Cyclists and Boarders Know! Cardoors are a Deathtraps! When you hear a "Click" get out of the way fast! Watch Out! Always look inside parked cars as you pass! Look for faces in the side mirrors! Assume every door you pass will suddenly be thrown open! Taxi cab passengers are the worst! Be extra careful around taxis! Take the Lane! Keep riding! Don't be afraid, be aware! We pay taxes and have the same rights to operate on the streets! Don't give up the fight! You car drivers out there Remember to check your mirrors! Then check again just before you open your door! Cyclists and Boarders can appear faster than you might think! Always assume a cyclists or boarder is about to pass your door! Lets work together! Share the streets! We can prevent these types of accidents! An injury to one is an injury to all!

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Door Prize Lady Charged "To The Full Extent of the Law" // Toronto













From Treehugger http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/07/door-prize-lady-charged.php

by Lloyd Alter on 07. 4.08

We were appalled when, after yet another door prize death, a policeman discussed charging the woman who did it and said “If she didn’t look, would that be negligence? It’s very hard to label that as negligent." In our survey, 75% of the respondents agreed that " The driver broke the law and killed someone and should be charged to the full extent of the law."

Well it turns out, she has been charged, with "Open Vehicle Door Improperly", which carries a maximum punishment, if convicted, of demerit points and an approximate $110 fine.

Is this enough? "The consequences should reflect the severity of the crime," said Yvonne Bambrick, the assistant co-ordinator of the Toronto Cyclists Union. "We do not believe that this charge is adequate in this matter" ::The Star Press release from Police below the fold.

Toronto Police Service

News Release
Traffic fatality #20/2008, Update, Charge laid
Friday, June 27, 2008 - 3:11 PM

On Thursday, May 22, 2008, at 1:12 p.m., police responded to a personal injury collision at Eglinton Avenue West/Avenue Road.

It is alleged that:

- a 57-year-old man was cycling east on Eglinton Avenue West, passing a line of parked cars on the south side of the street,

- an occupant of one of the cars, a woman, 43, opened the driver's door,

- the cyclist struck the door, lost control of his bicycle, fell onto the roadway and was struck by a truck.

The cyclist was taken to hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. This is the first cycling fatality of 2008.

Traffic Services, in consultation with the City of Toronto’s Prosecutors' Office, have laid a charge of “Open Vehicle Door Improperly” under the Highway Traffic Act.

An information laying out the charge has been filed with Old City Hall Courts.

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Comcast Executive Fatally Doored in Moorestown Bike Crash // New Jersey



From the CourierPostOnline

June 13, 2008

Bike accident kills Comcast executive

By JIM WALSH
Courier-Post Staff

A top lawyer for Comcast Corp., just weeks away from retirement, died in a chain-reaction accident as he bicycled here Thursday.

Stanley Wang, a 67-year-old township resident, was pedaling eastbound on Main Street when someone in a parked pickup truck and trailer, also facing eastbound, opened the driver's-side door in his path about 12:20 p.m., police said.

Wang struck the door and fell from his bike into the street, where he was run over by an eastbound car. He was pronounced dead at 1:08 p.m. at Kennedy Memorial Hospital, Cherry Hill, police said.

No other injuries were reported.

Wang, who lived in the 500 block of Sentinel Road, "loved activities," said his wife, Pola. "He was always biking, golfing, playing tennis."

"He was very family-oriented," she said of her husband, who had two adult children and five grandchildren. "He loved his family."

She said Wang planned to retire at the end of this month after almost 30 years with Comcast, the Philadelphia-based cable television giant.

"He saw Comcast rise from a small company to the large company it is today," she said. "He was the one who helped oversee the Comcast Center."

The 58-floor Comcast Center, which officially opened this week, is Philadelphia's tallest building.

Wang was former general counsel at Comcast and served more recently in a part-time role, said D'Arcy Rudnay, a company spokeswoman.

Police did not identify the owner of the pickup truck, which was parked in the 400 block of East Main Street, near Stanwick Road.

They said the car that hit Wang, a 2000 Chevrolet Cavalier, was driven by Kellie Gifford, 19, of the 100 block of Winthrop Avenue.

An investigation is continuing. Anyone with information should call Police Sgt. Randy Pugh at (856) 914-3045.

Reach Jim Walsh at (856) 486-2646 or jwalsh@courierpostonline.com


Taxicab "Look Before You Leap" Campaign // San Francisco

I had thought about trying to get my stickers into cab windows. The closest I came was to stick a random one on the back of a seat here and there. Unfortunately I was not organized or funded well enough to get the idea off the ground. The good news is however The San Francisco Bike Coalition did a great thing back in 04 by teaming up with the city and some Taxi companies by securing placement of these stickers in taxi windows to promote the awareness of the potential of getting into a Car door accident while exiting a taxi cab.

I haven't found any statistics to prove that they have been effective or not but I'll tell you this, It can't hurt.

Jerry

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

ShareTheRoad PSA2 -- Open Door to Disaster



On the road it's called "dooring", the open door to disaster. The driver of a parked car opens the door without looking behind for approaching bicyclists. The biker either hits the door or swerves into the traffic lane, either option can be lethal. In a cooperative world the biker would see the driver in the parked car, signal to the traffic behind him and then take the lane to avoid the "door zone". The message in this short video is simple: Watch for doors, Signal, Take the lane, ShareTheRoad.

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

Friends Mourn Cyclist Killed In Freak Accident // Chicago

This report was written by Mai Martinez for CBS. Check out the link at the end of the story. They have a heartbreaking video version of the story posted that demands viewing. —Jerry

June 10, 2008

CHICAGO (CBS) ― A Chicago cyclist, who was hit and killed by an SUV after crashing into an open car door, was remembered Tuesday as a loving young man with a bright future ahead of him.

As CBS 2's Mai Martinez reports, he had recently taken up cycling and was looking forward to his first summer of riding in Chicago.

Those who knew Clint Miceli said he was almost always smiling. It was that trademark smile and his wonderful sense of humor his friends said that they'll miss most.

At Plan B Advertising, where the 22-year-old worked, his co-workers said that if they wanted something done, or just wanted a good laugh, Miceli's desk was the place to be.

Tuesday, that desk had the opposite effect as his friends realized that Miceli was really gone.

Friend and co-worker Mitch Cooper said, "I don't know how you replace that. Probably you're lucky if you do."

Miceli was killed Monday as he was biking home from work on North LaSalle Street. His friends said a child opened the door of a parked car and Miceli crashed into it.

The impact sent Miceli into the nearby intersection, where he was struck and killed by a passing car.

Friend and co-worker Ric van Sickle said, "It's not someone you can point a finger at and assign blame to, it's just a tragic accident."

Miceli's friends hope a memorial -- a white bicycle with his photograph pasted to it -- will remind people of how precious life is and how easily it can be taken away. They said that drivers and cyclists need to be more aware of their surroundings and more respectful of each other

"Cycling is dangerous, and it comes down to making sure that you're ready before you head out into the streets," van Sickle said.

It was a sentiment echoed by many who bike in Chicago.

Cyclist Dave Sienko said, "You've got to look both ways. One thing everybody should be careful about is opening a door. Certainly, that's pretty obvious to me."

For now, Miceli's friends have said only one thing gives them comfort. "I know he was doing something he loved, and a grin on his face in the seconds before he was taken away," van Sickle said.

The driver of the parked car was cited for opening a car door in traffic. The driver of the car which hit Miceli was not ticketed.

(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

http://cbs2chicago.com/local/cyclist.freak.accident.2.745322.html

Open Car Door Kills Midtown Bicyclist // New York City

I had to share this thoughtful article written by Jen Chung from Gothamist. She has also included various links to other interesting media coverage of this sad story. —Jerry

December 6, 2007

A 65-year-old man was killed during his bicycle ride to work when he was struck by an open car door in the bike lane at 6th Avenue and 36th Street. David Smith was then pushed off his bike and into the path of a box truck, which hit him.

Smith lived on West 9th Street and worked as an engineer at Town Hall in midtown. His partner of 36 years John Moody said that he had an early day because he was helping prepare a show for school children: "He was looking to come home early this afternoon after he finished the show; it was just a routine day." Smith was already dead by the time Moody made it to Bellevue.

The Post calls it a "FREAK MISHAP," but given that Smith was cycling in the bicycle lane, which is designated for cyclists, we don't know how much of a freak accident it could be. Some witnesses do say that Smith was not wearing a helmet. The truck's driver was issued summonses for parking in front of a fire hydrant and blocking the bike lane while the truck's passenger was issued a summons for "opening a door unsafely."

Times-Up will be having its 3rd Annual Memorial Ride on January 6, 2008. Smith is the 22nd known person to be killed while biking in 2007; that's up from 14 in 2006. And earlier this week, Transportation Alternatives released CrashStat 2.0, a map showing locations of incidents where pedestrian and bicycles have been hit by vehicles.

By Jen Chung (gothamist) New York City

http://gothamist.com/2007/12/06/open_car_door_k.php

Door prize, day 1 // Helsinki

This is my knee on the day of the accident. I was biking down Bulevardi (hereafter referred to as The Death Trap Bicycle Lane From Hell) when a taxi passenger opened his car door into my lane. It all happened so, so fast, and I was in shock, joking around and laughing and apologising and not actually feeling any pain for about an hour and a half, after which this started to sting like a mother. No mechanical damage, it would seem, and I've been icing it in a way that's probably melting glaciers somewhere. But it's gonna photograph well, I says. (From October 11, 2007)

Name: happeningfish
City: Helsinki
Country: Finland
http://www.flickr.com/photos/happeningfish/1555282805/