The City of Ottawa is reminding motorists to look for cyclists when opening their doors as the weather gets warmer.
A news release aimed at reducing "dooring" said motorists should be careful when opening their doors as the number of cyclists in the city increases.
Cyclists are reminded to keep themselves one metre away from parked cars when possible.
The move comes after cyclist Daniele Nacu was killed on Queen Street last October after being knocked by a car door into an oncoming vehicle.
"It really was a blink of an eye . . . that's how quick it can happen," said her brother Brent Nacu, who's spent his time since her death trying to raise awareness of dooring.
"If you're not mindful that everyone's moving at the same speed, death can happen that quickly."
Cycling safety advocates said all it takes is a quick shoulder check or look in the mirror before you open your door to save you a potential $110 fine and maybe save someone else's life.
"I've fractured my collarbone, broke two ribs once and been doored a second time," said Graeme Barber. "I ended up with a lot of bruises."
"Motorists have to understand the power they have with the door, it makes a big difference," said driver Paul Korzeniowski.
The city is also adding more "sharrows", or road markings that show a bicycle with two chevrons.
On wider streets, these lanes will be painted closer to the curb to allow cyclists and vehicles to travel side-by-side.
The sharrows will be in the middle of the lane on more narrow streets to remind traffic to travel in single file.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Joanne Schnurr
