From time's up NYC:Fellow Cyclist Killed in Midtown (victim of an apparent dooring)

[Yoshi]

Sad. I'm so sad and friggin angry.

Wear a helmet. If you don't, you're an idiot. If you think you look cool riding without a helmet, think of it this way, Brain damage isn't cool. Being dead from stupidity is even less cool.---I'm not at all saying that it was the biker's fault for not wearing one, it was the truck driver's fault, for sure. But he may be alive if he had a helmet on. Poor dude.

To all motorists in NYC, and heavily trafficked areas--
OPEN YOUR DOORS CURB SIDE!!!! CURB SIDE, I TELL YOU!!!
If you open your door into traffic and hit or kill a bicyclist, you go to jail. No questions asked. Involuntary manslaughter, or attempted manslaughter. Criminal.

Educating the public is the only way to keep us safe. Motorists are NEVER told to look for bikes. EVER. You are taught to look for other cars.

Here's what I want. I know this will happen when pigs fly, but here it is anyway:
5th ave. turned into a pedestrian/bike greenway. No cars allowed. Cars can cross over every 5 blocks, and must wait for the green light on their side, which is a long wait...ha ha.


The thing is the delivery truck did open the curb side door. However, since he was double parked, the curbside door was still in the street. Legally the delivery truck driver is probably not in the wrong for the dooring (and I honestly don't think he should be), but the double parking was definitely wrong, and certainly contributed to the cyclers death.

And yes, please wear a helmet. Sure they chances of an accident with a head injury may be low, but it does happen.

[webist]

[QUOTE=alanbikehouston]To survive, we must study the enemy and deal with the enemy. QUOTE]

Enemy? How can we ever expect to "Share the Road" if we are actually enemies?

Carelessness is certainly a concern. Often, as we see a possible example of here, carelessness can result in a fatality. However, to suggest that we are enemies, implies that there was some intent on the part of the truck driver to do that cyclist or any cyclist harm.

With some frequency in this country, small children drown in family swimming pools; often because of someone's carelessness. Seldom do I see stories which characterize the caregiver as the emeny of the child.

Often there are legal and financial consequences when someone is carelessly harmed and rightly so. Thankfully, I have avoided tragedy in several close calls, both when I was being careless as well as when others were. As far as I know though, non of the occupants of the hundreds of vehicles I encounter on my rides are my enemies. I know I am not their enemy.

[Dahon.Steve]

That being said, a year in prison is a LONG time for a person who is not "prison ready." Child killers are not treated very well, if you know what I mean.

It's not long enough in my opinion. The cyclist or Ped does not fair well in our legal system. If this same person killed the mortorist with a gun he would be looking at life in prison.

[operator]

According to what the newspapers say, this guy was delivering coffee and pastries. There are tons of folks doing this in the city, for local restaurants or delis. They ride beat up MTB, in a 2 mile radius from their shop and usually go like 5mph. They are not messenger, their job duties include cooking, cleaning, and sometimes also delivering stuff to the customers.
I don't get how someone can just die from a falll while carrying coffee on a bike... I don't get it.
This one hit close. These folks deliver to my work, my home, we ride side by side in the city, they deliver in the rain, snow or 100F weather... 24 hours a day. They are not speed junkies riding vicariously through the city.
This is so sad.
The memorial ride is in 20mins. Am going.

Dude, this is your HEAD we're talking about, you're not falling 5mph on your ass.

[glowingrod]

The thing is the delivery truck did open the curb side door. However, since he was double parked, the curbside door was still in the street. Legally the delivery truck driver is probably not in the wrong for the dooring (and I honestly don't think he should be), but the double parking was definitely wrong, and certainly contributed to the cyclers death.

And yes, please wear a helmet. Sure they chances of an accident with a head injury may be low, but it does happen.

According to the picture and descriptions the truck was double parked, however the passenger door is the door in question. cyclist was passing between the truck and the police van. Even if double parked opening a door into oncoming traffic without first observing for oncoming traffic is an offense. In the cae of a doubleparked vehicle, if there is room for even just a bicycle to pass between the curb parked vehicle and the double parked vehicle then the driver side door opening into the path of an oncoming cyclist is an infraction as that lane is still in play i.e. the truck is stopped for whatever reason in a lane of traffic and those behind have no way of knowing they are double parked or simply stopped for traffic ahead. On a oneway street it would be legal to pass on the left side of a double parked truck in this manner, or a truck stopped for a light/traffic and the driver is responsible for checking for oncoming traffic before exiting the vehicle as all curb lanes are turn lanes and center lanes are for through traffic.