More than 300 cases of cyclists crashing into open car doors on the streets of Chicago — deemed America’s Best Bike City — were reported in 2015, an almost 50 percent increase from the previous year.
According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, the 302 cases of dooring reported that year — the most recent data available — were up from 203 in 2014 and 270 in 2013 but down from the 334 reported in 2012 and 336 in 2011, the first full year IDOT collected dooring data.
“The fact we saw 300 doorings reported in 2015 is a sign we need to continue to do more to prevent these types of crashes,” said Jim Merrell, advocacy director of Active Transportation Alliance, which is analyzing the data.
Getting doored by people exiting parked cars is a real fear for the growing number of cyclists in Chicago, and can result in significant injuries.
“Every cyclist actively worries about getting doored and keeps an eye out,” said Yasmeen Schuller, a bike rider and president of the Chainlink, an online networking site for Chicago cyclists.
She said she has had to dodge open car doors many times by riding on the left side of a bike lane, farther away from parked cars. “It’s not the best feeling to ride closer to traffic, but still better than getting doored,” she said.
Katie Isermann has crashed twice into car doors while riding. The first time, about five years ago on Wells Street while on her way to work on the Near North Side, caused her to fall off her bike.
“The door opened right in front of me, and I went down, and there was a cyclist behind me that went down too,” she said. “It was pretty scary. I was OK. My front wheel was tacoed in half.” She got a new bike but didn’t need stitches for the cuts on her thumb and leg.
Now she’s on guard even while riding in protected bike lanes, looking at side mirrors of parked cars to see if people are inside the vehicles.
“I try to be aware because I feel like people driving aren’t,” said the 35-year-old Lakeview resident.
Cyclists watch out for drivers as well as passengers exiting from either side of cars, cabs and ride-hailing vehicles. Some bike riders said they let other cyclists following behind them know when they see someone sitting in a parked car. They scan cars, looking into windows or at taillights to anticipate someone exiting a vehicle, and ride more slowly through more congested areas.
“As fun as cycling is, you have to be paying attention all the time and looking everywhere,” said Tiber Scheer, 45, who commutes downtown from Oak Park.
Although it can seem like cyclists are pitted against drivers in an us-versus-them scenario, Scheer said both groups have a responsibility on the road. For as many near-misses with open car doors as Scheer has had, he also has seen drivers start to open a door but close it when they spot him or wait to open the door until he passes.
“Cars have to look out for bicyclists. Bicyclists have to look out for cars,” he said.
In September, Bicycling magazine named Chicago America’s Best Bike City for 2016, citing the city’s investment in infrastructure designed to improve safety for cyclists and its bike accessibility programs such as Divvy’s bike-sharing membership plan for low-income residents.
But the number of crashes involving Chicago cyclists has not decreased. State data show 1,720 crashes happened in 2015, up from 1,634 in 2014. In 2013, there were 1,719 in 2013, but fewer in prior years: 1,579 in 2012 and 1,404 in 2011.
At the same time, the number of cyclists in Chicago has grown. The rate of people biking to work has increased from 0.7 percent in 2005 to 1.3 percent in 2010 to 1.8 percent in 2015, according to census figures.
In an effort to eliminate traffic deaths and serious injuries, the city has launched a Vision Zero plan focusing on education, enforcement and infrastructure.
Since 2011, the city has added more than 100 miles of protected bike lanes with barriers like concrete curbs and bollards, or extra space providing a buffer between the bike pathway and parked cars. In addition, the city provides cabs with window decals to remind passengers to check the road before exiting the taxis and increased the fines for opening a vehicle door in the path of a cyclist to $1,000.
The city recently distributed a flyer to taxi and ride-hailing companies and at bike safety events with information on bike and pedestrian laws and tips for motorists on how to avoid crashes with bikes, according to the Chicago Department of Transportation.
Such tips include opening the driver’s-side door by reaching for the handle with the right hand to force the driver to turn and look behind for oncoming bicycles, cyclists passing at a safe distance of at least 3 feet, and avoiding parking or driving in bike lanes.
Some cyclists said they would like to see new drivers learn how to share the road with bike riders, and be tested on driving exams on how to safely exit cars and check for cyclists.
“I feel like the city has done a better job of getting more bike lanes out there, putting bike paint down and having more bike lanes protected. I’m not seeing a lot from the educational side,” said Danielle Martin, 33, who rides along the elevated 606 pedestrian and bike trail on her commute from the Hermosa neighborhood to the West Loop.
“I think the city could definitely do a little bit more in terms of educating drivers and cyclists on how to share the road.”
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