HC update - opening motor vehicle doors ...

[brooksby]

Maybe vehicles could be fitted with sliding doors

Our family car is an old VW microbus. Sliding door into the main bay on the left side of the vehicle. We pretty much always use that door to go in and out of the vehicle: I think the drivers door only gets used in filling stations.

My wife loves to remind me of the time my son (maybe three years old at the time) nearly got wiped out by a pavement cyclist (narrow footpath, not shared use) as he went to get out of the car.

If it hadn't been a sliding door, the cyclist would have been doored. But because we knew it wasn't shared use, we'd thought it was safe for my son to just go ahead and get out.

(The narrow footpath which goes between the road and the fence for the cliff edge on the Downs in Bristol).

[Cyril Haearn]

Maybe vehicles could be fitted with sliding doors

Our family car is an old VW microbus. Sliding door into the main bay on the left side of the vehicle. We pretty much always use that door to go in and out of the vehicle: I think the drivers door only gets used in filling stations.

My wife loves to remind me of the time my son (maybe three years old at the time) nearly got wiped out by a pavement cyclist (narrow footpath, not shared use) as he went to get out of the car.

If it hadn't been a sliding door, the cyclist would have been doored. But because we knew it wasn't shared use, we'd thought it was safe for my son to just go ahead and get out.

(The narrow footpath which goes between the road and the fence for the cliff edge on the Downs in Bristol).

Plus One, if "transmission tunnels" were done away with one could get in on the nearside and slide across
Why do fwd vehicles have transmission tunnels?

[meic]

Why do fwd vehicles have transmission tunnels?

Mine has the exhaust pipe running down it but I assume the reason they are there is to give the monocoque body more rigidity.

[pete75]

Regarding narrow country lanes. Often drivers will stop to allow cyclists to pass and often they will continue to drive at near to 10-20 mph. If a car is approaching, drivers may stop to allow the other vehicle to pass.
Should be Code advice drivers to stop, where the road is narrow, to allow safer passage for cyclists?
The injury rate for cyclists on rural roads is much higher than for car occupants. The more careful drivers probably already stop, is guidance needed via the HC?

Suggest that to the people who write the Highway Code and they'll change it to Cyclists should stop on narrow roads to let cars pass.

[Bmblbzzz]

There are plenty of narrow, usually Victorian or Edwardian but sometimes earlier or later, residential streets where there only is a door zone. Parked cars on both sides make it impossible to avoid the door zone on the left without entering the door zone on the right.

[pete75]

There are plenty of narrow, usually Victorian or Edwardian but sometimes earlier or later, residential streets where there only is a door zone. Parked cars on both sides make it impossible to avoid the door zone on the left without entering the door zone on the right.

yep quite a few like that in Lincoln. From early evening until next morning cars lined nose to tail on both sides. Makes you wonder how firemen could reach a house in the middle section of the street because no room for the engine an din some places they'd need hoses 200 metres long.

[thirdcrank]

... yep quite a few like that in Lincoln. From early evening until next morning cars lined nose to tail on both sides. Makes you wonder how firemen could reach a house in the middle section of the street because no room for the engine an din some places they'd need hoses 200 metres long.

IME, the fire brigade are pretty robust when it comes to this type of situation but I have read somewhere that some brigades are buying narrower vehicles.

[pete75]

... yep quite a few like that in Lincoln. From early evening until next morning cars lined nose to tail on both sides. Makes you wonder how firemen could reach a house in the middle section of the street because no room for the engine an din some places they'd need hoses 200 metres long.

IME, the fire brigade are pretty robust when it comes to this type of situation but I have read somewhere that some brigades are buying narrower vehicles.

The council ought to ban parking on both sides of those streets but instead they establish residents parking zones.

[Steady rider]

Should be Code advice drivers to stop, where the road is narrow, to allow safer passage for cyclists?

Suggest that to the people who write the Highway Code and they'll change it to Cyclists should stop on narrow roads to let cars pass.

Where a vehicle stops, a cyclist can pass relatively safety because their width and clearance can be judged by the gap ahead of the cyclist. They can see the gap directly in front of them. If a cyclist stops, a driver would be trying to judge clearance for someone to their side. It would be safer for the vehicle to stop where a road is very narrow.

[Bmblbzzz]

... yep quite a few like that in Lincoln. From early evening until next morning cars lined nose to tail on both sides. Makes you wonder how firemen could reach a house in the middle section of the street because no room for the engine an din some places they'd need hoses 200 metres long.

IME, the fire brigade are pretty robust when it comes to this type of situation but I have read somewhere that some brigades are buying narrower vehicles.

About a mile and a half away from me an ambulance was unable to reach someone having a heart attack due to parked cars. Legally parked, as in not on yellow lines (yes of course there are laws about not parking where it restricts access or visibility but the reason yellow lines were introduced is because those were so difficult to enforce).

[Cyril Haearn]

It is a bit late now, there are many streets half-blocked by parked vehicles 24/7

The authorities should have started enforcing the law years ago, what can be done now?

Even where there is plenty of room the motons park illegally

[mjr]

Loads of parking fines. It should be good money for the first places to enforce, but sadly the flyparkers will probably vote the councillors out the next chance they get

[Bmblbzzz]

Except that most of this parking is only illegal if it can be proved to be in contravention of whatever laws might apply, there are no yellow lines. And as pete75 has pointed out, lots of it has been legitimised by parking zones and bays.

[Cyril Haearn]

Does the law require access for emergency vehicles 24/7? At crawling speed with lookouts on foot?

[ambodach]

One other hazard not so far mentioned is vehicles parked front end in to in my case seafront railings. They then have to reverse out and the driver cannot see what is coming along the street. I always cycle or drive along here pretty far out so I have space to react in time if I can see a reversing light. I always reverse into such spaces and I think in some countries it is compulsory to do so. Not had any serious confrontations so far but still take as much care as I would in a potential dooring situation.