Door Prize

When biking on a busy street that has parking, you have two options: ride in the middle of the lane or ride to the side, near to the parked cars. Some cyclists advocate riding in the middle of the lane, and I can understand their point of view. A bike is a vehicle just as a car is; shouldn't cyclists be allowed to ride in the stream of traffic? While riding in the centre of a lane might be allowed, in practise it is hazardous. Some drivers will feel you should not be there; others may get impatient if they feel you aren't moving fast enough. In both instances, this can lead drivers to try to pass you. And occasionally they will try to pass in a dangerous manner.

Riding to the side, however, exposes you to the possibility of someone opening a door in your path. This is the so-called "door prize" (also called getting "doored"). You can't predict your reaction to a suddenly opened door in your path; your reaction will be automatic. The best advice I can give is to ride slowly when going past parked cars. This will give you more reaction time in the event of a suddenly opened door, and more reaction time will reduce the likelihood that you will swerve into traffic or smash into a door.

I also suggest scanning the interiors of parked cars as you bike toward them. Seeing that there is a person in a car will allow you to prepare. You can ring your bell to alert that person that you are approaching, and you can further reduce your speed. Of course you won't see everyone; some cars have tinted windows, and shorter drivers might be hidden by their car seats.

You should also check the signal lights of cars you are approaching. If a driver is signalling to pull into traffic, I recommend slowing right down. You have the right-of-way, but, as always, never assume a driver sees you. Proceed only if you are sure the driver sees you and is waiting for you to pass. Again, I recommend ringing your bell. If you are not sure the driver either sees you or is prepared to wait for you, then stop. The driver may have jumped cue, but at least you avoided being struck by the car.

Despite trying to be vigilant around parked cars, I recently received a door prize. Luckily, I only had some slight scrapes and bruises as a result of the collision, and my bike came through unscathed. I only had to put the chain back on the front sprocket and ride off.

A few years ago, I narrowly avoided another door prize, riding on Bloor Street (in Toronto) during a business day. A delivery truck was stopped at the side of the road, and as I came next to it, the driver opened the door. This time, instead of crashing into the door, I managed to swerve and avoid a collision. However, I swerved into the lane. Luckily, no cars were near me when I swerved! Had a car been coming along, the results could have been dire.