Higher ‘dooring’ fine increases safety for cyclists

Jul 23, 2020 | 2:05 PM

The fine for ‘dooring’ in British Columbia is being quadrupled.

To help reduce cycling collisions and better protect everyone on the road, anyone opening the door of a parked car when it is not reasonably safe to do so (known as “dooring”) will face a fine of $368, effective Sept. 21, 2020.

That’s a significant increase from the current fine of $81, which is among the lowest in Canada.

“Dooring can cause serious injury, and the new fine reflects that,” said Claire Trevena, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure. “But it is preventable, which is why we are also investing in public education. We want to make sure everyone who uses the roads does so safely.”

Dooring is a common safety issue for cyclists in communities around the province. The higher fine, along with a public education and awareness campaign, will help raise the profile of cyclists. It will also help improve cyclists’ safety by making drivers more aware of their actions.

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“With cycling and other modes of active transportation becoming more popular, it’s important to have the right policies in place for people to safely commute and get around in our province,” said Spencer Chandra Herbert, MLA for Vancouver-West End. “Dooring can kill or severely injure a person. Making the offence of dooring equivalent to distracted driving and excessive speeding offences in terms of the fine is another necessary step to help keep our most vulnerable road users safe.”

Bowinn Ma, MLA for North Vancouver-Lonsdale, whose community suffered a death in 2019 as a result of dooring, said, “It is enormously dangerous to carelessly open a door into the pathway of a person moving on a bike. This increased fine sends a strong signal of the level of accountability that is expected of people who are operating a vehicle, even when the engine is off.”

Quick Facts:

B.C. has the highest percentage of active transportation trips for commuting to work out of all the provinces.
In 2019, 10 per cent of people who commuted to work in the province used active transportation.
33 per cent of school-age children primarily used active transportation, and 8 per cent of all college and university students commuted using active modes of transportation.
B.C.’s Active Transportation Strategy seeks to double the percentage of trips taken by active transportation by 2030.

by Pete McIntyre

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