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news
Video: Police tell New York City cyclist he may get summons – as he lies on ground immediately after being doored
A cyclist in New York City who was lying on the ground after being doored by a car driver was questioned by police officers over whether he had been riding in the bike lane – and was told that he may receive a summons.
The incident was filmed by another cyclist who had been following the Domino’s delivery rider along West 21st Street in the Chelsea district of Manhattan on Monday.
The footage shows the Domino’s cyclist leaving the bike lane just before he was doored by a motorist who opened the door of his van.
Gothamist reports that paramedics and police arrived on the scene within minutes, with one of the officers asking the cyclist who shot the footage, “Was he getting off right here?
“Because there's a bike lane here, so technically you're supposed to ride in the bike lane.”
Another officer asked the injured cyclist, who was apparently motionless on the ground: “Sir, were you in the bike lane?”
The officer added: “OK, we have to give him a summons for not driving in the bike lane.”
The cyclist who took the video, who wanted to remain anonymous, said afterwards: “He was nonresponsive to our many attempts to revive him, his eyes were closed.
“When the paramedics came he was more responsive, but still sluggish—slurred speech.”
He added that he saw the police officers writing, but did not know whether it was a summons.
Gothamist, which has contacted the New York Police Department (NYPD) says that under state law, cyclists are obliged to use bike lanes.
However, it adds that there are exceptions such as where the lane is blocked or when the cyclist is preparing to turn.
So far this year, 28 cyclists have been killed in New York City – a threefold increase on 2018 – and in two of those cases, the rider was the victim of a dooring.
According to Gothamist, neither of those cases resulted in action against the person opening the door.
Relations between the cycling community and New York Police Department have been strained due to the force reacting to cyclist fatalities by ticketing cyclists in the area in the following days.
During such operations, cyclists have even been fined for non-existent offences such as not wearing a cycle helmet, which is not a legal requirement for cyclists in the state.
Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.
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36 comments
Paging nicmason to argue the police's case...
FFS! He wasn't in the 'bike lane' because there was a bloody huge SUV parked in it. The one belonging to the driver who opened the door and knocked him for six! NYPD are hugely anti-cycling and this incident is yet another example of this. And what can I say about them trying to book a bloke lying on the floor concussed! FFS!
There have been cases, recorded on Gothamist and Streetblog NYC, of the NYPD parking their own vehicles in a cycle lane. The passing cyclists move out into the rest of the roadway and then get ticketed for not riding in the bike lane.
Isn't the bike lane on the left though? That looked like some sort of loading bay.
Obviously the only sane reaction to someone semi conscious on the ground is to think about giving them a ticket.
Yep, the bike lane is definitley only the one on the left, however stupid rule and stupid response by the Police.
I think the cyclist was not in the bike lane despite it being clear and empty, except for other cyclists. The car was parked in what I take to be a parking area, but I am not familiar with road markings over there. The car door was already clearly ajar right at the start of the video. I can not conceive of skimming past an opened door of a car with only inches to spare, it's sheer folly. I can only assume the cyclist was not aware of his surroundings. That does not absolve the motorist for not being aware either, nor the police for their insensitive handling of the situation.
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