Watch out for car doors...

On the way to work the other day, I was splitting traffic on the left (on a one way street) to get by a big line of cars backed up at a light and a car pulled to the side of the road. It looked like they were either getting ready to park or to turn left into a garage entry way... they weren't close enough to the curb to be a parallel park (and no parking allowed in the spot they were at). As I passed by, the passenger opens the car door wide/all the way (car was still running) right into my path, I was maybe 4 feet away at this point, going 20mph. I started to swerve but still contacted the edge of the door, the combined force of the swerve and the door contact bounced me to the right and I kissed the bumper of a car ahead with my tire. The door contact was LOUD so I figured I had a buncha plastic broken. Bike did not go down. Pulled over to the side in front of the car to assess the situation. Turns out the car was an Uber dropping off a fare, if I'd been more observant I'd have looked for and possibly noticed the new Uber sticker the cars have and been more cautious.

The passenger was a younger woman who was very freaked out and apologetic, saying she didn't see me at all, etc. The uber driver was courteous but I think a little concerned about possible liability. The driver of the car that I bumped pulled over as well and was very nice and made sure I was alright first thing. He mentioned it was a rental car and we looked at the bumper damage, looked to be just tire scuff that would likely rub out. I gave him my contact info and insurance info and we exchanged info with the uber driver as well. I took a look at my bike and surprisingly there were only a couple of pretty unremarkable scuffs on the front left carbon fiber fairing, nothing cracked or otherwise damaged. We all chit chatted for a while about how the hell liability would work in that situation (I figure I'd be liable for the car I hit, Uber liable for the door put into traffic). In any case, unless the rental car company gives the guy crap about the scuff, I don't think there will be anything more of it. The damage on my bike is pretty unnoticeable and it's not like it's the only small scuff or ding on the bike. Bike is a '15 FJ09 by the way, 13.5K miles or so.

Lessons learned, the rental car driver - sometimes you're in the wrong place at the wrong time, sorry buddy. Uber driver, drop your fare off on the sidewalk side, dammit. Passenger - look before you open, open slightly first. Me - while I generally assume the worst, I can still go further with this assumption and be more careful and less impatient when getting to work. I was half a block away from my street parking. A little patience and caution around a car pulling over to the side and it would have been a non issue. Overall, though, it went about as well as it could have. No one hurt, no real damage.

Glad everything worked out with minimal damage! I too am guilty of shifting mindsets when I get close to my destination (especially work). Good heads up.

Uber and all other Amateur taxi drivers should have a much clearer marking that they are a taxi service.
There is a reason why public road transport is very clearly marked.

Uber cars should have a thing on the roof, like some Pizza delivery guys have. Simple magnetic thingy.

Yes. Good topic on the Uber thing. We have to watch out more. Uber should be marked because they drop people off & pick them up in weird spots. Yes cars should be clearly marked. Thanks to OP for sharing.

I was splitting lanes in basically parked traffic on Hwy 29 Northbound into Napa last week when the right rear door on a car in the left lane opened suddenly. I hit the binders, they closed the door, we didn't meet... I don't know if they were jerking me around or going to dump a soda or something. It happened so fast that I didn't stop to confront them (not that it would have done any good). Took quite a while to calm down... Fingers crossed that that doesn't happen again!

The sharing lanes law passed in CA yesterday...just needs signing by Governor. The CHP sets a good example of lane sharing. Just need to educate the public about it's usefulness. I believe there is a lot of ignorance from the general public about this privilege. Too many cagers think that bikers are jerks.

We have been trying to get a modified form of lane splitting approved here in Washington state for some time now without success. I have recently been resorting to moving along side traffic on the left hand side several cars at a time when the traffic becomes stopped and unbearable. Always under 15MPH and never for to many cars at once. So far the driving public does not seem to be bothered by it and I know the LEO I pass will get a stick up there butt and pull me over, but the tailgaters and POKE clowns and textres are just getting to close for comfort!

I recall being taught, as a kid, look before opening the door. Seemed liked a smart thing to do.

Lately, I see people open a door into traffic and leave it open while they screw around in the trunk, etc.

The thing about SF commuting is there is very little room anywhere for vehicles.
My last working stint in SF was 7+ years and I saw a ton of car doors ripped off by buses and other right hand lane vehicles when people would park and swing their door open without thinking.
The noise it makes when a transit bus flattens a 335i door against the front fender is only surpassed by the screams of the driver who just had it ripped from their hand.
Never seen anyone hurt from that though.

#18, I don't envy your daily commute. I've had many friends hit by inattentive drivers, red light runners, swerving lane changers, illegal uturns and wrong way drivers.

Do you think you will continue to use the far left for splitting? I do/have done it a lot but often find myself questioning my decision.

Hell yeah, if there's anything the bay area has done to me, it's made me incapable of waiting. Was back at it the next day, just a little more cautious about cars pulling to the side. My commute is really not that bad, not a lot of surface streets. I pop off the bay bridge on the first exit and go probably 7-8 blocks and I'm at work. Whole commute distance is about 13.5 miles (takes 20 mins on a bad day). In a car it'd be an hour a lot of days. I feel bad for people in other congested metro areas where they don't have lane splitting. Huge time saver, even if you do it very conservatively. The incidents can largely be avoided with hyper attentiveness. I could certainly have avoided that door if I'd been in a better frame of mind.

Of for sure... I don't think I could ever stop splitting. I was more thinking and maybe I got the description wrong, that you were between the parking/fire lane and the cages on the left on a bigger one way. Doing that is when I start questioning my judgement. Your commute doesn't sound so bad, for some reason I thought you were going deeper into SF.

I worked at Fremont and Mission for a very long time, 5th and Townsend for a couple of years as well and coming from the far east bay. 35-40m door to door to Fremont street on the bike. 2+ hours in a car. 1.5h on the train.
Glad you didn't get injured. My biggest issues in SF these days are the random people drop-offs in the middle of the road and the huge steel plates they keep putting across the roads.

Then there are always the no-look, cross-three-lanes while taking a selfie morons.

I knew what you meant via left-hand side splitting, and that's what I hell yeah'd still doing. When the cars are lined up the whole block and derping around when the light's green instead of using the gas pedal, no way in hell I'm sitting around for that crap. I think if drivers were all engaged in what they were doing the car commute times would be cut by 25-30% at least. Each light cycle involves someone waiting 15 seconds to go because they are busy facebooking or whatever the fuck is more important than operating the 4000 pound hunk of metal and flammable fluid they are sitting in.

Excellent write up.

Thanks for posting. I will try and remember this lesson.

You shoulda never taken a job in THE CITY!!!!

What happened to that sweet gig in downtown Oakland???

Glad you're alright & that your riding skills are as quick as your wit.

Do UBER drivers have any added liability insurance? They are technically a commercial vehicle, I would think.

Here's their legal agreement. Using Control+F to search for "commercial", I had two immediate hits on "noncommercial".

The matter of commercial vehicle status, if or where it exists, may be linked to State law.

Although I don't live in a congested area, I have driven there enough times to know what you mean. Especially on those one way streets, there are no yellow lines or fog lines to limit where you can split. The other side of that coin is that cars can pull over on either side, and people can get out of any car door unexpectedly. Sometimes they have a big rear window you can see through, sometimes they are delivery vans with no rear windows.

Glad you and the FJ came through basically unscathed.

A few years ago a lane split bill sailed thru the Arizona legislature, only to be vetoed by then Governor (Brewer). This bill would have been a pilot program in Maricopa county only and allow motorcyclist to lane split ahead at crowded intersections.

As many people in Arizona carry a firearm, Brewer was concerned there MIGHT be "shoot outs" at intersections when bikers beat cars at the green light.

Glad you made it out ok. Shaken not stirred. I think everyone will be happy to walk away with no insurance company involvement most likely. I had a driver pass me on the left using the center turn lane while I was riding through town recently. Idiots.

Sadly that is probably a legitimate concern in some places.