Please watch for bicycles!

Friend of Mine and a fellow Stagehand just got out of hospital today due to a bicycle vs. car door wreck. He was riding home from a gig when a girl flung open her car door without seeing him. He caught the pointy top corner of the door in the neck and needed over 200 stitches to close it up.

He almost bled to death too, but had the smarts to keep pressure on his own neck until the ambulance arrived. He is in good spirits and claims it does not hurt.. but it looks like he is wearing a weird and painful necklace.

One of my worst fears when driving through towns... a constant balance between watching for people in parked cars and trying to let cars pass...

If someone ever clotheslined me while riding, and I wasn't maimed, I always said I might flail about and leave a few more "accidental" dents in said vehicle. Oops.

That happened here in Ottawa a few years ago. A girl was riding to work and someone opening their door flung her into the path of a truck and killed her.

I've got a bright orange riding jacket and will use a blinky light on the front of the bike even during daytime for this reason.

I also refuse to ride drop bars in the city because I don't feel they give the best position or control for that environment.

That sucks!

Same thing happened to me in the mid 80s. A lady in a Merkur XR4 opened the door and I hit my head on the frame. I cut my chin open and had to get stitches. That door seemed like a mile long when ai tried to avoid it.

Damn, I unfortunately have done that to a biker once. Was visiting a buddy going to school at UC Irvine and was driving down the pacific coast highway. Realized we hadn't put something in the cooler so jumped out of the rear passenger side at a light to throw it in the trunk. Didn't even see the biker but luckily he avoided the door. I started to apologize as he pulled off to the side but didn't get a chance. First thing he did was throw his water bottle at the car and started towards us swinging a U-lock or something. So jumped back in as the light had turned green.

Definitely left an impression and I understand why he was so pissed. I check all the time now. Since I bike in a city myself now, it's a reminder that it's an easy mistake to make so ride with your head on a swivel.

Better title might be, "Hey, bicyclists- watch out for hazards." Yes, she was wrong to open the door into traffic. Yes, the biker is in the right. Who got the stitches?

Streetwiseguy wrote: Better title might be, "Hey, bicyclists- watch out for hazards." Yes, she was wrong to open the door into traffic. Yes, the biker is in the right. Who got the stitches?

Haha! What you really mean is "Hey cyclists, don't use the roads because motorists have rendered these public thoroughfares unsafe!"

No...

Members of my family have been harassed while on bicycles, I've been rear-ended by a truck on my motorcycle. Lots of cyclists hit and killed in this state, ditto motorcyclists. An MSP trooper was hit on his patrol bike this morning on the highway and DRAGGED for some distance. I'll be shocked if he survives. I'm tired of this nonchalant attitude entitled motorists have about killing other road users and it has to stop.

Even as somewhat of a car enthusiast, I strongly believe there need to be much harsher penalties for "accidents", especially when they involve "vulnerable" road users. We need to get more cars off the road. We need more people taking to the road on bicycles or using mass transit in this country.

In reply to johndej:

Not to be that guy, but if you were sitting at a red light, why wasn't the cyclist stopped too?

In reply to mad_machine:

I hope your friend has a speedy recovery and no lasting damage.

In reply to WilD:

Yes and no. I definitely get a "holier than thou" attitude from a lot of fellow cyclists - it's the main reason I ride alone. I drive too much and I get pissed off too when cyclists ride like asshats. "I'm on a bike, therefore I'm better and can be selective about what rules to follow..." Berk that. If you want to be treated with respect on the road, you have to give back as much as possible.

When I'm riding down streets I look for people in cars about to get out. I look as far ahead as possible. If I see a car parking ahead, I give them a wide berth when I get to them. I don't expect them to check before opening their door. At the same time, I don't expect them to see me even if they do check. There is a lot of "visual noise" on a city street and it's easy for a rider to blend into the background. Plus, drivers often woefully under estimate how fast a bicycle can move.

All that said, I pretty expect to die under the wheels of some texting SUV driver. I don't expect the driver to get any more than a slap on the wrist. Just the way it is... and I don't see it changing anytime soon. At least in the USA. As a culture, we are too car-centric and will continue to be for the foreseeable future.

It may not be right and it may not be fair, but these are the reasons I don't ride a bike or a motorcycle in traffic. All the whining and lecturing to drivers and all the penalties in the world won't stop the deaths. It just isn't worth it, people. Get a car or prepare to die. There are on average 5 bike riders killed in our city every year. And who knows how many injuries. They have mass rides occasionally to protest the deaths and to "promote safety." Doesn't change a thing.

With the advent of smart phones it has just got worse and has become more and more dangerous even to drive something with four wheels, much less two.

Save the motorcycles for country rides and the bikes for places with segregated bike lanes. I love y'all and want you to live to ripe old ages.

I apologize if my post was overly angry. I'm usually not so militant, but I'm starting to feel it's called for because it seems like more motorists are extremely aggressive and/or dismissive toward pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclist. I started my day quite agitated over the state trooper getting dragged for what sounds like quite some distance this morning, then one of the other local news headlines was about a kid finally being charged in the hit and run death of a bicyclist on a charity ride (took a couple months). I hope he gets the full 15 years. I'm tired of the blame the victim and evey cyclist is an shiny happy person who deserves to be run over mentality that seems prevalent on the Internet discussion boards (not necessarily here).

Ian F wrote: In reply to WilD: Yes and no. I definitely get a "holier than thou" attitude from a lot of fellow cyclists - it's the main reason I ride alone. I drive too much and I get pissed off too when cyclists ride like asshats. "I'm on a bike, therefore I'm better and can be selective about what rules to follow..." Berk that. If you want to be treated with respect on the road, you have to give back as much as possible.

I really wish more people thought this way. Just last night, I saw a large group (8-10) of cyclists riding down a road. They were all on the shoulder in single- or double-file, except for the one douchecanoe that felt it was his "right" to ride next to everyone else in the middle of the traffic lane. And he yelled and screamed and cursed and flipped middle fingers at every car that passed him.

I will gladly share the road, and often do for the final few miles of my commute. All I ask of the cyclist is to follow the rules, and keep their vulnerability in mind. I am not trying to be a dick, but on Car vs Bike, car typically wins.

Sky_Render wrote:

Ian F wrote: In reply to WilD: Yes and no. I definitely get a "holier than thou" attitude from a lot of fellow cyclists - it's the main reason I ride alone. I drive too much and I get pissed off too when cyclists ride like asshats. "I'm on a bike, therefore I'm better and can be selective about what rules to follow..." Berk that. If you want to be treated with respect on the road, you have to give back as much as possible.

one douchecanoe that felt it was his "right" to ride next to everyone else in the middle of the traffic lane. And he yelled and screamed and cursed and flipped middle fingers at every car that passed him.

I can see this both ways. The guy may have been an shiny happy person, or he may not have been (though it sounds like he was). Maybe he was in the process of re-positioning in their pack. I don't know. What I do know, is that sometimes the middle of the traffic lane is the only safe place to ride in some places and it is the duty of those who want to pass another vehicle to do it in a safe and legal manner. Other road users have just as much right to the lane of travel as anyone else and there is no minimum speed in most places.

If the necessity of safely passing other road users or occasionally having to slow down and wait bothers you, I encourage you to do some serious self examination. I used to have similar feelings as you, but I've been trying to have a better attitude and open my mind to a better shared experience for all of us on the road. It has helped calm me down quite a bit while driving.

There is actually a pretty good public service add in Southern California that is focused on bike riders. The basic message (to the effect of):

"What does it matter if you are in the right if you are dead"

The idea of riding down a line of parked cars on a bike freaks me out. I guess if you pay very close attention you might avoid an open door, but where are you going to go?, and with tinted rear windows...

It has been a year since the last cyclist flounderfest, so you folks just hurry up and get this over with.

I watch for cyclists all the time. It's how I know exactly when to spring my trap.

Good job on the GIF selection!

Basil Exposition wrote: It may not be right and it may not be fair, but these are the reasons I don't ride a bike or a motorcycle in traffic. All the whining and lecturing to drivers and all the penalties in the world won't stop the deaths. It just isn't worth it, people. Get a car or prepare to die. There are on average 5 bike riders killed in our city every year. And who knows how many injuries. They have mass rides occasionally to protest the deaths and to "promote safety." Doesn't change a thing. With the advent of smart phones it has just got worse and has become more and more dangerous even to drive something with four wheels, much less two. Save the motorcycles for country rides and the bikes for places with segregated bike lanes. I love y'all and want you to live to ripe old ages.

I don't think I'm ready, yet, to just accept that people should not ride bikes or accept dying. It should be a viable form of transportation, especially in a city, with traffic.

Had I worked in town- none of the path would involve country rides.

The funny thing is- riding in my town is a lot safer than the country side- as there are a lot more bike lanes, vs no shoulder at all.

That definitely sucks. Can I ask, was he on a road passing parked cars? Meaning, would a passing car have smashed her door? Or did she open it into a bike lane or something without looking? I HATE bicycles riding in the streets, but as a motorcyclist and a vehicle operator, I also hate people who don't look when they open their car door or pull out without looking or signaling. Like em or hate em, you still gotta look out for bikes!

WilD wrote: If the necessity of safely passing other road users or occasionally having to slow down and wait bothers you, I encourage you to do some serious self examination. I used to have similar feelings as you, but I've been trying to have a better attitude and open my mind to a better shared experience for all of us on the road. It has helped calm me down quite a bit while driving.

Yes... it is amazing how impatient the average person is. As I've mentioned elsewhere - I have a long commute. Fortunately, I don't really have a set time when I need to get to the office. If I'm late, I'm late... nobody really cares. If I really need to be somewhere at a specific time, I leave early.

I love cycling. I usually ride off road, sometimes on road. I live in a city with a great biking system. Lots of trails and bike lanes. I know lots of people who bike commute, sometimes long distances in all weather.

I won't do it myself. I've seen too many people hurt by idiot drivers. Idiot drivers mixed with the few "holier than thou, I'm not a vehicle I'm a pedestrian when technically I am actually a vehicle" riders.

I will say most riders in this city are great. They stop at stoplights and stop signs. They are courteous. Most drivers are the same back to them.

slefain wrote: It has been a year since the last cyclist flounderfest, so you folks just hurry up and get this over with.

Don't forget the current discussion / argument going on about splitting lanes on motorcycles.