Lewis Shaw
A incident involving a taxi passenger who accidentally ‘doored’ a cyclist in Melbourne, Australia, has sparked a huge debate after the video went viral on youtube and a cyclist has gone viral.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6k0w570U5E
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4bLcMapzSo
The cyclist was riding down the side of the road and tried to pass through the narrowest of gaps between the taxi and sidewalk, the passenger opened the door and unfortunately knocked the cyclist over.
The enraged cyclist then demanded the passengers details, but the man, refused and walked away with friends. We don’t want to give you all the details, watch the incident below and the aftermath to make up your mind.
Since the video, it has triggered a huge debate in the Ozzie press and social media. Carscoops report:
In an editorial piece on The Australian titled “The Menace of Urban Cyclists“, the newspaper writes:
“THE arrogant sense of entitlement in our inner cities is also evident in the ever-growing number of cyclists snaking their way through pedestrians on overcrowded pathways, darting between cars and clogging-up lanes on our congested roadways.”
The opinion piece continues:
“For too long, authorities have bowed to the demands of selfish cyclists and their lobby groups. Truth is, our cities are dominated by cars because they are sprawling. We have no equivalent of Amsterdam and should stop pretending we do”
Bicycle Network of Victoria spokesman Garry Brennan, on the other hand, says drivers and car passengers should learn the road rules.
“Collins St (has) a higher rate of dooring because there are so many taxis dropping passengers off … when they have not pulled up into a kerb,” he told The Herald Sun. “A passenger should not get out of a vehicle unless it is parked.”
He added that taxi drivers have “been a problem” for cyclists in Melbourne because they have not been “properly trained” and that separated and wider bike lanes could help reduce incident like this.
