Originally Posted by
anon06
Wow, it's astounding that cyclists on the internet have no compassion for other cyclists who become injured.
The police, who know the local law, sided with her..
It's not that I lack sympathy for the victim (who didn't seem injured, though her bike might have been damaged). It's that law or no law, she failed to display some common sense and situational awareness (especially if she'd been doored before). The fact is that I blame the law for giving her the sense that it offered a protection that there's no way it could ensure.
I don't know the details of the Australian dooring law, but this was a service lane where one should reasonably expect that cabs would stop and discharge passengers. It's reasonable to expect that passengers would open doors on the curb side. So if the law prevents cabs from pulling closer because of a bike lane (if there was one), then there will always be doorings if/when cyclists pass between cabs and curbs --- law or no law. Something has to change, or the problem will continue because it's designed in.