TTCBCOAB, the Door Lane, and Seeing the Light

I work Saturdays, so weekends tend to be busy. Cramming all the chores into Sunday (and sometimes Monday) is a challenge, especially without using a car. Or is it? By riding a bike, parking is certainly easier. It's possible to (carefully) scoot past a long line of cars queued up at a stop sign or stop light. You arrive at your destination invigorated and in a better mood. And most importantly, you naturally avoid trying to do too much, getting in a rush, and becoming impatient with others. Perhaps life on a bike is generally better than life in a car.

TTCBCOAB #61, Four bags of groceries, new bike clothes

TTCBCOAB #62, Case of canned dog food, bag of kibble, biscuits

TTCBCOAB #63, Raised veggie bed fencing, donated by a friend

Bike Lane or Door Lane

Oakland, Berkeley, Alameda and other East Bay cities continue to add new facilities for cyclists. One of the easiest things cities can do is add sharrows: Pavement markings that alert drivers to the presence of bikes. Sometimes signs are added to remind drivers that bicycles may use an entire lane of traffic. In Oakland, several bike lanes are being augmented with a green stripe painted on the pavement to make the bike area clearer. This is good stuff, but there are complications.

Often the "sharrows"  and the green stripes are positioned to the right of the center of the lane, putting cyclists close to a row of parallel-parked cars. How much distance is required for a cyclist to avoid hitting a car door that is suddenly thrown open? After watching these two videos, you may think twice about assuming 3 feet of separation from parked cars is sufficient to "avoid the door." A word of warning, the second video is pretty startling.

Seeing the Light

One strategy for avoiding car doors and accidents in general is to use a flashing headlight, even during daylight hours. My commuter bike's dynamo-powered front and rear lights are on anytime my bike's wheels are turning, day or night. I supplement these steady-burning lights with flashing lights, front and rear. Countless times, the flashing front light has alerted drivers who were about to open their car doors and saved me from certain harm. And at least once a week, a pedestrian, driver, or another cyclist informs me "Hey, your lights are on!" My response varies from day-to-day, usually just a polite "Thank you," unless the person pointing it out is another cyclist. In that case I point out, "Hey, you don't have any lights!"


It may be very un-hip, but wearing bright colors like a florescent green, orange, or pink vest or jacket when riding is an easy way to reduce the risks associated with cycling. NHTSA and CDC have some good information on cycling safely and they both emphasize the importance of being visible.

So reducing cycling risks really be boiled down to four basic principles:

1. Wear a helmet
2. Be visible by using flashing lights and wearing bright clothing
3. Ride predictably and courteously
4. Stay alert and expect the unexpected