Fines for 'dooring' going up -- 'way up
By Contributor
Drivers will soon have a stronger incentive to take a good look around before opening their car doors.
To better protect cyclists, the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure is raising the fine for “dooring.”
The new fine for anyone who opens a car door when it is not reasonably safe to do so (known as “dooring”) will be $368 as of Monday, Sept. 21, 2020.
Dooring is a common safety issue for cyclists in all communities throughout the province. The higher fine is over four times the current fine of $81.
Publicity about the increased fine for dooring is intended to increase safety by making drivers more aware of how opening their car door can seriously injure an approaching cyclist. A public education and awareness campaign is being launched to help with raising awareness.
Increasing safety and helping reduce cycling collisions is an initiative of Move. Commute. Connect., B.C.’s Active Transportation Strategy. The strategy is part of CleanBC, a plan to help transform how people move around, encouraging more active transportation in communities — principally walking and cycling.but including other self-propelled methods of getting around. The more people can get around without firing up a fossil-fuel-powered vehicle, the less pollution we cause and the less we add to the climate crisis.
CleanBC is intended to be a pathway to a more sustainable future; it was developed in collaboration with the BC Green Party caucus and Andrew Weaver, MLA for Oak Bay-Gordon Head, and supports the commitment in the Confidence and Supply Agreement to implement climate action to meet B.C.’s emission targets.
Quick Facts:
- B.C. has the highest percentage of active transportation trips for commuting to work out of all the provinces.
- In 2019, 10% of people who commuted to work in the province used active transportation.
- 33% of school aged children primarily used active transportation and 8% 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.
