Originally Posted by
dynodonn
Going back to the OP, a number of motorists may not like bike lanes at first, but I've noticed that when motorists discover that DZBL's make great buffer zones for entering or exiting their vehicles, they usually lighten up on the complaints, cyclists on the otherhand......
The easiest way to create a bike lane is by having a paved shoulder and designating it for bikes. They are convenient for pulling over to let emergency vehicles by or other reasons. Talking about them as a 'door zone' scares people out of using them. Obviously a door opening randomly has a booby-trap effect on cyclists like the psychological effect of booby-trap stories and other horror stories used as a deterrent to war during the Vietnam era.
Yes, someone could throw a door open in front of you while you're passing them in the bike lane but mostly people will wait until you pass. It's generally a good idea to slow down when passing a stopped vehicle anyway. I have slowed down to wait for a bus passenger to exit until the point where I thought no one was coming out, only to have to stop on a dime as the person finally stepped out in front of me looking sheepish and apologizing. Fortunately, bikes are light and stop quickly at low speed.