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NYC dooring screengrab (source Dan Connor on YouTube)Video: New York City cyclist doored by passenger exiting cab - and everyone has an opinion
A New York City cyclist has posted a video to YouTube that shows him getting doored while riding in one of the city’s cycle lanes by a passenger exiting a taxi. It’s a problem for cyclists the world over – this morning, Green Party politician Baroness Jones took to Twitter to talk about being the victim of a similar incident in London.
New York City cyclist Dan Connor was riding towards Union Square in Manhattan, with a cycle lane running alongside the kerb changing, after an intersection, into one that runs into the outside of a parking lane.
That creates what many refer to as the ‘door zone,’ but it’s not the door opening from a cab pulling up to his left that fells the rider, though – it’s a passenger getting out of one on his right, with the taxi apparently unable to pull into the kerbside due to vehicles being parked there.
After the cyclist declines offers of having an ambulance called, he gets back to his feet, the situation descends into an exercise in finger pointing.
The taxi passenger is apologetic to the cyclist, but gets upset when the taxi driver puts her in the wrong, he in turn is worried about damage to his vehicle, while the rider concerned about his bike.
Meanwhile, any number of passers-by are happy to give advice – presumably, all fully trained volunteers at the 1-800-OPINION hotline.
Asking the taxi driver whether he has a business card, Connor is told that maybe the police should be called, only to reply: “I don’t talk to police.”
Later, he tells the driver: “You’re the professional in this situation, so you should know better than to park next to the bike lane because, quite frankly, you could be reasonably assured that someone’s going to open the door if you have a fare in your cab.”
One man breaks off from chomping on a bag of crisps to tell the cab driver: “You’re supposed to pull over to the side, you know that, that’s the rules. The rules are very clear, bud, you’re in the wrong.”
Meanwhile, in London, Green Party politician Jenny Jones, elevated to the House of Lords last year, tweeted about how she had been left bruised this morning after being doored. She wrote: “IDIOT opened a car door into me. Swerved, but hand/arm bruised. Driver: 'Sorry, sorry, we were stressed.' Yeah, well, now I'm stressed too.”
Meanwhile, back in Gotham City – well, New York – Connor tells bystanders: “The only reason I’m cheesed about it is I get tickets for not riding in a bike lane… and… this is why I don’t ride in the bike lane; you get it from all sides.”
The problem of being wrongly fined for not riding in New York City’s bike lanes because of hazards including parked vehicles or trucks making deliveries was highlighted in this slapstick video from Casey Neistat – which now has more than 13 million views on YouTube.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
Latest Comments
- eburtthebike 0 sec ago
Waste Investigations Support and Enforcement (WISE)..... No, not wise: stupid.
- Hirsute 14 min 34 sec ago
Yes, it was by Cllr Emily Kerr (don't turn up on my doorstep sweaty from your bike !)...
- Steve K 20 min 58 sec ago
Personally, I'm a fan of the advertising hoardings at Fulchester Rovers approach to advertising. Drink beer. Smoke tabs. Sleep in beds Etc
- brooksby 28 min 50 sec ago
Quick show of hands: how many people think that if the council was to start allowing motor vehicles through there then these people wouldn't see a...
- brooksby 39 min 25 sec ago
- brooksby 1 hour 23 min ago
We would all refer M'Learned Friend to Replies Made Every Other Time They Make This Snark
- belugabob 1 hour 32 min ago
Yes, we stole our bikes, clothing, food, houses, furniture, never paid for anything (there y avoid contribution to the tax coffers) and are all...
- Rendel Harris 1 hour 45 min ago
I got the impression that he was thinking of the same jacket as me but possibly not; in any case, it isn't people making a mistake that annoys, it...
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25 comments
Looks like they allow more room for the trees on the central res. than the cyclists using the bike lane.
I really don't understand why cycle lanes (the painted kind) are put alongside parked cars, between the parked cars and the main lane of traffic. Is that some sort of outdated "best practice" for town/highway planners?
On my way home, I encounter the one shown on Streetview at https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.4952957,-2.6835625,3a,75y,270h,90t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s-aoAD3ZbolY6MtSlcYmJHQ!2e0
This is a narrow painted lane, next to a realatively narrow lane of traffic, and they *really* get annoyed if you don't go in it. And yet, as you can see, the parking spaces are so narrow that most vehicles encroach into the cycle lane, too, so you get squashed from both sides.
That cycle lane solves 4 problems, (1) Cyclists moaning about there not being enough cycling infrastructure. (2) Cyclists getting in the way of the cars. (3) Councillors brother's company 'Expensive road paint Ltd' wants more work. (4) Avoids paying for expensive fancy pants Euro-style infrastructure.
Very similar to an incident I had about 4 months ago. A passenger decided to get out of the LHS of a car stuck in traffic when the car was about 1.5m from the kerb (enough space for a cyclist :-). It all happened so quickly, the first I knew I was lying on the footpath. Broken finger, bent brake lever, bruised leg, dented (steel) top tube. I could hardly walk for a week and had surgery on my finger. Two months off the bike and after four months I still haven't recovered full movement of my finger.
It was careless of the passenger to get out of a car that wasn't next to the kerb, especially without looking. Obviously if I had been going slower the damage/injury would have been less. On the outside of the car I would have avoided this risk (but faced plenty of others).
It's not a good place to put a bike lane unless it's segregated/protected.
And never trust a car door (or rather anyone operating one)!
Same happened to me, last year. Sounds like I got off lightly, though: just cuts and bruises and a front wheel knocked out of true. In my case I was going up the inside of the traffic heading for the (unsegregated, painted lines) cycle lane which started about four feet further up the road.
Everybody is at fault here, the driver for not warning the passenger, the passenger for not checking for cyclists and the cyclist for cycling too fast through the door zone and not noticing the hazard lights.
The driver says he warned the passenger. The onus is actually on the person opening the door, not to do so into traffic.
So although there is fault here on all sides it is not evenly distributed.
In addition there is the fault of whoever designed these _inevitably_ dangerous bike lanes.
And let's not forget the fault of the "bike activists" that go around promoting this sort of "infrastructure'.
It is interesting that the cyclist recognises that he would have been better off out of the bikelane, but that he gets stick from motorists when he does that.
I don't think ANYONE is campaigning for, or promoting "this sot of infrastructure" for the clear reasons shown in the video.
You'd think that wouldn't you... but then you'd go and see what Transportation Alternatives have actually submitted.
Just make it illegal to open your door when not at the kerb (unless your car is on fire or you've been abducted and need to leap to safety).
Yep - the hazards were on. I watched the whole the thing. I'm 8 minutes the poorer now.
Can we have some more coverage of the kinda rude skin suits instead?
ERM.. His hazards are flashing and the lights are red. The cyclist shouldn't have been going so quickly and should have been expecting a hazard from the lights flashing.
His fault (In this specific case) and this isn't really news worthy...
So, we're agreed that this type of bike lane is incapable of providing a safe way for cyclists to travel at any sort of speed?
Don't know if you intended it Simon, but the impression left by your summary of this is pretty hostile to the New Yorkers that, IMHO, were pretty reasonable and supportive.
And, this reinforces the point that many have made: bike lanes on the _inside_ of traffic are setting up collisions.
What the feck is wrong with his back wheel?!.,?,?,.!,!!
I need closure !!!!!
This video is shocking. It's filmed in New York and at no point are the words "Hey, I'm walkin' here!” uttered.
Nobody got called a wise guy either. Disappointed.
It is very, very difficult to see what is coming when you get out of some cabs.
This is just a bad lane design. I sometimes ride a bicycle in NYC, and I sometimes take cabs in NYC. One night, I was being dropped off by a cab in front of where I was staying - same exact situation as this, but on the other side of the road. Two guys wanted the cab I was exiting, so they stepped forward to open the door. They saw me getting out and stepped back and... I almost clipped a woman on a Citibike (like a Boris bike) who rode between the two new fares and the cab! It was a miracle I didn't hit her.
So - I'm a bicyclist. I ride in London, I ride (a couple of times a year) in NYC. To be honest, I would never, ever, proceed "at speed" past stopped traffic (25 mph according to the guy on the video) and never, ever fast past a stopped cab without being 100% sure I was outside the "door zone".
Maybe it's because I'm also a motorcyclist (where mistakes are more likely to happen at speed) but you have to assume everyone else it out to kill you
From my experience, even when driving a car, it pays to assume everyone else is out to kill you.
Yep, it's always best to assume everyone else is out to kill you, no matter what category of road user you are. It's not always possible to work out who will open a car door on you. One time I was on my Ducati, not exactly a subtle bike with its straight through race cans, and someone decided to get out of their taxi at a set of traffic lights as I was coming alongside. "Are you deaf?" I shouted.
"What?" she said. Which pretty much proved my point.
No, not really.
Crack the door just open, then slowly open it to give about a 4 inch gap. Look through it backwards.
If clear, open the door fully & exit. If not, wait until clear.
Really not that hard at all.
[[[[[ Or better yet, wind your silly neck round and look out, through the rear window, B4 moving your arm to the door. And I imagine the cabbie has a responsibility to warn his passengers, if he's not prepared to glance in the mirror himself....and how about a mandatory "WATCH FOR CYCLISTS!" sticker over the door handle(s)? Not sure I 'd be as cool as that biker in that scenario.
In the narrow sense you are correct. The difficultly is in getting the vast majority to remember to do that - and that is impossible.
I agree - very bad lane design.
I ride my motorcycle more than I ride my push bike and I have to say that I was cringing while I watched this. I'm not trying to say the cyclist was "in the wrong" clearly the lane marking indicate... Etc etc. but I would not be passing stationary vehicles that close, at that speed. At any second a pushchair can be shoved out from between two parked cars, a pedestrian could step out, or a door can get opened without looking.
Prepare for the worst and make the best choices.