Most 'Doorings' Happen on Lincoln, Damen, Study Shows

A new study by the City of Chicago is taking a hard look at bike crashes in the city, and it turns out two of North Center’s main streets are responsible for some of the highest rates of dooring accidents.

Released on Tuesday, the Chicago Bicycle Crash Analysis looked at crash data from 2005-2010 in hopes of finding ways to improve the city’s bicycle grid. It showed bike crashes are on the rise, from almost 7 percent of all traffic collisions in 2005 to nearly 10 percent in 2010.

“Bicycle crashes in Chicago remain a serious concern,” the city said in a statement. “In the six-year period between 2005 and 2010, there were nearly 9,000 injury crashes involving bicyclists, with 32 bicyclist fatalities.”

Dooring is defined as a cyclist is riding in a legal place when a person in a stationary vehicle opens their door, causing a crash. Data was only available for 2010-2011 for dooring accidents, but it still gave a clear image of problem spots.

It turns out Lincoln Avenue had the highest rate of dooring accidents, followed by Clark Street. Milwaukee Avenue came in third and Damen Avenue in fourth.

Western Avenue had one of the lowest dooring rates, but it was still listed in the study.

That’s combined with the number of crashes reported on Lincoln Avenue between Irving Park Road and Lawrence Avenue. When compared with other city streets, the stretch had one of the highest crashes per mile breakdowns on the North Side.

“The period of study gives us a clear picture of what we need to achieve the goals of Chicago’s Bike 2015 Plan and the Streets for Cycling Plan 2020,” the city continued in the statement. “…Perhaps the most important point to be made is that with proper street design and behavior change amongst road users, the overwhelming majority of bicycle crashes are preventable.”

The end of the study looked at potential solutions to the various crashing issues, with protected bike lanes and public awareness marketing campaigns as options. City Council already approved a plan to double the fines, from $500 to $1,000 for motorists who cause a dooring crash with a cyclist. Fines for leaving a vehicle door open in traffic also doubled from $150 to $300. 

And earlier this year, Mayor Rahm Emanuel launched an awareness campaign for taxi passengers, reminding them to look before opening passenger doors for their safety, and the safety of pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers. He announced that stickers will be placed on the rear passenger windows of all 7,000 Chicago taxicabs that say "Look! Before Opening Your Door."

Read the full 64 page study here.