An incident involving a female cyclist who was “doored” by a passenger of a taxicab in Melbourne, Australia, has sparked a heated debate after footage of the crash sourced from her helmet and handlebar video cameras went viral on Wednesday.

The 28-year old woman was riding her bike in a cycling refuge, but not a designated bike lane, on Collins Street in Melbourne, when just before she tried to pass through what was virtually a small gap between the curb and a taxi, a passenger opened the rear door knocking her down.

The cyclist demanded the passenger’s name and details, but the man, who was later identified as 65-year-old Jeff Hunter, refused and walked away from the scene. She then took after the man and his two co-passengers, with the two sides exchanging words. The man called her a “fool” and told her “the way people like you ride around is disgusting”.

Hunter has since come forward to police and apologized for his reaction, but the debate is far from over.

Speaking to The Age about the incident, Sergeant Lavos said:

“Was Collins Street a designated bike lane where the cyclist was riding a bike lane? No, it isn’t, but the cyclist is quite entitled to be in that left lane. Motorcyclists technically can’t, because they are motor vehicles – that’s overtaking on the left… bicycles excepted. The only time bicycles can’t go up a lefthand side of a motor vehicle is when the vehicle is indicating and in the process of turning,” explained Lavos.

Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle also chipped in, stating that Collins Street is too narrow to ever have a dedicated bicycle lane:

“If you look at Collins Street, it’s not a bike lane, it’s actually more of an indicator … to motorists to stay on the right side of this line. And to cyclists it says, be careful, there’s not much room here,” he said.

The woman, who wishes to remain anonymous (though, the YouTube channel hosting the video has released a name), suffered some minor scratches and bruises from the “dooring” incident.

As for Mr. Hunter, as it turns out, “dooring” is a punishable offence, but it’s not yet clear if he will be charged as police said they are still investigating the mishap.

Meanwhile, social media and the internet have exploded with comments and opinions supporting and opposing both sides.

In an editorial piece on The Australian titled “The Menace of Urban Cyclists“, the newspaper writes:

“THE arrogant sense of entitlement in our inner cities is also evident in the ever-growing number of cyclists snaking their way through pedestrians on overcrowded pathways, darting between cars and clogging-up lanes on our congested roadways.”

The opinion piece continues:

“For too long, authorities have bowed to the demands of selfish cyclists and their lobby groups. Truth is, our cities are dominated by cars because they are sprawling. We have no equivalent of Amsterdam and should stop pretending we do”

Bicycle Network of Victoria spokesman Garry Brennan, on the other hand, says drivers and car passengers should learn the road rules.

“Collins St (has) a higher rate of dooring because there are so many taxis dropping passengers off … when they have not pulled up into a kerb,” he told The Herald Sun. “A passenger should not get out of a vehicle unless it is parked.”

He added that taxi drivers have “been a problem” for cyclists in Melbourne because they have not been “properly trained” and that separated and wider bike lanes could help reduce incident like this.

“We need more bikes on the road in Melbourne, not less, because that lessens congestion and makes life easier for those who must drive,” he said.

Oddly enough, even BMW of Australia was dragged into the row after one of its workers, Tony Chirinian, posted the following on his personal Facebook page:

“I vote for starting a new social media craze. DOORING … Start dooring cyclists & upload videos to social media…”

Being that the media works the way it does, and even though the automaker had nothing to do with it, BMW Australia spokeswoman Lenore Fletcher told The Australian that the automaker did not “in any way” support or condone Mr. Chirinian’s comment.

“This individual is an external contractor to BMW Group Australia,” Ms. Fletcher said. “Vehicle, passenger and commuter safety is an integral part of BMW’s Corporate philosophy and is a matter which we take very seriously. This issue has been handled internally.”

So, what’s your take on the issue as a whole?

By John Halas