A video of a cyclist being hit by a truck door near the traffic circle on Goldstream Avenue has the Greater Victoria Cycling Coalition asking drivers to use more caution.
The video was submitted to the Goldstream News Gazette by reader Graham Bunn.
It is a dashcam video that was taken around 5:20 p.m. Friday. In it, a white pickup truck can be seen heading towards the traffic circle on what appears to by Bryn Maur Road.
The truck stops on the road without signalling and bicycle can be seen passing the vehicle. As soon as the passenger side door opens, it hits the cyclist and knocks them off their bike.
Both the passenger and cyclist are then seen walking and riding off.
West Shore RCMP was unable to comment on whether or not the cyclist reported the incident as of Saturday afternoon.
Edward Pullman, president of the Greater Victoria Cycling Coalition, said he is glad it looked like the individual hit wasn’t hurt too badly. However, he said more care and caution needs to be used when exiting a vehicle.
“That was clearly not the case here,” Pullman said. “It also goes to show that when you’re designing bike lanes…when you just have a single strip of paint separating you from vehicle traffic, it leaves a lot of room for human error.”
In the case of the video, the cyclist was biking on the edge of the roadway as there was no bicycle lane. The truck did not pull off to the side of the road to stop.
Pullman said some sort of buffer — whether that means physical barriers or just more space between bike lanes and roads — can help keep cyclists safe.
Cycling injuries related to being hit by vehicle doors are very common, according to Pullman, however many cyclists don’t report the incidents.
“Dooring is very common, it’s certainly not the majority but it’s one of the most common incidents that occur in terms of cyclist injuries,” Pullman said.
Pullman recommends drivers utilize a move called the “Dutch reach” when exiting their vehicles. It involves using the hand that is furthest from the door to open it in the hopes that you will turn your body with it and be able to check blind spots.
“You can certainly check your mirror but you should also check your blind spot just in case,” Pullman said. “The Dutch reach is the best piece of advice you can give to a driver exiting a vehicle.”
Pullman noted that incidents such as this one can discourage people from wanting to ride their bicycles on roadways.
“A lot of surveys have shown that people would like to ride their bikes more,” Pullman said. “And the number one reason for why they’re not is safety.”
