The Province of British Columbia is significantly increasing the fine for “dooring.”
Effective Sept. 21, anyone opening the door of a parked car when it is not reasonably safe to do so (known as “dooring”) will face a fine of $368.
The new fine is about quadruple the current fine of $81, which is among the lowest in Canada.
“Dooring can cause serious injury, and the new fine reflects that,” said Claire Trevena, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure.
“But it is preventable, which is why we are also investing in public education. We want to make sure everyone who uses the roads does so safely.”
Dooring is a common safety issue for cyclists in communities around the province. The higher fine, along with a public education and awareness campaign, will help raise the profile of cyclists, and will also help improve cyclists’ safety by making drivers more aware of their actions, BC said
“It is enormously dangerous to carelessly open a door into the pathway of a person moving on a bike. This increased fine sends a strong signal of the level of accountability that is expected of people who are operating a vehicle, even when the engine is off,” said Bowinn Ma, MLA for North Vancouver-Lonsdale.
