tommyY

Thu, Sep 2, 2010 : 1:16 p.m.

If the bicycle were replaced by a car in this scenario, where the fault lies would be obvious-- the person opening the car door into a passing vehicle. If the moving car sustained damage, the driver would certainly be the victim. To even suggest a biker operating legally could be in any way at fault here is ludicrous, regardless of how few facts we have.

Mertie

Thu, Sep 2, 2010 : 12:23 p.m.

I am surprised that there are not many more bicyclist and pedestrian injuries. I don't drive in Ann Arbor unless I absolutely have to (like a medical appt at U of M). I don't eat their or shop there due to many erratic drivers, bicyclists and joggers. Jaywalkers, lane changing motorists and bicyclists weave all over the place. Drivers aggressively fight over street parking. In fact another cyclist was severely injured just several weeks ago. These injuries are very sad. It is a war zone.

kmgeb2000

Thu, Sep 2, 2010 : 11:20 a.m.

@jojojo: I still hold the rider (bike, car, motorcycle) has to be aware of his or her surrounding. The "moving door" doesn't cut it for me. I'll give you that the person opening the door must check. But a bike may be visible at one moment and obscured the next from a parked cars mirror or even looking back, especially if the rider is weaving in and out of traffic or parked cars (which is not to suggest that this was the case in this situation). A2cents does brings up valid points as cyclists seem to always be in harms way. Still physics and right-of-way don't mix either. The largest mass moving the fastest or the most immovable object win the collision no matter who is "right". Lastly, regarding "don't blame the victim" doesn't that statement in itself place judgement on the circumstances, for which it appears is against posting guidelines. From the article it is only clear the person was injured, whether he was a victim was definitely not established from the information presented. By stating he was a victim implies the person who opened the door is at fault.

a2cents

Thu, Sep 2, 2010 : 10:27 a.m.

I cringe when I see bicyclists hugging parked cars. Intimidated by aggressive drivers, they set themselves up for being "doored" or for awkward encounters with jaywalkers. I do not intend to criticize cyclists, quite the opposite. Taking the lane is the only safe option. Placement outside the door-swing zone puts the cyclist at the edge of the adjacent traffic lane and tempts motorists to crowd past, posing another threat to the cyclists' safety. Those City of Ann Arbor bike lanes which are adjacent to parked vehicles provide a false sense of security to cyclists and embolden drivers to be lane-use enforcers. Cyclists are in harm's way to the right and the left. Again taking the lane is the only viable protection for the cyclist. Considerate cyclists and drivers can reach accommodation, i.e. cyclists, don't hold up traffic for too long; motorists, calm down and be a bit more patient.

jojojo

Thu, Sep 2, 2010 : 9:08 a.m.

KMGEB200, I agree about stationary objects, but when someone opens a car door it suddenly and (often) unexpectedly changes the geography. It's similar to changing lanes - at one moment you are occupying one space, now you want to move into another. In both instances it's the responsibility of the person making the change - be it switching lanes or taking up a lane with a car door - who bears the responsibility for making sure that the lane is clear. Yes?

kmgeb2000

Thu, Sep 2, 2010 : 8:34 a.m.

Seem to me if any rider (be whatever mode if wheeled transportation) hits a stationary object (in this case a car door) it's not the stationary objects problem. "Doored" or otherwise the person operating the moving transportation must be aware of the situation around him or her. If traffic or activity in the area was heavy then whomever is operating the vehicle must slow down regardless of how fast one COULD go. Situational awareness in aways key to one own safety. As a motorcyclist I deal with it every time I ride.

Steve Pepple

Thu, Sep 2, 2010 : 7:07 a.m.

A comment/question about our moderating guidelines and practices was moved to an entry that explains our moderations policy and which contains an ongoing discussion from readers. It is located at http://www.annarbor.com/about/comment-moderation-guidelines-meant-to-cultivate-community-forum/.

Waheed Samy

Thu, Sep 2, 2010 : 5:41 a.m.

Chrysta, do you suppose motorists would say I've been "bicycled" :)

jojojo

Thu, Sep 2, 2010 : 5:23 a.m.

It's very simple. Doors are hard. People are soft. When you open your car door you have a responsibility to *look* first to make sure that you're not about to nail somebody.

Sarah

Wed, Sep 1, 2010 : 8:25 p.m.

My coworker witnessed the aftermath. Add in move-in traffic, so the roads are very busy with people unfamiliar with the roads and it's a pretty good disaster.

Craig Lounsbury

Wed, Sep 1, 2010 : 7:57 p.m.

"Two comments have been removed. Please don't blame the victim -- and please remember there's a lot we don't yet know here." Including who the "victim" was. Maybe it was the owner of the car door.

ACLABT

Wed, Sep 1, 2010 : 7:03 p.m.

Bicyclists are a major frustration to anyone who drives on central campus. They constantly weave in and out of traffic - in the middle of the lane - passing cars who are stopped at lights or yielding to traffic and pedestrians, and also go from the streets to the side walk (and vice versa) on a regular basis. They often do not look for traffic or slow down. In fact, I have witnessed a couple occasions where the bicyclist almost ran down pedestrians on the sidewalk. I am not blaming the victim because I do not know what the exact scenario was in this case, but I am pointing out that I am surprised that this does not happen to bicyclists every day.

Bob Martel

Wed, Sep 1, 2010 : 5:10 p.m.

@ CommonThought - are you asking whether the cyclist was suicidal and apparently failed? I'm sure it was accidental on the part of both motorist and cyclist. No one but a real world-class jerk deliberately opens a door in front of a cyclist and no cyclist would deliberately ride into such an open door.

Chrysta Cherrie

Wed, Sep 1, 2010 : 5:06 p.m.

CommonThought, so far we don't have the information necessary to answer that. What may have happened is that someone from the car opened the door, didn't realize a cyclist was approaching, and the cyclist wasn't able to slow down in time or get out of the way. I think it's a pretty common situation among cyclists; they refer to it as being "doored."

Bob Martel

Wed, Sep 1, 2010 : 5:04 p.m.

Parked cars and unexpected street-side door openings are always a dangerous and tricky situation for cyclist and motorist alike. When I bike through a part of a town where there are parked cars, I take the entire lane and move as fast as I can which is usually as fast as the cars are going anyway. I don't do this on major roads such as Main Street in downtown Ann Arbor, in that case I'd go up a parallel street like Division or 4th. Where there are no parked cars, I stay as close to the right edge of the road as is practical. I need to emphasize that this approach is usually not a problem for the motorists as I am moving along at a good clip. If I was puttering along at 5 mph, or otherwise at risk of impeding traffic, I would reconsider this approach.

CommonThought

Wed, Sep 1, 2010 : 5 p.m.

"he rode into an open door of a parked car" did someone open the door right in front of him, or had the door been open for a while?

Bob Needham

Wed, Sep 1, 2010 : 3:26 p.m.

Two comments have been removed. Please don't blame the victim -- and please remember there's a lot we don't yet know here.