I almost certainly would have died…
As readers may already know, I commute to uni and work with my trusty mountain bike.
This morning, on my way to uni I saw my life flash before my very eyes, and it was a cause for concern, because the way I almost died can be prevented.
Royal Parade is always parked chockers in the day, with drivers always looking out for free street parking for easy access into Melbourne Uni or her neighbouring premises.
I was riding towards the city, with the usual focus on the road, pedestrian, incoming traffic and fellow bike riders. Just basic bike etiquette, as a bike rider is always the one in danger. Then it happened.
A driver of a car, not five meters ahead, opened his door and it was right in front of me, staring and grinning at me like I was a giant lollipop. I braked immediately, but threw myself forward in the process, grazing and bruising myself pretty badly. Amazingly, I did not break any bones. But some of the injuries will take weeks to heal.
The driver was stunned. A small late morning crowd gathered and several members of the public came to check on me. Traffic stalled only for a few moments, as the bike and myself were still in the bike lane. This may sound ridiculous to you, but while lying on the floor, I turned to check on my bike for damages. LOL. For one second, my bike was more important than my life. Then the pain took over.
Admittedly, I was riding pretty quickly. However, I was riding in the bicycle lane and flouted no rules. Anyway, to cut the story short, the driver was very apologetic and offered to pay for any damages/stitches. He admitted he didn’t check his rear view mirror when he opened the door. Strangely, I didn’t feel any anger. Neither did I blame him, as how else would the door open then? Unless you’re driving a flash sports car that has doors that swing upwards, but that’s another story.
So the point of this post is, can cyclists be protected? It’s amazing how I even survived this incident; I could have ran head first into the door, through the glass and came out decapitated.
Perhaps a small partition between the parking and bike lane? Cyclists are already so vulnerable on the road, and to think the most dangerous threats could be vehicles that are not moving. Geeezzzz.
Of course, had I broken a bone or something, I might have felt otherwise about the driver. But I’m a nice guy :O
Incidents like these obviously happen pretty often. It’s something that cyclists are aware of, and it’s at the back of my mind. I didn’t think it will happen to me, but it did.
Hmm I just realised I do not have an ambulance cover. I am signing up for one tomorrow. $60 annually is a cheap payoff.
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I think it was an episode of Kojak (very old american TV series that was originally aired before I was born - I watched the rerun) in which they show a bike rider hit the door of a car that suddently opens in front of him. The biker flips over the door along with his bike and falls on his back on the other side,,, all shown very graphically. I just went ufffff!! when I saw it on TV years ago. The image has been so clearly embedded in my mind since then… that even to this day when I’m passing beside a parked car,,, I try to check in advance if someone is trying to come out… but most of the times,, I just take a deep breath and brace!!!
Good for you Adrock, you’re still here, I’d have missed your posts!1!! hope you get healed soon pal.
I suppose the Copenhagen lanes (such as the one on Swanston St) would have prevented something like this. But yeah, swinging car doors are Enemy #1 for bicyclists.
A friend of mine recently fell of his bicycle badly hurting his ankle. No ambulance cover so he has to pay the $800 dollar bill.
Good to see you are alive!
Take care there! I cycle daily to the uni too, so I could understand how that would feel if the same thing happened to me. Yeah I do the same thing as Icecube, I always pay attention to all the cars I am passing by to look out for swinging doors.
Hope that you recover soon. Yeah anyway I’m just wondering if you brake on only one wheel? If I’m not mistaken braking on both wheels would prevent yourself being thrown forward in the case of emergency.
Terrible to hear, but I’m glad you’re alright.
I can sympathise with you buddy, I had my bike accident late January, but it was because of another stupid lady cyclist taking her time and daydreaming.
She was riding extremely slow on an old pushbike, on a road with tram tracks.
I was gaining on her from behind at double her speed. We were both approaching a parked car so we gradually moved out right.
Lucky I did a headcheck before overtaking her.. i made sure there were no cars behind as I rode out to the right of her. Unfortunately, the silly old cow kept moving out right much more than she needed to. She forced me and my narrow road bike wheels right into the tram track.
next thing you know, I was thrown off the bike and had really bad grazes on my arm, hip and leg.
Stupid old bitch said “Tram tracks. Same old story”
Bad luck, adrock, glad you’re okay(ish). It’s a tough problem (well, not in a perfect world, but most councils won’t even lay out half-decent bike lanes in the first place) and I’m afraid I don’t see a likely solution anytime soon. My dad got knocked off his bike the same way coming down Oliver’s Hill in Frankston. The other bloke got nicked (not for the accident but for driving without a licence).
And if you’re traveling at speed, Chang Yang, even using both brakes will throw you forwards off the bike if you brake hard.
good to note that you’re okay, nonetheless. t’care
I always have a tendency to brake with my front wheel when a sudden stop is needed. Stopping over a distance is done with my rear brakes. When the door opened up and almost swallowed me whole, I braked with my front. Could explain why I was thrown forward.
But it wouldn’t have mattered. I would still have been thrown off my bike. It was SO sudden and I was going at a rather high speed.
It’s really not a good time to be injured right now, what with uni assignments and exams around the corner.
I forgot to mention, I was on my way to uni to drop off an assignment. After the accident I took a cab home (the cab driver looked really concerned and even offered me a free ride home, but I passed :O ), cleaned myself up (wasn’t the most pleasant experience) and emailed my lecturer explaining why my assignment CANNOT be dropped off. A friend of mine swung by and picked it up from me.
What a day, really.
I know many bikers who sand off their front brake pads (I do that too back home on my racer) to prevent the front wheel from locking - so the front wheel will always slow gradually, but the rear wheel will lock (this will almost definitely cause your rear to slide, but it’s better than skidding on both wheels)… Of course you’ll still fly if you’re travelling at enough speed, but it might help train the brain to recognise the rear wheel as the one with the emergency brake :)
Poor me. I’ve to nurse my broken body, and now my brain.
lol
I hope you’re recovering well!