Coquitlam mayor shares video of near-dooring while on bike
Posted March 21, 2024 12:20 pm.
Last Updated March 21, 2024 1:03 pm.
Coquitlam’s mayor has shared video of a close call he had while cycling in his city.
Richard Stewart is reminding people about road safety, saying he “almost lost my head” Wednesday morning, after a truck door abruptly opened in front of him near City Hall.
The video shows him approaching the front of the truck before the driver opens their door in Stewart’s path, forcing the mayor to swerve to avoid being hit.
“It certainly happens all around the Lower Mainland, where trucks are parked on the side of the road. This was a truck that was obstructing my lane — I was in the right-turn lane — and it was three-quarters obstructing the right-turn lane, it was at the curb. So I was cautiously going in the remainder of the lane, being as far away from the truck as possible, and then suddenly the truck door opens right in front of me. At that point, I’m a metre or two from the truck door as it opens in front of my face,” Stewart recalled.
He tells CityNews he “screamed loudly” while avoiding being hit, seemingly catching the driver’s attention.
“The driver apologized to me after he got out and said it was his fault. He didn’t see me, he said, which implies to me that he didn’t look because I’m in a very high-viz yellow and orange and reflective stripe jacket that I wear when I ride, because visibility is important,” Stewart said.
“It was extremely unnerving and it’s happened to me before.”
The B.C. government notes that “dooring” is when a driver or passenger of a vehicle opens their door “unsafely” into the path of traffic. This act may cause cyclists to swerve or crash, leading to injury or even death.
As of September 2020, the province increased the penalty for anyone responsible for dooring.
“Anyone opening the door of a parked car when it is not safe will face a fine of $368,” the B.C. government explains online.
Video meant to be a reminder to hopefully ‘change some behaviours’: Mayor
Stewart says he shared the video of his close call to remind people to share the road responsibly.
“To remind people what the perspective of a cyclist might be because most people have the perspective of a motorist. That reminder might be able to change some behaviours or at least make motorists more understanding of why the cyclist is riding so far from the car doors, for example,” the mayor said.
Stewart says he gave up his vehicle during the pandemic. As an avid cyclist, he says the video isn’t mean to raise concerns but rather let drivers get a glimps of what it’s like to use this mode of transportation
“I certainly struggled with posting that kind of information. It’s intended to make motorists be more protective of other road users,” he explained.
His advice to cyclists: be as visible as possible on the roads and aware of what’s around you.
“It’s funny, colleagues laugh at me because I’m so high-viz that they say I’m not a very stylish cyclist. And I quip back, and perhaps it’s morbid, but I don’t want to get hit accidentally by a car that didn’t see me. If I get hit by a car, I want it to be a targeted hit,” he joked.
“The fear of not being seen and having something like this happen, there’s no way he made any effort to look in the mirror. [If he had,] he would have seen the cyclist.”
In addition to a fine, opening a door while unsafe can also cost you two points on your licence, ICBC adds.
