?Puts on flame suit?
So this morning my wife dropped me off at the train station on the way to her work. We were in a queue of cars slowly edging forwards and a there was a cycle lane on the inside. 1m ahead was a left turn that my wife was indicating to go down, the lane goes across the junction for the turn. I opened the passenger door and there was a screech of brakes as the cyclist just stopped in time, she would of been going fairly fast down the hill. I apologised and she said a few choice words.
I felt bad straight after and glad that an accident didn’t happen. Now I’m thinking that if there had of been an accident I’m not sure I was technically at fault, after all my wife was indicating left at the time and there was enough room to turn into the junction.
Above all it’s made me realise with the boot on the other foot how easy it is for car occupants to make these mistakes and how stupid many cycle lanes are.

I alwys thought you were a bad man.

Now I’m thinking that if there had of been an accident I’m not sure I was technically at fault

did you look to make sure it was clear before opening the door?

Mirrors, mirrors, mirrors. Is all I have to say.

Now I’m thinking that if there had of been an accident I’m not sure I was technically at fault

Surely its the cyclists right of way since your crossing their lane.
That would be like turning right without checking for on coming traffic.

It was your fault but easy done of course

You are a batman badman

I did check about 5 seconds before and didn’t see anyone. My wife edged forward and I opened the door. As I said it is on a hill so the cyclist would of been doing over 20mph so came up quickly. More importantly my wife could have easily of turned left across her as she was indicating to do so.
Prepared to accept I was at fault but it does highlight how easy the things happen.

Be gone Satan 😉

Now if sir would just like to stand with hand back to the stake while we band his hands and feet, I’ll have the porters fetch oil and kindling…

Mirror before you do anything as above, that said I’ve been in slow moving traffic and been surprised when cyclists have suddenly filtered past me, and then sat thinking if turning left would I have looked again? probably, hope so, but if I’m honest, maybe not always. Both at fault IMO, learn from it, hope she does to.

Had I been the cyclist I might have gone for a cheeky filter if the traffic was stationary and the car wheels weren’t turned to the left, but I would have slowed and been ready for something alarming.

EDIT: sorry I missed that there was a cycle lane, typing and eating… – yes pretty much all on… your wife, as the driver of the car. Cyclist would be well advised to treat any car indicating left as a hazard liable to strike at any moment, but not obliged in any way to give way.

“after all my wife was indicating left at the time and there was enough room to turn into the junction.”

Irrelivent

this is why uk cycle lanes are an awful design.

Just because the human eyes point forward does not mean that is the only direction we should look. Lucky escape. Cyclist in cycle lane and you obstructed her path. 1mtr or 10mtr left makes no odds. She may well have been slowing down and that is what saved you. Chalk it up to experience and move on.

I don’t think a flaming is deserved.

Sure mirrors etc. But…..

A lane to the left is meant to be moving slower. When you drive you aren’t meant to move into the cycle lane as you turn left. If you are travelling fast up the inside of traffic you have some responsibility (to your own safety) to be aware of vehicles turning across you. If you are overtaking regardless of means of transport you have responsibility.

This is a common problem, I used to commute past a railway station in the mornings many years ago, hit a woman once but it was all her fault.

Bad combination, traffic lights stopped, “I’ll just get out quickly here dear before the lights change, save you pulling in at the station”, kiss kiss, go for the door, SPLAT.

She was in much worse shape than me I kind of saw it coming so slowed but couldn’t stop, smacked her face into the door, cut lip, blood and coffee everywhere.

Served her right if you ask me !

A lane to the left is meant to be moving slower.

Just wrong. It is specifically required to give way to cyclists in a lane to your left as you turn across it.

I’ve started passing queueing traffic on the outside for this very reason.

I felt bad straight after and glad that an accident didn’t happen. Now I’m thinking that if there had of been an accident I’m not sure I was technically at fault, after all my wife was indicating left at the time and there was enough room to turn into the junction.

Hi!

Personally, I wouldn’t shoot up the inside of a queue of traffic approaching a left turn for precisely this reason, but that said, the onus is on the car passenger to check its clear. My brother in law was doored by a car passenger a few years ago – after much legal wrangling, he was successful in his insurance claim against the car driver (who has responsibility).

must admit im alot more warey of this since i was taken out by an audi turning right across the cycle lane – no arguements that was his fault…… he had a 4 figure bill at least to pay to repair his car.

Another local – dont know him personally but he was doored on queens road and as far as my girlfriend tells me was in a coma to prevent him from breathing till they reconstructed everything that was smashed in by the top edge of the door….

roadhawk now mounted on my helmet and turned on once i leave the deeside way

“Now I’m thinking that if there had of been an accident I’m not sure I was technically at fault”

no it would have been entirely your fault.

what has indicating got to do with opening the car door?
unless your car has indicators that indicate that you are about to open your car door in the path of oncoming cyclists.

I have done this once but it was a near miss. I have also been knocked flying in to the road by someone full on opening the door into my ribs! It’s easily done.

my wife could have easily of turned left across her as she was indicating to do so

Come on…. What’s the absolute last thing you do before crossing someone else’s lane….?
Mirrors and blind spot

Had she done this she would have seen the bike no matter what speed.
Should cyclists stop at every left turn now just in case??

There is no situation where it is a cyclists fault for being attacked by a door.

Served her right if you ask me !

Am I reading that right? If so, wow. Just wow. Nasty, hels, nasty. 😯

[Edit: oh hang on, you were on the bike, she was opening the door and got walloped? Ok, sorry (but still a bit mean maybe). Sorry for misunderstanding you. Durr, too early.]

I’m not sure I was technically at fault

Yeah, you were – opening a door into traffic in a way that endangers someone is an offence. Doing it without actually checking at the time is double naughty. However foolhardy the person in the traffic is being, it’s still careless and wrong to open a door into a lane of traffic without checking (and checking 5 seconds ago is essentially not checking given the tendency of traffic to move).

Going past in the cycle lane while someone is signalling left might be a silly thing to do, assuming they have a chance to get to the left turn before you get there, because they might turn across you. It’s silly because a lot of drivers make exactly the assumption you make in the first post, that the cycle lane is not a proper lane of traffic, so you don’t have to worry about crossing it at all. On the other hand, if you think about it, with a slow moving car, even if it is indicating left, biking at 20mph, you might reasonably think that you’ll be well clear of the car by the time the corner comes up, might have been a perfectly sensible thing to do.

Does the cycle lane continue unbroken across the left hand road ? That would seem odd. From what you said the cyclist didn’t seem like they were preparing to stop to cross the road they were about to encounter.

Is the section on google streetview ? That would give the jury a better picture 🙂

What, person does something stupid and potentially dangerous to others, and I should feel sorry that she got a cut face for her troubles ? I did try to stop, she was lucky it wasn’t a lot worse. And lucky I didn’t call the cops

P.S and just to be clear, it was me on the bike, and her getting out of the car, across the cycle lane, without looking.

cycle paths that are drawn onto the main caridge ways dont encounter roads – they have the same rights of way that the main carridgeway has.

a separate cycle path has giveways – and for that reason i cycle on the road when they are present.

Try harder next time to get them!

Bloody cyclists!

Yeah, hels, sorry mate, misread you, see my edit. Need more coffee… 🙂

I got doored by a postman .It cost the Royal Mail £1800 in compensation

OK mintimperial will let you off this time but any more chat like that and I will ride my bike into you, and this time I won’t brake…

My dads got a huge scar running across his chest and down to his bellybutton which is car door shaped. He was doored when cycling years ago and it split him open. Many stitches and broken bones. I never filter. Although chicks dig scars apparently?

It sounds to me like the cyclist was probably already slowing/covering the brakes ready for this sort of thing or it would have been a lot worse. Easily done, though. Hopefully this will be reminder to all of us to be a bit more careful out there, even if it is just for today.

Now I’m thinking that if there had of been an accident I’m not sure I was technically at fault, after all my wife was indicating left at the time and there was enough room to turn into the junction.

Now you’re thinking like a motorist.
A near miss is something that everyone can learn from so you will no doubt take more care opening car doors and the cyclist may be more cautious on the inside cycle path overtaking traffic.

This makes good reading if you are bored and can’t get to sleep one night 😀

http://ukcyclerules.com/2012/04/12/car-accidents-contributory-negligence/

Tbf it sounds like it was your fault but lets face it, these things happen.

A lane to the left is meant to be moving slower. When you drive you aren’t meant to move into the cycle lane as you turn left. If you are travelling fast up the inside of traffic you have some responsibility (to your own safety) to be aware of vehicles turning across you. If you are overtaking regardless of means of transport you have responsibility.

Oh dear me so much wrong in that I don’t know where to start.

Lesson learnt OP. Mirrors and try turning your head too don’t rely on mirrors they have blind spots especially when setup for the driver.

This is why I pretty much ignore cycle lanes, especially when it comes to traffic queues, I go on the right of stationary vehicles, mainly as that’s were people expect to be overtaken. If only we had decent cycle infrastructure, it wouldn’t be an issue!

A useful suggestion I have heard is to always open your door with the farthest away hand – that forces you to look over your shoulder and allows you to peer much further round:

(”The Doors!” from Bikeyface.com)

For those who asked this is where it happened https://maps.google.com/maps?q=CB6+3AD,+UK&hl=en&ll=52.394159,0.264609&spn=0.001725,0.005633&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=36.642161,92.285156&hnear=CB6+3AD,+United+Kingdom&t=m&z=18&layer=c&cbll=52.394159,0.264609&panoid=nxSNU_Gx5vlRl5v0G-mjXQ&cbp=12,337.3,,0,22.5
I opened the door pretty much where the manhole cover is just at the junction start, the cycle lane had only just started.
I am probably in the wrong but it does highlight how easy it is to do this even if you a cyclist (albeit one that hasn’t commuted by bike for years) yourself.

The mirrors suggestions all tend to forget that the op was in the passenger seat and the mirrors should be set at angles to suit the driver. However I would say the driver should b checking for the passenger.

Well if nothing else we have a front runner for the Shittest Cycle Lane of the Year award…

If your front door was by the manhole cover, as a cyclist I would assume you were not turning left at the junction but somepoint further on, especially if the front wheels were straight. I would have the brakes covered, but just due to stationary traffic and junction and always expecting someone to try and kill me…