Doored

If there is any question as to why I support Transportation Alternatives it was answered last Friday, the 13^th.  I was minding my own business, riding home from work and riding in the bike lane (or what should have been marked off as a bike lane) on Houston Street going from Bowery to Christie.  I was riding between the line of parked cars and stalled traffic to make a right turn on Christie, when a thoughtless and careless woman opens the door of a Taxi immediately into my path.  This is the type of thing that TA hopes to eliminate by campaigning for rules and regulations that make it safer for cyclists in NYC.  Had there been a marked off bike lane on Houston, perhaps this accident wouldn’t have happened.

As for the accident, I was traveling at about 16 mph and the impact sent me flying.  I smashed into the door of the Taxi, the park car to my right and then went over the handle bars head and face first into the asphalt beneath me.  I smashed my helmet, scratched my eyeglasses, and received abrasions on my nose, chin and arms.  I also severely impacted my knee and hip.

When I hit the ground my first reaction was anger.  I started kicking the cab and screaming and cursing.  I was pissed to have suffered this accident on my way home from work, the day before I was scheduled to do a very long ride in preparation for the Furnace Creek 508.  I knew I was hurt and saw all the days and weeks of training go down the drain.  Pedestrians immediately came all around me and asked if I was ok.  I just lay on the ground for a while rolling around until I no longer felt stunned.  EMS was immediately called, and they seemed to be there in a moment’s time.

I vaguely remember the woman who opened the door as being overweight and out of shape.  She was wearing some black and white top with a black skirt that made me think of dairy cows.  She was unapologetic and was clearly more concerned for herself.  She was hemming and hawing about what to do and when the EMS technician mentioned getting the police to fill out a report, she took off down the street.  A bystander went after her to stop her, but did not have any success.

The Taxi driver came around to see how I was doing and looked visibly concerned.  I didn’t really want to cause him any grief as the accident wasn’t his fault.  I believed him when he said he told the woman to be careful when she opened the door.  I suppose I should have gotten his license information, because it is the owner operator/owner of the vehicle that is responsible in situations like these, but as I said I felt bad for him.  Taxi drivers are some of the worst vehicle operators in the city when it comes to interacting with cyclists, but I know they also work very hard for their money and basically have a shitty job.  I didn’t feel as though I should cause him financial grief for an accident that was clearly not his fault.

In retrospect, I should have taken his information.  The accident is a mini financial disaster.  I had to buy a new helmet, new lenses for my glasses, bike repairs, x-rays, and a visit to my acupuncturist to help get some relief on my painful knee.  The good news is that the x-ray was negative for any sort of injury and the doctor said it was just contused.  It’s painful and other than needing to call off my long ride on the Saturday after the accident after only 30 miles, I’ve been able to ride.  Perhaps the time off from riding has even done me some good. 

So tomorrow, (Saturday, 8/21), I’ll do my planned long ride to Hyde Park, NY.  I plan to go to the Franklin D. Roosevelt mansion which is about 100 miles if you take a straight shot to it by car from my home.  I plan to take the hilliest way I can find, which will add considerable distance to the trip.  I am hoping to do the round trip ride in 17 hours and it will probably be in the neighborhood of 250 miles.  I really don’t know what I am getting myself into, but I can always bail out of the ride by taking the train back to NYC or at worst case, stopping in a local motel for the night. 

It will be a grueling ride and I will be traveling very heavy.  I’ll have 4 water bottles filled with HEED and multiple flasks of Hammer Gel (see www.hammernutrition.com), a CamelBak filled with water, lights, arm warmers, GPS, cell phone with spare batteries and a safety vest for the night time portion of the ride.  Hopefully I’ll have someone to talk to on the phone at times to keep me company while I ride.  Text messages and @replies from Twitter will be greatly appreciated and I tweet my progress during the day.

P.S.  Donations to TA would be greatly appreciated.  Help me help TA make safer streets for Cyclists and Pedestrians alike.  Donate here: http://ta.convio.net/site/TR/Events/General?px=1043046&pg=personal&fr_id=1040