‘Dooring’ of cyclists a serious trend that needs to change: advocates
Posted November 29, 2017 6:08 pm.
Last Updated November 29, 2017 6:39 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
177 cyclists have been “doored” in the city of Toronto this year alone and it’s a potentially deadly trend which needs to change, according to advocates of the two-wheeled community.
One of the biggest concerns is the classification for “dooring” incidents was downgraded in 2011 from an accident to an incident. A big issue according to TDSB trustee and cyclist Chris Glover who was one of multiple public speakers at today’s public works committee meeting at City Hall.
“This means that they’re not tracked the same way as accidents, the cyclists involved don’t have the same legal rights otherwise and it actually creates lots of confusion for police and how they report it,” said Glover.
So far this year the number of “dooring” incidents is down slightly. In 2016 there was 209 incidents, followed by 175 in 2015 and 132 in 2014.
One other big push made at City Hall today was for a new public awareness campaign, and training on how people open their doors when exiting a vehicle. There’s a system dubbed the “Dutch Reach” where you use your arm furthest from the door to open it while turning your head to look behind you to see if anyone is coming.
Councillor Jaye Robinson and other committee chairs agree intervention is needed. “It’s a very terrifying incident when this happens,” said Robinson. “It’s so shocking when this happens and injuries do happen. It’s something we want to address here in Toronto.”
As a result of the troubling data and today’s committee meeting, Public Works has now asked Municipal Licence and Standards for a comprehensive report on “ground transportation in this city” according to Robinson.
