The Importance of Bike Lane Separation to Prevent Dooring Accidents

Dooring is a potentially dangerous situation that can occur when someone negligently opens the door of their parked car directly into the path of an unsuspecting cyclist. A dooring accident mainly occurs when drivers or car passengers fail to check for cyclists before opening their doors. This can put both parties in danger and result in severe injury or even death to the cyclist.

A government study released in 2022 found that between 2016 and 2021, serious injuries for pedal cyclists rose by 27%. During the year 2021, a total of 4,353 were reported to be seriously injured. There is no doubt that cyclists are particularly vulnerable to dooring because they often do not have enough time or distance to swerve when a door opens suddenly into their path. Understanding the importance of bike lane separation and how dooring affects cyclists is crucial to preventing bike lane accidents. 

Why Are Separated Bike Lanes Necessary? 

Separated bike lanes are necessary for the safety of cyclists and other road users, as they provide a designated lane for cyclists to ride in without the concern of nearby cars or other vehicles on the road. With separated bike lanes, cyclists have space away from traffic and can travel safely without an increased risk of being hit by a car or other vehicle. A physical barrier between the cycle lane and cars on the road also helps reduce potential dooring incidents. 

The presence of separated bike lanes can also help improve overall roadway safety by providing more opportunity for drivers to see bikers in advance, allowing them time to slow down and give room when appropriate. When both parties are aware of each other in advance, it reduces the likelihood of collisions occurring due to sudden braking or swerving manoeuvres that could lead to an accident. This improved visibility of cyclists can help prevent head-on crashes as well as reduce the number of side-swipes, rear-endings, and dooring incidents that commonly occur when drivers fail to watch out for bicyclists on shared roads with no dedicated cycle lane.

There is also evidence to suggest that implementing separated bike lanes encourages more people to take up cycling as a form of transportation instead of relying solely on cars or buses due to increased perceived safety while biking alongside motor vehicles on public roads. Arguably, introducing separated bike lanes can also help to promote a healthier lifestyles amongst citizens while reducing environmental impacts associated with cars, such as air pollution, noise pollution, and carbon emissions. 

The Implementation of Separated Bike Lanes

Implementing separated bike lanes and high-standard infrastructure for cycling has been a crucial step towards creating safer, more welcoming cycling environments in cities and towns across the UK. 

In July 2020, a YouGov survey for #bikeisbest revealed that 77% of people support measures in their local area to encourage cycling and walking, 80% of people who expressed a preference wanted UK streets redesigned to protect cyclists and pedestrians from motorists, and 51% agreed to cycle more if these changes were implemented. 

Additionally, investment in public education campaigns focused on raising awareness about cycling safety topics – such as dooring – is also important when introducing separate cycle paths into urban areas where motorists may not be expecting bikers alongside them on busy roads.

At Cycle SOS, we support the implementation of separate bike lanes and physically protected space for cyclists along busier roads, as well as street plans designed to filter out motor traffic with low speed limits and dedicated cycling routes away from motor traffic.