door prize

since i got doored last year i've been meaning to print some flyers with the image from www.cardoordeathtrap.com (a site that collects people's car door experiences from around the world) so i can give them to unaware drivers steping out of their cars. i usually yell at them "watch out for cyclists!" but i believe i little more information wouldn't hurt. my friend Thomas "tail-light" Gotschi was telling me about printing some flyers to inform drivers that cyclists have a right to take the lane. i see there is a will to inform drivers, and i like the take from the car door death trap site guy:

"First of all, this is not some kind of one sided anti-car rant. The purpose of the sticker campaign and site is simply to create a higher level of awareness regarding the serious threat car doors present to cyclists every day. Otherwise known as "Dooring". Although I am an old tyme biker I also drive and understand the issue from both sides. Too many car drivers I talk to about this get super defensive, They say: "Yeah, well bicycle riders are crazy, always pulling dumb ass moves through traffic, it's their own fault. That's what you get for riding a bike!" and "Screw that, Roads are for CARS" We all need to consider that modern car centric society has marginalized the bicycle as a safe means of transportation. I can't begin to count how many people, have said to me, they want to ride, but the're afraid to because it's so dangerous out there. C'mon. I'm talking about San Francisco, one of the most bike friendly cities in the United States! Bicycles and cars (of one form or another) are here to stay. As our world population swells the problem will only get worse. We all need to respect and look out for one another on the streets."

in toronto the automobile association and the cycling committee created a "watch for bikes campaign" distributing free stickers to put on the driver's side mirror. there is a creepy compilation of articles and deaths at the Door Zone Project. and the verb made it to the word spy site: to get doored. last year i posted some pics of my bike at the fixedgeargallery as a sort of memorial under the assumption that a remainder of the fallen object celebrates the life of its owner. life as door prize.
ride safe.