Raleigh made a big step toward becoming more bike friendly this month. The city council passed an ordinance, making it illegal for drivers to open their doors without looking behind them for cyclists.
This ordinance, effective as of Nov. 5, helps prevent “dooring” accidents, which occur when a cyclist crashes into a driver’s open door on streets that allow parallel parking, such as Hillsborough Street.
Jennifer Baldwin, the bicycle and pedestrian coordinator for the city’s Office of Transportation Planning, said this law is part of several changes to cycling-related laws in Raleigh.
“We were tasked with updating the city code for all things cycle related,” Baldwin said. “We reviewed all bike references and made updates to make sure that nothing contradicts and that all definitions are the same.”
City Council also made it illegal to park in bike lanes, with the exception of certain areas in downtown.
Baldwin said the “dooring” law is mostly to clarify responsibility.
“‘Dooring’ won’t necessarily be an enforced ordinance,” Baldwin said. “It’s for legality purposes. Previously, if a driver opened a door and caused an accident, there was no penalty put on the driver. Now, it’s clearly written that if a driver causes an accident, an officer can penalize that driver.”
Baldwin said she’s not sure if other cities in North Carolina have implemented similar ordinances. However, she and her department used language from a city law in Portland, Ore.
“This law doesn’t just protect cyclists,” Baldwin said. “We are just writing down what should be obvious. Another car could also hit a car door.”
Mike Williams, assistant director of the public affairs department in Raleigh, said City Council members feel very strongly about safety issues affecting bicyclists and pedestrians. Williams said several other initiatives were also launched that he feels will make Raleigh safer, such as “Lighten up Raleigh,” a campaign which seeks to encourage cyclists to use lights when riding after dark.
“We’ve partnered with all local bike shops,” Baldwin said. “From now through the end of the year, anyone can get 15 percent of bike lights.”
Last month, Ivin Scurlock and Alexandra Simou, both residents of Chapel Hill, died after an unidentified car struck them while they were biking on Hwy. 15-501 in Chapel Hill after dark. According to the State Highway Patrol, neither rider was wearing a helmet, but Scurlock was dressed in a reflective vest.
Richard Giorgi, founder of Carrboro biking nonprofit The Recyclery, told the INDY WEEK that nighttime cyclists should install blinking rear lights because they draw motorists’ attention.
Baldwin said there are about 15 bike shops participating in “Lighten Up Raleigh.” She also said the city worked with NCSU Transportation to “tag” bikes without a light with a door hanger on N.C. State’s campus.