms of media.

That chorus of ignorance is has to contribute to many cyclists ending up in the door zone out of a desire to be accommodating and 'share the road'.

(And then there are the door-zone cycle lanes, giving an official stamp of approval to being there)

FluffyKittenofTindalos wrote:

dougie_c wrote:

Yep, "a door and a little bit more."

And develop the habit of scanning vehicles that you pass for signs of occupancy. If you're going fast enough so as to be unable to contemplate the probability that the door of each vehicle that you pass will open (e.g. on a descent), then that'd be "a door and a whole lot more."

Cyclists who fail to take this space are letting the rest of us down.

But it's important to co-operate with motorists: when there is space to let them pass safely, move in smartly, let them go.

But I suspect many cyclists, particularly those who aren't hard-core Strava types or active-travel activists, will be influenced by the incessant refrain from petrolheads, complaining about cyclists 'being in their way' and 'taking up the whole road'. And not just expressed in person on the roads but on forums and in newspapers and all forms of media. That chorus of ignorance is has to contribute to many cyclists ending up in the door zone.

Indeed. Plus on some narrower roads, where cars are parked either side with space for one car to travel down the middle, it's impossible *not* to be in the door zone - or at least uncomfortably close to it.

My current commute is mainly rural and suburban, but there is one stretch, only about 80m, outside some village shops where I swing as wide as I can and take it very easy - it's full of schoolkids and schoolrun Mums/Dads parking everywhere and jumping out to the shops, with cars meeting down the middle. But sometimes I've just got to go right down the middle and take it easy - you'd have to be Evel Knievel to avoid it.

The onus has got to be on the impatient, inconsiderate berks who just fling their doors open, to stop doing it.

Mungecrundle wrote:

Nasty incident, I hope the cyclist is OK. Van driver totally at fault of course, but this is exactly why you must stay outside the door zone when passing parked vehicles. Just look at the 2 cycles coming the other way, skimming the parked cars and allowing vehicles to overtake where it is clearly dangerous to do so. There is a crossing point in the very first few frames of the video. I hope that this video is resurrected for every single comment posted on this site that claims taking primary position is unsafe or uneccessarily inconveniences other road users.

Luckily, it looks like the usual suspects have been banned from this site, so no more Willo/BikeLikeBike etc.

Saratoga wrote:

The article states that the cyclist was injured, in which case the van driver MUST report the accident to the police within 24 hours (Road Traffic Act 1988). It does not matter that the police were not called at the time.

I thought that, too; went to a station the next day to report a taxi driver whose passenger had doored me, one time: "Did you have to go to hospital, sir?" "Er, no, but I've got a nasty gash and my bike was damaged " "But you didn't go to hospital?" "No, but I'd like to report it anyway, because otherwise how will you compile road safety statistics?" "Are you absolutely sure you want to report it? Oh, very well..." I kid you not 

CXR94Di2 wrote:

Never ride within 5ft of parked vehicle doors

Here's the catch: This is great advise, but on many UK roads, like the one show you would just stay in primary position all the time, and this would be seen as aggressive blocking by many motorists. No one is asking for punishment passes or condoning them, but they are inevitable. Many cyclists would rather be oblivious to the danger of a dooring than risk dangerous driving around themselves. 

Sorry that isn't an answer, it is a psychological Catch 22, keep your wits around you. 

Leviathan wrote:

CXR94Di2 wrote:

Never ride within 5ft of parked vehicle doors

Here's the catch: This is great advise, but on many UK roads, like the one show you would just stay in primary position all the time, and this would be seen as aggressive blocking by many motorists. No one is asking for punishment passes or condoning them, but they are inevitable. Many cyclists would rather be oblivious to the danger of a dooring than risk dangerous driving around themselves. 

Sorry that isn't an answer, it is a psychological Catch 22, keep your wits around you. 

If it's a choice between:
A. Somebody taking offence at my positioning and somebody perhaps willfully endangering me.
B. Being doored due to someone's carelessness and then being flattened by vehicle behind being carelessly driven (or an oncoming vehicle).

I'm going to go with option A.

I find that if I position my self in a good secondary position and take primary when necessary, I get a lot fewer careless close passes. It might mean more punishment passes (though not yet in my experience). There are lots more 'careless' drivers than 'dangerous' drivers, but both are equally dangerous if you let them - i.e. there are a lot more motorists who will unintentionally harm you, if you let them them, than will intentionally harm you (in my experience).

Leviathan wrote:

CXR94Di2 wrote:

Never ride within 5ft of parked vehicle doors

Here's the catch: This is great advise, but on many UK roads, like the one show you would just stay in primary position all the time, and this would be seen as aggressive blocking by many motorists. No one is asking for punishment passes or condoning them, but they are inevitable. Many cyclists would rather be oblivious to the danger of a dooring than risk dangerous driving around themselves. 

Sorry that isn't an answer, it is a psychological Catch 22, keep your wits around you. 

If it's a choice between:
A. Somebody taking offence at my positioning and somebody perhaps willfully endangering me.
B. Being doored due to someone's carelessness and then being flattened by vehicle behind being carelessly driven (or an oncoming vehicle).

I'm going to go with option A.

I find that if I position my self in a good secondary position and take primary when necessary, I get a lot fewer careless close passes. It might mean more punishment passes (though not yet in my experience). There are lots more 'careless' drivers than 'dangerous' drivers, but both are equally dangerous if you let them - i.e. there are a lot more motorists who will unintentionally harm you, if you let them them, than will intentionally harm you (in my experience).

Leviathan wrote:

CXR94Di2 wrote:

Never ride within 5ft of parked vehicle doors

Here's the catch: This is great advise, but on many UK roads, like the one show you would just stay in primary position all the time, and this would be seen as aggressive blocking by many motorists. No one is asking for punishment passes or condoning them, but they are inevitable. Many cyclists would rather be oblivious to the danger of a dooring than risk dangerous driving around themselves. 

Sorry that isn't an answer, it is a psychological Catch 22, keep your wits around you. 

If it's a choice between:
A. Somebody taking offence at my positioning and somebody perhaps willfully endangering me.
B. Being doored due to someone's carelessness and then being flattened by vehicle behind being carelessly driven (or an oncoming vehicle).

I'm going to go with option A.

I find that if I position my self in a good secondary position and take primary when necessary, I get a lot fewer careless close passes. It might mean more punishment passes (though not yet in my experience). There are lots more 'careless' drivers than 'dangerous' drivers, but both are equally dangerous if you let them - i.e. there are a lot more motorists who will unintentionally harm you, if you let them them, than will intentionally harm you (in my experience).

Paul_C wrote:

always report a collision with another vehicle... it all goes into the stats...

No, many cops will try very hard to not record anything if the victim is on a bike. Some cops will even become threatening and abusive if you press your rights (yes, it has happened to me).

Ramuz wrote:

"Police were not called to the incident, so the van driver will not face charges."

So provided no-one calls the police when I murder my neighbour then bury him in the back garden, all is fine.

Yep you're all good to go !

Ramuz wrote:

"Police were not called to the incident, so the van driver will not face charges."

So provided no-one calls the police when I murder my neighbour then bury him in the back garden, all is fine.

Only if your neighbour was a cyclist.

Ramuz wrote:

"Police were not called to the incident, so the van driver will not face charges."

So provided no-one calls the police when I murder my neighbour then bury him in the back garden, all is fine.

Nah, only here in America.  Scotland "What's this, then" Yard would have it well in hand, right?