Ignorant Drivers 2 for 2 In This Week's "Target Practice"

Via the Press Democrat came news that the boy who was struck by a car in a Santa Rosa crosswalk has died.  The mother says the first driver to approach the crosswalk waited for her and her 3 children to begin crossing, but the suspect in the adjoining lane hit the gas and struck the child; catapulting him into the air in front of his siblings and mother. The ignorant driver was cleverly caught by police just an hour later, through a tip he had hitched a ride with a woman in a Volvo with a recorded license plate number.  The suspect is in his 20's, Latino, and has been cited multiple times in the past for operating a motor vehicle without a license.  The driver is now charged with felony hit-and-run; and will hopefully finally face justice. The child is survived by a twin sister and a 6 year old sister. R.I.P.

and via Marin Independent Journal comes word a 52 year old bicyclist was struck as a car veered into it's path along the shoulder of Tiburon Boulevard around 4 p.m. yesterday.  The bicyclist was jettisoned off the bike, but sustained only moderate injury and is reported in good condition at Marin General Hospital.  The right lane was reopened to traffic within the hour. No word on if the 70-year-old driver pissed himself.

Bicyclists Get Red-Light Footrest in Copenhagen

Bicyclists now have a chance to rest while waiting for the right-of-way. photo courtesy of Copenhagenize.com

Please bring these to San Francisco! We with short legs will thank you.

Pleasanton Gets First Bicycle Red-Light Sensors

Bicyclists in SF generally encounter timed
signals instead of sensors

  Many a bicyclist and motorcyclist has encountered this situation at one time or another.  You approach a red light (more common in suburban areas) and wait, and wait, and wait some more.  The light never changes unless a motorist triggers the signal.  New technology promises to distinguish between bicycles, motorcycles and motorists in a trial being conducted in Pleasanton, CA.

  This piece by Robert Jordan of the Contra Costa Times highlights the sensors and the frustration felt by people who choose alternate forms of transportation around the Bay Area. And in this light-hearted piece from the San Jose Mercury News, the author highlights creative ways alternate modes of transportation attempt to trip the current red-light sensors.

   As more tools are utilized in creating a safer environment for all conveyances, the more accepted alternate modes will be acknowledged and respected by those in decision making positions. Let's fight for federal funding to bring these sensors to San Francisco's most dangerous un-timed intersections.

SFMTA Addressing Green Bike Lane Safety Issues

SFMTA engineers don't understand oil-based paint's light-refractive properties

 Last month, BeyondSF reported on something no one else wanted talk about; about how the experimental nature of this type of surface treatment on our streets could lead to unforeseen safety issues. The unforeseen (?) light-refractive properties of the green paint, along with it's slick finish have become a problem for both bicyclists and motorcyclists in San Francisco.

Autism Sheds Reality On The Danger of Pedestrians

Suffering from Autism Spectrum Disorder myself, I find great comfort in the digital manifestation of a dream I've always had.  Even as an adult, my mind is still 12.  Passivity was my birthright, drugs were my escape, freedom was my leash, facts were my carabiner.  Funny thing though; you think that you're the only one that's NOT nuts.  Autism is hilarious!


Autistic Reporter: Train Thankfully Unharmed In Crash That Killed One Man

Market Street Bicycle Boxes Disappear, Get Ignored

Magically disappearing bicycle boxes

    The green bicycle boxes and bike lanes along Market Street have been touted as a great first step to a Better Market Street.  I've used them myself once (since I generally crosstown commute from Ocean Ave to The Bayview) and found them to provide a level of assurance and safety I'd never felt riding in San Francisco before, but as I came out of Van Ness Station and waited to cross to Bank of America I noticed something peculiar.

    In many different locations approaching the intersection, and especially at dusk, these green safety boxes appear to disappear from sight. Just thought I'd throw that along. The real reason I came to Van Ness and Market was to see for myself how these traffic control devices were implemented, why they should be there in the first place, and how the public was responding to these new devices.

Cops Increase Patrols of Bicycle Scofflaws

          Walking along Church Street at 14th this afternoon, I watched a SFPD officer quickly do a U-turn and issue a citation to a cyclist that had unsafely used the crosswalk to cross Church Street; causing several pedestrians to dodge and scatter.
          It is encouraging, as one who is a daily bicyclist, pedestrian, and car operator in the city, to see our SFPD officers begin to apply the same rules to cyclists, as they do to motorists.  As a driver and pedestrian, i continually watch as bicyclists brazenly ignore not only stop signs, but red lights.  As a rush hour cyclist along Valencia Street, I witness countless numbers of fellow cyclists run red lights, use the crosswalk without dismounting, and perform 'right on red' with no regard for pedestrians with the right of way.  This flagrant  disrespect for not only others, but the law, put pedestrians in harms way.  A roughly 150 - 200 lb. bicycle (operator included) traveling at 10 miles an hour could inflict notable injury on a child or elder pedestrian.
          The cycling lobby has continually fought Mr. Anderson's lawsuit (and the resulting injunction) to lobby for safer streets for all modes of conveyance.  Newly striped dedicated bike lanes are popping up all over the city, making San Francisco again the leader in progressive ideals.
          It seems to me that since we have gotten the policy change we've worked so hard to get, it's time to do our part.  Obey the law, be engaged in your surroundings (cell phones, headphones) and please, start stopping at traffic signals.
          Who knows, maybe a kind driver will surprise you and wave you through a 4-way stop, simply because you selflessly made the attempt to slowly approach and assess the intersection responsibly.
          No one mode of transportation is better than any other, we are all equal at an intersection.