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Toronto transit, cycling official involved in downtown dooring incident: reports

For commuting riders, one of the biggest dangers biking in big Canadian cities is the prospect of an open car door.

January 24, 2016
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For commuting riders, one of the biggest dangers biking in big Canadian cities is the prospect of an open car door. Many severe accidents, some fatal, have been the result of collisions with doors opened directly into the path of cyclists. It’s something that’s regularly cited as making dedicated bike infrastructure all but imperative, according to advocates.

On the streets of Toronto, where that debate has been ongoing for years, one city official experienced that danger firsthand on Friday night—and given her position in the municipal government, it’s an experience likely to have a ripple effect.

That evening, Toronto’s director of transit and sustainable transportation, Hilary Holden, was cycling near the intersection of Bloor Street and Bedford Road, when an Uber car stopped to let a passenger disembark. According to reports published in the Toronto Sun, the passenger hopped out, opening the vehicle door into the path of Holden’s ride. The “dooring” that resulted flung Holden off her bike. Before long, she was in the back of an ambulance

“Been doored,” she tweeted at around 10 p.m. Eastern time. “Am in back of ambulance.” Several tweets followed, further describing the incident. “Beat the Fri night rush in ER!” she tweeted later in the evening. “Think I’m probably just concussed. Went over sideways, my head bounced coupla times.”

Unlike many other cyclists who have experienced similar crashes, Holden was relatively unhurt. Her injuries, reportedly, were “minimal,” including a “small bash” between the eyes. Thanks to wearing her helmet at the time of the accident, she was possibly spared a much worse, more critical condition.

“I think I’m ok but got a stinking headache,” she also wrote on Twitter.

Briefly addressing the matter the day after her close call, Holden stressed that “protected bike lanes, helmets [and] safety in numbers” are needed for Toronto’s riders. Further information about the incident, meanwhile—like the events leading up to the dooring—won’t be available until Monday, police indicated. The driver of the Uber vehicle involved, however, will be fined.