B.C. mayor captures near-dooring on his cycling helmet camera

A B.C. mayor is speaking out about dangers to cyclists following an incident on Thursday morning.

In a video captured on his cycling helmet camera, Coquitlam Mayor Richard Stewart is seen cycling along Glen Drive near The High Street and a delivery truck is pulled over on the right.

As Stewart approaches the truck on the left, the cab door starts to open.

Stewart swerves, yells out “No!” and pulls around the truck.

He posted the incident on Instagram, saying, “I almost lost my head this morning.”

Stewart says he was not hurt, just rattled and the driver apologized but he said the scary incident is a reminder for everyone as more and more bicycles hit the roads.

“Certainly a professional driver shouldn’t be opening his door into traffic,” Stewart told Global News, “whether it’s a cyclist or another truck.”

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Stewart said it’s a cautionary tale for everyone using the roads.

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“Let’s make sure drivers are aware of what a cyclist faces, or a pedestrian faces, when drivers might not be paying attention, or when cyclists might not be paying attention,” he said. “We all need to understand each other better in order to make the roads safer.”

In January 2019, 55-year-old cyclist Mike McIntosh was killed when a driver opened his door, causing a chain-reaction crash that threw McIntosh under a dump truck.

Cycling advocates say this is another reminder that when getting out of their vehicles, drivers should use the Dutch Reach, which is when a driver opens the door with their right hand, which forces them to turn to the left, making it more likely they will see an approaching cyclist.

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Colin Fowler, the co-chair of the HUB Cycling Tri-Cities Committee, said dooring continues to be a problem on B.C.’s roads.

“Part of it too, is when we build some of these bike lanes in some areas, we put the bike lane directly in the door zone for a vehicle,” Fowler said.

“There’s no way for a person to exit the vehicle without getting into a potential dooring incident with the cyclist.”

He said cases like this are a reminder that there are cyclists on the road.

“Just keep an eye out for each other,” Fowler said.

“I think a lot of people just want to go about their day and get home on time. But taking that second can really make a difference.”