Anyone ever been "doored" or hit a pedestrian while using the parked car lane?

[Baggsy]

Re: Anyone ever been "doored" or hit a pedestrian while using the parked car lane?

This is where your stebel horn works wonders.

And yes, you can ride/drive in the parked car lane. Danforth is a great example. MOST people will drive in the centre lane there - I would easily pass people in the parked car land in my SUV, it can be tight at times, but if you have control of your vehicle and know its size, its easy. . The majority of people here in the GTA cant drive for ****, or have decent control of their vehicle. A lot of these people now also ride motorcycles too.

Except where people park outside of the designated areas (read: every light), then you get to slow everyone else down, while cutting back in.

 

[Robp]

Re: Anyone ever been "doored" or hit a pedestrian while using the parked car lane?

Except where people park outside of the designated areas (read: every light), then you get to slow everyone else down, while cutting back in.

Only if the second lane ended for some reason. Most of the two lane roads keep going after every light.

 

[unL33T]

Re: Anyone ever been "doored" or hit a pedestrian while using the parked car lane?

not sure how good the search is here, but we've discussed this in the past

see: http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforum/showthread.php?173022-Question-about-parked-car-lanes&p=2024811

I know but all the threads I saw before were more like, "It's most likely legal." I wanted to know if anyone has actually had an accident while doing it and who got charged with what, if anyone, and maybe how insurance dealt with it.

 

[REDBALLS]

Re: Anyone ever been "doored" or hit a pedestrian while using the parked car lane?

I have had a passenger open a car door while exiting and have another car damage my door.
I paid the deductible on my insurance to get my door fixed. Insurance explained that it is my responsibility to ensure the way is clear before a passenger exits.

 

[mindactivated]

Re: Anyone ever been "doored" or hit a pedestrian while using the parked car lane?

It's perfectly legal to ride in that lane, as you're not sharing your lane with another active vehicle. Having said that, common sense dictates that you ride carefully and at-or-below the speed limit so that your braking distance is very short. Pedestrians, doors, and careless motorists who think you're breaking the law are all things you have to watch out for.

This is also why 6pm and on is the best time for beating traffic in downtown Toronto.

 

[Rob MacLennan]

Re: Anyone ever been "doored" or hit a pedestrian while using the parked car lane?

It's perfectly legal to ride in that lane, as you're not sharing your lane with another active vehicle. Having said that, common sense dictates that you ride carefully and at-or-below the speed limit so that your braking distance is very short. Pedestrians, doors, and careless motorists who think you're breaking the law are all things you have to watch out for.

This is also why 6pm and on is the best time for beating traffic in downtown Toronto.

As has been stated in several previous threads this presumes that the curb lane is an oversized one that includes a row of parked cars, and not a parking lane only. If the latter then 'passing to the right' comes into play.

 

[unL33T]

Re: Anyone ever been "doored" or hit a pedestrian while using the parked car lane?

As has been stated in several previous threads this presumes that the curb lane is an oversized one that includes a row of parked cars, and not a parking lane only. If the latter then 'passing to the right' comes into play.

The road I'm referring to just has two regular sized lanes with street parking permitted in the right lane. There's generally a few feet of extra space between the lane dividing line and the parked cars. I guess using this lane is not allowed?

 

[Rob MacLennan]

Re: Anyone ever been "doored" or hit a pedestrian while using the parked car lane?

The road I'm referring to just has two regular sized lanes with street parking permitted in the right lane. There's generally a few feet of extra space between the lane dividing line and the parked cars. I guess using this lane is not allowed?

If it's a regular sized lane then no, you're risking a ticket. Worst case a 172. The lane is sized for a single vehicle and the fact that a motorcycle can squeeze through doesn't make it legal, any more than filtering and splitting is legal. Something like this area on Church Street southbound is the sort of thing that I'm talking about, when I mention parking+.

http://goo.gl/maps/Ys0fG

 

[unL33T]

Re: Anyone ever been "doored" or hit a pedestrian while using the parked car lane?

I thought the conclusion from all these previous discussions was that splitting only applies to splitting between active vehicles?

Well, there goes that little time saving trick for me. I'm not brave enough to risk a 172.

In your example, I've seen cars squeeze into those lanes. Doesn't seem like that should be legal, either, since they are generally on or over the lane division.

 

[Rob MacLennan]

Re: Anyone ever been "doored" or hit a pedestrian while using the parked car lane?

I thought the conclusion from all these previous discussions was that splitting only applies to splitting between active vehicles?

Well, there goes that little time saving trick for me. I'm not brave enough to risk a 172.

In your example, I've seen cars squeeze into those lanes. Doesn't seem like that should be legal, either, since they are generally on or over the lane division.

I had always maintained that it required an oversized right lane, though others didn't agree. In a situation in which a bike is splitting between a row of parked cars and an active traffic lane, in a standard sized lane, it's really not markedly different from filtering along the curb of a single lane road and no less illegal.

Cars really shouldn't be doing it because, as you say, they intrude into the left lane. It's fairly safe with a motorcycle though.

 

[brucewayne]

Re: Anyone ever been "doored" or hit a pedestrian while using the parked car lane?

If it's a regular sized lane then no, you're risking a ticket. Worst case a 172. The lane is sized for a single vehicle and the fact that a motorcycle can squeeze through doesn't make it legal, any more than filtering and splitting is legal. Something like this area on Church Street southbound is the sort of thing that I'm talking about, when I mention parking+.

http://goo.gl/maps/Ys0fG

have you ever seen or heard of anyone getting a ticket for this in downtown or midtown though?

road rules are bent and broken everywhere downtown. cops turn a blind eye to actual crimes downtown.

 

[Rob MacLennan]

Re: Anyone ever been "doored" or hit a pedestrian while using the parked car lane?

have you ever seen or heard of anyone getting a ticket for this in downtown or midtown though?

road rules are bent and broken everywhere downtown. cops turn a blind eye to actual crimes downtown.

Not this specific behaviour but take a look at the sticky post about lane splitting, at the top of this forum section. I'm generally there during rush hour traffic when police are scarce at any rate, so I wouldn't necessarily have seen it.

 

[brucewayne]

Re: Anyone ever been "doored" or hit a pedestrian while using the parked car lane?

Not this specific behaviour but take a look at the sticky post about lane splitting, at the top of this forum section. I'm generally there during rush hour traffic when police are scarce at any rate, so I wouldn't necessarily have seen it.

i glimpsed over it just now. yeah i dont see much reason to use that right lane in the 905 or even the suburbs of the 416. id use it mostly downtown and in some spots midtown/slightly out of downtown like beaches/highpark/junction/leaside etc. if someone is weaving in and out of lanes or going really fast then id hope they would be pulled over. i usually just use it to filter to the front or get by slow/stopped traffic. its rare to see a car even pulled over for this type of aggressive passing in a slightly bigger right lane. cabs are just annoying for doing this all the time.

ill have to look at that case in greater detail though

 

[Rob MacLennan]

Re: Anyone ever been "doored" or hit a pedestrian while using the parked car lane?

i glimpsed over it just now. yeah i dont see much reason to use that right lane in the 905 or even the suburbs of the 416. id use it mostly downtown and in some spots midtown/slightly out of downtown like beaches/highpark/junction/leaside etc. if someone is weaving in and out of lanes or going really fast then id hope they would be pulled over. i usually just use it to filter to the front or get by slow/stopped traffic. its rare to see a car even pulled over for this type of aggressive passing in a slightly bigger right lane. cabs are just annoying for doing this all the time.

ill have to look at that case in greater detail though

It was the sort of thing that might be very common in the downtown area. You've got a long line of cars waiting to turn left but you want to go right, so you filter up the right side until you can make your turn. There is now precedent for that earning a conviction under HTA 172.

 

[eoszlak]

Re: Anyone ever been "doored" or hit a pedestrian while using the parked car lane?

Ladies and Gentlemen. I've been door'd on both a scooter and a bicycle, Gas scooter at Dundas and Spadina heading west, cars stopped in the lane waiting to make a left turn just after the Spadina intersection and cars parked in the right lane. I went in between and a guy pulled over didn't see me and opened his door, wasn't driving his own vehicle and the bike wasn't actually even my bike. Damaged the door, it didn't close properly, but did close. I was charged I don't recall specifically what the charge was. I'd have to check. Should have fought it though. Riding my bicycle north on Yonge street just south of St. Clair in the right lane while working for a courier company, guy i nthe back of a cab opened the door waiting in traffic and I struck it. Since I was riding up hill I wasn't going fast and didn't even fall but I did make body contact with the door, which did hurt quite a bit. Possibly even more than getting door'd on the scooter. I went down and rolled it off on the scooter. Full gear, not even a scratch on me or my gear. I can check what I was charged with if anyone cares to know still.

 

[unL33T]

Re: Anyone ever been "doored" or hit a pedestrian while using the parked car lane?

I'd like to know.

 

[eoszlak]

Re: Anyone ever been "doored" or hit a pedestrian while using the parked car lane?

I'd like to know.

I'll check this evening and post. I might even still have the original ticket(s) and possibly even collision report. No idea where that stuff is but I've definitely got my Drivers Abstract on hand at home.

 

[Rob MacLennan]

Re: Anyone ever been "doored" or hit a pedestrian while using the parked car lane?

I'll check this evening and post. I might even still have the original ticket(s) and possibly even collision report. No idea where that stuff is but I've definitely got my Drivers Abstract on hand at home.

I'm guessing that it says something like "pass to right not in safety."

 

[eoszlak]

Re: Anyone ever been "doored" or hit a pedestrian while using the parked car lane?

I'm guessing that it says something like "pass to right not in safety."

I wish it was that straight forward and normal. I'd understand that more. I'm 95% sure it doesn't say that. I wasn't able to find it last night, was busy with the other half and the bike I'm currently riding. It's running like poo. If I recall it's something like driver in improper lane or something ridiculous since had I not used the lane I would have ended up in the rear bumper a vehicle that was as surprised as me to have people stopping after the intersection waiting to make a left into an alley/driveway. I think I might have had a paralegal associate of mine fight it too, if my memory serves me correctly. I'll check my email shortly and see if I've got a copy of my abstract in pdf on it.

 

[eoszlak]

Re: Anyone ever been "doored" or hit a pedestrian while using the parked car lane?

So I found a pdf copy of my abstract. The offence I was charged with is "Improper Drive On Divided HWY-Lane Change" I also took a fail to have insurance card, since the bike wasn't actually mine and the owner was in California at the time for a several months. Believe it or not, I wasn't able to fight the no insurance card as he had the insurance card in storage with the rest of his stuff instead of with the bike, and wasn't able to get another sent my way for quite awhile.