Parking your car? Look out for cyclists before you open the door.
That’s the message from the road safety team at Brighton & Hove City Council who say riders are at risk of being knocked off by car doors swung into their path.
The council says Portland Road in Hove has seen a significant number of ‘dooring’ incidents over the past three years, resulting in injuries and damage. It is a wide, busy road, with parking along its length. Cyclists are encouraged to cycle 1.5m away from parked cars where possible to avoid opening doors.
Blatchington Road in Hove is also thought to be risky for riders. Signs are going up in the area urging drivers and cyclists to careful.
The council is locally supporting campaigning underway this week by Cycling UK, warning of the dooring phenomenon.
Chair of the council’s environment, transport and sustainability committee Cllr Gill Mitchell said: “It’s great that more people are taking to cycling but there are risks particularly for new riders who cannot always see the dangers. So we’re urging both drivers and cyclists to be mindful of the dangers of dooring.”
An online video shot from a car dashboard camera in graphically demonstrates the problem. It shows a shocking instance of a cyclist smashing into a opening van door. Only quick reactions from the driver of the filming car prevents the rider being run over. It is not thought this incident was in Brighton & Hove.