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news
Could stickers in taxis reduce the number of car doorings?
Every taxi in Oxford could be fitted with stickers reminding passengers to check for cyclists before opening the door, in an attempt to reduce the number of ‘car doorings’ in the city.
This summer, Leicester taxi driver Farook Bhikhu was fined £300 for allowing his passenger to open her door into the path of traffic, killing oncoming cyclist Sam Boulton.
It’s a worry for cyclists in the densely populated city of Oxford too.
Simon Hunt, chairman of Oxford cyclists' campaign group Cyclox, also said driving students should be taught about the 'Dutch reach' method of opening car doors with the opposite hand, which naturally turns the body in the direction of oncoming traffic.
He told the Oxford Mail: "This is a predominant issue in Oxford: it happens where there are lines of parked cars and there are some absolutely classic places: Warneford Lane and Iffley Road, for example.
"I know this is something that really bothers the cyclists of the Pedal and Post freight courier service.
"Taxis and private hire vehicles are a classic example and it seems to me some visual reminder on the door saying 'watch out for passing cyclists' would be a simple way to help."
According to Government figures obtained by Cycling UK, between 2011 and 2015, 3,108 people were injured and eight were killed by car dooring.
Of those who died, three had been in cars and five were cyclists.
Oxford city councillor Saj Malik, said: "This can be very dangerous if taxi drivers are careless, but to me it is not a big issue in Oxford.
"As a taxi driver, I will always make sure passengers get out on the pavement side.”
Earlier this year we reported how the family of Sam Boulton, the cyclist who was killed when a taxi passenger opened its door into his path, joined Cycling UK in calling for the creation of a new offence of causing serious injury or death by car-dooring.
They were among hundreds who braved poor weather to take part in a memorial ride for the Leicester teacher, at which Harborough MP Neil O’Brien promised to raise the issue with ministers.
Boulton was killed after being knocked into the path of a passing van on his 26th birthday on July 27, 2016.
In March, taxi passenger Mandy Chapple was fined £80 after admitting the offence of opening a car door, or causing or permitting it to be opened, so as to cause injury.
The same month saw the van driver, Nigel Ingram, admit failure to stop and driving while over the legal limit for alcohol. He was handed a 26-week prison sentence, suspended for 12 months and conditional on his attending a 12-week course for treatment for his alcohol addiction. He was also banned from driving for 28 months.
In June, private hire driver Farook Yusuf Bhikhu was fined £300 plus costs for the same offence as Chapple. He had chosen to park on double yellow lines outside Leicester Railway Station and permitted Chapple to disembark into the road rather than onto the pavement.
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18 comments
At the very least, the situation is unclear.
Your latest comment says, 'This is not parking or waiting'.
However, in your original comment, you said taxis 'are permitted to wait on DYL'. So you've changed your argument slightly but significantly.
You are quite correct. My apologies for that.
Enough of driving. It's my day off, the sun is shining (WOW) I'm off for 50 miles on my red Triban!
In the last case quoted it is legal to stop on DY lines and disembark/board passengers. It is not parking. I am surprised Magistrastes confused this. PH/Taxis (or any other driver) are permitted to wait on DYL to board passengers for long as reasonable as defined in MAKDA V THE PARKING ADJUDICTOR.
Rule 238 of the Highway Code: 'You must not wait or park on yellow lines...double yellow lines indicate a prohibition of waiting at any time.'
There may be other rules I don't know about, but when you say that taxis can wait on DYL, according to the Highway Code, that's wrong.
Ok. It isn't wrong. The Highway code is not law. It often quotes from law. The legislation used for parking is the Traffic Management Act 2004.
Taxis (and any other vehicle) can "for so long as may be necessary for enabling any person to board or alight from the vehicle and to load thereon or unload there from his personal luggage."
This is not parking or waiting.
Please read the High Court ruling here http://www.appealnow.com/taxi-driver-and-private-hire-drivers-High-Court...
"Could stickers in taxis reduce the number of car doorings?"
Betteridge’s Law says:
No.
If you would strike a car door, were it to open without warning, then you're cycling to close to the car in the first place.
True but if you dont you ate "cycling in the middle of the roaf" and liable to receive punishment passes or even police harassment.
If you are cycling in a cycle lane between the car an the pavement you do not have much choice!
Easily said but perhaps not quite understanding of the road environment. A while back someone opened a car door on me. The person in question was the driver of the vehicle and being stuck in traffic, she decided it was ok to open her door without looking. Now I was filtering in the middle of two lanes of stopped vehicles, as is allowed in the Highway Code. She committed an offence by opening the door without looking, while I was riding correctly. So please understand things are not as simple as you suggest.
An improvement would be regulation to modify standard saloon cars to give the driver control over the door locks the same as a "Black Cab"
Thank you: I for one had presumed that all taxis (black cab or no) already had that, you see. If they don't, then that's a very good suggestion.
I was very impressed when I saw one of these stickers on a taxi in Glasgow the other week. A good start, let's just hope it doesn't end there though.
20170918_105130.jpg
I work as a PH/Minicab driver in a standard salloon car. I have no control over the vehicle doors apart from verbal instruction. It is against Local Authotity regulations and HSE to engage the child locks on the rear doors.
Many of my customers are inebriated due to Alcohol or Drugs and are not very aware of safety issues. I cannot physically stop a passenger opening a door. Stickers? Many cannot even read their own name out loud.
In the last case quoted it is legal to stop on DY lines and disembark/board passengers. It is not parking. I am surprised Magistrastes confused this. PH/Taxis (or any other driver) are permitted to wait on DYL to board passengers for long as reasonable as defined in MAKDA V THE PARKING ADJUDICTOR.
Ok, so if you don't think it would be fair to let cab drivers take responsibility for the actions of their passengers, and you say many of your passengers are so far gone that they probably shouldn't be out in public without a chaperone, then can we have your professional opinion on how to stop dooring? What would be your solution, since the status quo is clearly intolerable??
A simple ban on opening streetside doors , or any door while in traffic should suffice.
An attempt, but a lame attempt. Much easier to tell taxi drivers to get off their backsides and open the door for their customers almost foolproof.
"As you wish, milady..."
Easier still to use the child locks and let passengers alight onto the pavement instead of into the road. Why would anyone want to exit a car into the road? driver has little choice and has the benefit of mirrors, everyone else can exit on the left.
*edit*
I've seen the state.ent upthread about regs and checked. It seems child licks can be used for unsupervised children or vulnerable adults provided they are informed in advance.
Does drunkenness qualify as vulnerable adult? Maybe Cycling uk and British cycling should push for a change in the regulation, replacing with private hire vehicles must always pull in on the left to board or diembark passengers.