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New York City campaign warns taxi passengers of danger of opening doors in path of cyclists (+ video)NYC Look For Cyclists taxi window decal

New York City campaign warns taxi passengers of danger of opening doors in path of cyclists (+ video)

Video to be aired in cabs and on local TV stations, all 13,000 taxis in city to be provided with window stickers
by Simon_MacMichael
Fri, Sep 28, 2012 15:14
6

The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) has launched a campaign that seeks to warn taxi passengers of the dangers of opening doors without first checking behind to see if cyclists are approaching.

Seven cyclists have been killed in the city since 2007 after having vehicle doors opened in their path, says the DOT.

The campaign, called Look For Cyclists, includes 26,000 decals being placed on the passenger windows of the city’s 13,000 taxis, as well as a video that highlights the danger which will air in cabs on the dedicated Taxi TV channel as well as on the NYC Life channel.

“This safety campaign takes the message to New Yorkers and visitors that you need to take a second and take a look around whenever you get out of a car,” explained DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan. “The best protection that bike riders and pedestrians have is our attention, and there is one thing everyone can do - look.”

“We believe the stickers and video will really resonate with riders and inspire them to pause for that critical second before they open the door and exit the taxi,” added Taxi and Limousine Commissioner David Yassky. “It’s that moment of pause that could make all the difference in the world to both a bicyclist and the taxi passenger alike.”

According to the DOT, levels of commuter cycling in the city doubled between 2007 and 2011, and a further boost is likely next year once the Citi Bike bicycle hire scheme goes live in March next year.

NYC
New York City
Simon MacMichael

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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6 comments

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mrmo | 12 years ago
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i can remember seeing a passenger swing open the door on mansfield road in nottingham and then watch as a passing car removed the door. shortly followed by hysterical passenger ranting, crying etc in the middle of the road.

Stickers may help, but it doesn't solve the problem of stupidity.

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Karbon Kev | 12 years ago
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At last, some common sense does prevail, albeit not in the UK ...

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Coleman | 12 years ago
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Put a similar sticker on all Blackberries in the City of London. Look before you cross the road.

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Simon_MacMichael | 12 years ago
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Suspect in the UK we'd also need one on the windscreen reminding drivers to have a look before executing an on-a-sixpence U-turn.

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OldRidgeback | 12 years ago
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Great idea - had a taxi passenger open a door on me once when I was filtering thru traffic on my motorbike. Given that my old Ducati had thunderingly loud exhausts, I can only assume the woman in the cab was hearing impaired. She did get rather a shock as my front wheel came so close but luckily for all concerned I'd been paying rather more attention than she had.

This campaign should be introduced in the UK, and for car drivers too.

I also had a woman in the middle of a traffic jam open a car door on me and the edge of the door smashed into my hand, which hurt a lot. She'd decided simply to get out of her driver's seat and hadn't bothered to look. I managed to stay on my mountain bike and on that occasion, unleashed a volley of language. I try not to lose my cool on those occasions as it doesn't help, but I was in pain.

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jackh | 12 years ago
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Maybe it would freak the customers out but it would just be best for the driver to keep the doors locked until he deems it to be safe.

I'm sure there have been more than a few smashed doors than the 7 tragic deaths involving cyclists.

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