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Advocates to call on city council for driver training around doorings
Chris Glover is bringing a motion to city council at this week's meeting, asking city staff to report back on the idea of dooring lessons for drivers with Uber and other ride-share services.

MetroNews.ca
Oct. 1, 2017
May Warren

Chris Glover didn't know that "door" could be a verb until it happened to him.

The school board trustee was cycling along Bloor Street last spring when he said an Uber pulled over in the bike lane and the passenger opened a door.

"It was just like: stop, door opens a crack, boom," he recalls.

The front wheel of his bike twisted up into itself, and he had bruises for weeks all along his left side.

He was surprised to be told by police that it was not classified as a collision and that if he wanted compensation for his injuries or bike repair he would have to sue the driver in small-claims court.

Glover, who is also the education representative at the Board of Health, is bringing a motion to city council at this week's meeting, asking city staff to report back on the idea of dooring lessons for drivers with Uber and other ride-share services.

He'd also like to see Uber drivers be required to put rear-view mirrors on their passenger doors and see drivers trained in the so-called Dutch Reach: opening the car door with your opposite hand so you remember to turn and look over your shoulder.

Uber spokeswoman Susie Heath wrote in an email that the company has already partnered with Share the Road Cycling Coalition to give safety information to drivers in Toronto and Ottawa.

Jamie Stuckless, executive director of Share the Road, said the first part of the campaign rolled out push notifications to drivers in Toronto and Ottawa about bike safety, including dropping off passengers without blocking bike lanes and doing shoulder checks to prevent dooring.

"I think that the first step is information," she said, adding there's talks about an expansion of the program. "Not every driver was reached with this campaign, and we certainly need to do more."

Dooring by the numbers:
Reported incidents are on the rise in Toronto.

Source: Toronto police numbers provided to Cycle Toronto