Comments on: Bronx cyclist doored, killed by bus

By: Dooring kills « Bike Monkey Magazine

Dooring kills « Bike Monkey Magazine — Thu, 20 May 2010 06:19:57 +0000

[...] Bronx cyclist doored, killed by bus [...]

By: Khalid

Khalid — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 02:21:00 +0000

This is so sad and I have G-d Help and Protection on my for her. Respect and consideration is for everyone but especially for G-d. Freedom of speech and religion is never allowed by prejudice and selfish people who just want control over what they want for themselves. Bad reverse psychology really needs to stop.

By: A little this, a little that — Sadik-Khan, Street Summit, bike stats, bike art, Lance rants « BikingInLA

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 17:20:53 +0000

[...] is knocked into a bus and killed after getting doored by a driver; as Cyclelicious points out in a well-deserved rant, at least some of the city’s press clearly doesn’t get it. One paper describes it as a freak [...]

By: sour

sour — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 11:57:59 +0000

I am not a huge advocate of bike lanes, partially because of this, but I wonder why it is that when city planners are looking at how to use a street, on street parking is usually given a higher priority than accommodation of bicycles. Isn't the purpose of the street to provide a transit corridor, not as storage space for private vehicles?

By: JohnB

JohnB — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 10:47:57 +0000

Re: bystanders wanting bike lanes to be installed: It looks from Google Maps like there is no extra width for bike lanes, except … IN THE DOOR ZONE! So that would be even further encouragement to bicyclists to ride in it. I think that would increase danger more than any effect of “reminding” motorists to look before opening their doors would decrease it. No good.

By: evie

evie — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:50:14 +0000

Horrifying. We can't ride in the door zone. We just can't. It's like Russian Roulette.

Even riding all the way over the right in a non-parking situation is a problem, imho. If you are close to the gutter, trying to be generous or considerate to drivers, they'll pass you as if you do not exist, taking 100% of the lane for themselves and nearly killing you with a sideswipe.

Take the lane. Not the whole lane, of course, but enough of it for drivers to know you are there and that Yes, they do need to move to the left a bit to avoid you.

I'm so sad for this cyclist and her family.

By: sour

sour — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 20:58:36 +0000

This is distressing on multiple levels.
The death of the cyclist could have been prevented if any ONE of the three drivers involved had been doing what they should have.

First - the cyclist should not have been riding in the door zone. I don't know if there was a bike lane painted in the road to encourage this foolish behaviour, if the car was not up against the curb or what - but the cyclist should not have been that close to the car.

Second is that one clearly expects the car driver to look before opening the door. As was pointed out, this is not only stupid and careless, but illegal.

Finally, one expects a higher level of competence from a bus driver. Bus drivers are professionals, and you would think that they would provide additional clearance to cyclists riding in the door zone.

By: Cyclelicious

Cyclelicious — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:49:56 +0000

@BusDriver: I occasionally hear about a Santa Cruz bus that “catches a door.” The bus drivers stay outside the door zone if they can like you, but Santa Cruz streets are pretty narrow as well. I'll add the link to your post.

By: VeloBusDriver

VeloBusDriver — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:15:55 +0000

I avoid passing cyclists who are in the door zone for this very reason. I'm not commenting on the bus driver's actions in this story since I really don't understand the situation. Ugh... Either way, it's a tragedy.

I wrote a blog entry on this subject. It details what happens when 20 tons of bus meets the hand and door of a driver opening their door into traffic. Not pretty: http://velobusdriver.wordpress.com/2009/10/15/f...

By: Andy

Andy — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 18:07:26 +0000

I get honked at once in a while for riding in the lane, but not loosing several decades off my life seems like a much bigger concern than being held up by a cyclist for 5 seconds.