Cyclist knocked off outside Harris Boys East Dulwich

[taper]

A cyclist was sent flying by a passenger door opening outside Harris Boys ED just after 8am this morning. Hats off the teachers and others outside the school who helped him. I hope you're OK if you happen to read this. If you need a witness, I was about 15metres behind you.

[DulwichLondoner]

Opening car doors with the "Dutch reach" should be taught here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/news/the-dutch-reach-how-opening-car-door-like-the-dutch-could-save-lives-cycling/

It's about opening the left door with your right hand, and viceversa, as this forces you to look at the oncoming traffic.

[Sue]

I hope the cyclist is OK.

This happened to my daughter's mother-in-law.

She was in hospital for several days and took quite a long time to recover.

[kristymac1]

I too hope the cyclist is ok,

my friend was killed at 18 by being swept off her bike by a driver opening a car door under an oncoming bus :-( .

[taper]

Dreadful. It's usually parked cars you look out for. This one appeared to be static in a queue at the lights. so the cyclist, who was filtering down the side of the traffic, was hit from the right.

[uncleglen]

People who do that should lose their licence forever

[Mark]

uncleglen Wrote:

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> People who do that should lose their licence

> forever

Could have been a rear seat passenger (without a licence) getting out the car.

[rendelharris]

No idea if it was the case in this instance but schools at dropping off time are very hairy places for cyclists as kids tend to erupt from cars on both sides without looking. It'd be very helpful if drivers could keep childproof locks/central locking on until they'd checked themselves, then let the kids out. Hope this rider's OK.

[jimlad48]

uncleglen Wrote:

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> People who do that should lose their licence

> forever

Accidents happen. That seems a total overreaction to an unfortunate situation.

[JohnL]

Mark Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> uncleglen Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > People who do that should lose their licence

> > forever

>

> Could have been a rear seat passenger (without a

> licence) getting out the car.

I've seen this happen with black cabs.

[James Barber]

Long time ago when I chaired Southwark Cyclists TfL gave me stats showing in London 11% of cycling killed and seriously injured are from being 'doored'.

Cycle Training advice is to cycle further out to avoid this happening to you. Equally car occupants are duty bound to properly look to avoid taking people out.

[snathani]

jimlad48 Wrote:

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> uncleglen Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > People who do that should lose their licence

> > forever

>

> Accidents happen. That seems a total overreaction

> to an unfortunate situation.

Jimlad, aside from the punishment, checking for cyclists is a "you MUST" in the Highway Code:

http://www.highwaycode.info/waiting-and-parking/waiting-and-parking-239

..so I think the blame is on the people in the car. And if the car's not obviously parked up to let people out, that makes it impossible for someone filtering past to anticipate a door opening. Dangerous stuff that should be more severely punished than it is, I reckon.

[achilles1]

this is because all the idiota that take their kids to that school think they own the whoke road i really hope the cyclist is ok and the person in question should face some kind of charge

[Blah Blah]

Happened to me many years ago on the Old Kent Road. I went over the handlebars and car door and fortunately not under the travelling car that my bicycle then hit. That driver had no wing mirror, was stopped in a bus lane and didn't look properly. The driver of the other car, that was damaged by my bicycle, was furious with him and called the Police. In the end he was fined and given points.

Hope the young lad is ok and more importantly, is not put off from cycling as a result. It is the responsibility of the driver to make sure it is safe for passengers to exit their vehicle and hopefully a lesson has been learned there too.

[uncleglen]

how is it an accident pray? Stupid driver intent on getting kid into school doesn't check mirrors etc.....NOT a bloody accident imvho

[mynamehere]

The vast majority of drivers do all their loading kids and parcels on the street side doors. Why? Every day I see kids sent to load themselves through the street side door or parents loading babies into car seats from the street side door of the car. The complete illogic of this and the near universal fact leaves me incredulous.

[Mrs C]

I saw him too, after the fact. J, I really hope you are OK and recover fully. Have been thinking about you lots today.

[worldwiser]

mynamehere, you might show a little understanding - it's not always possible to park with the carseat side to the kerb and, if one has two children, completely impossible. I totally endorse the point about child locks though.

[mynamehere]

I load children. I NEVER load street side. I always load pavement side. This is a no brainer that 99 in 100 adults do not get and I am dumbfounded (while I appreciate that you and those 99 adults would just call me dumb. Go figure, which is why I bring it up. Please explain. Just move your car seat. Let the children scoot to the seat side. Lean in.) All those wide open doors into streets forcing wide manoeuvres. Wide open doors with butts poking way way out while adults carefully adjust safety straps and harnesses.

[worldwiser]

Firstly, I don't call people dumb. Nor did I anywhere above. I expressed a perfectly reasonable point of view with which you are certainly free to disagree. I have an average sized saloon car and, with two car seats in place, there is no way for a child to exit the car on the opposing side without removing one of them. I don't admonish parents, most of whom are just trying to make it through the day as best they can. Until they make it possible to mount two carseats on the same side of a vehicle, I believe most of us will continue to do just that.

[walkman85]

uncleglen Wrote:

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> how is it an accident pray? Stupid driver intent

> on getting kid into school doesn't check mirrors

> etc.....NOT a bloody accident imvho

Are you suggesting the person in the car did this intentionally? Obviously I'm unaware of all the details but I'd be surprised if the door was opened on purpose in order to hurt the cyclist. It's true this sort of incident is easily preventable and deserves some punishment but losing their license is extreme.

[jimlad48]

walkman85 Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> uncleglen Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > how is it an accident pray? Stupid driver

> intent

> > on getting kid into school doesn't check

> mirrors

> > etc.....NOT a bloody accident imvho

>

>

> Are you suggesting the person in the car did this

> intentionally? Obviously I'm unaware of all the

> details but I'd be surprised if the door was

> opened on purpose in order to hurt the cyclist.

> It's true this sort of incident is easily

> preventable and deserves some punishment but

> losing their license is extreme.

Totally agree - there are a tiny minority of drivers who do seem to delight in making cyclists lives a misery and they should be prosecured to the full extent of the law. BUT, these are very much the minority.

By all means ban drivers if it happens, but perhaps we could also introduce cycling licences and ban cyclists who do things like jumping red lights, riding on pavements or other dangerous behaviour that injures and kills pedestrians?

[tomskip]

Was the cyclist "undertaking" ie. cycling past between the car and the pavement? My husband nearly had an incident with a cyclist who was doing just this - even though I was indicating left and had pulled in (I thought) very close to the pavement to drop him at the station.

I'm not victim blaming I hope but there are times when a passenger in a car might not think it was necessary to look behind them when opening the car door.

[rendelharris]

tomskip Wrote:

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> I'm not victim blaming I hope but there are times

> when a passenger in a car might not think it was

> necessary to look behind them when opening the car

> door.

There's no time when anyone in a car shouldn't check behind them before opening a door! Whether a cyclist/motorcyclist or even pedestrian should or should not be there, they might be, err on the side of caution for your own sake (a friend had her wrist broken by a filtering motorcyclist ? insurance companies decided 50-50, she should have looked more closely, he shouldn't have gone so fast into a too narrow gap).

[taper]

The cyclist was filtering to the left of static traffic.