Posts Tagged ‘cvc’
Tuesday, November 9th, 2010
See what the SFMTA is giving out for free these days? It’s a Chinese flashlight with an adjustable mount so it can be used as a bike headlight. The problem with that is that it’s insufficient to put a nighttime cyclist in compliance with the California Vehicle Code. Check it:
Equipment Requirements. VC 21201 d) Every bicycle operated upon any highway during darkness shall be equipped with the following: 1. A lamp emitting a white light which illuminates the highway and is visible from a distance of 300 feet to the front and the sides of the bicycle.
This setup up sends out zero light to the sides. In fact, the way it’s made it sort of has a hood. Now, it’s not illegal per se and it’s better than nothing but it’s not up to code in California, you know, where we all live.
Also, this jury rigged system is ridiculous. For example, it’s too bright, IMO. So if it’s pointed level with the ground then it will be certain to irritate oncoming traffic. Build quality is lower than standard if the standard is a typical Chinese flashlight. (It doesn’t say “Made in China” or anything, which was probably a selling point for the buyer, but where else could it have been made?) The big attraction for SFMTA with this setup must have been the giant SFMTA logo. Hey, SFMTA! Did it cost more to put the logo on than to buy these sub-$5 one-star-rated lights in the first place?
Now, click here to see a real bike light, with a blinking function, a decent quick release, longer time betwixt battery changes, and, of course, it complies with the CVC. Oh well.
And here’s what SFMTA thinks is a bike light:
Click to expand
And as for the rear lights they’re giving out, they’re flimsy as all get-out, but that’s nothing that couldn’t be fixed with some super glue. The best course with those red lights would be to just glue the entire affair to itself and leave it on the bike 24-7.
I know what you’re trying to do, SFMTA, but you never do anything right. Why not try to do one small program that’s not FUBARed from the get-go? (Or maybe somebody can tell me something that the SFMTA does right?)
(Hey, SFMTA! Remember that big meeting when Nate Ford was maybe just a tad agitated about that big article, the one he “never read(!),” in the SF Weekly that was all about how you suck as an agency? Wouldn’t it be funny if somebody, maybe one of your very own, somehow made an mp3 audio recording of that little get-together? You know, surreptitious-like? Boy, that’d be funny, huh? Good times.)
Anyway, there’s no law that says you can’t give away flashlights to advertise your agency, but calling them bike lights, that’s what I’m taking issue with.
Tags: 10th, 2010, 21201, bay area, bicycle coalition, bicycles, bike, bike bicycle, bikes, ca, california, China, chinese, code, cvc, cyclists, cyclsits, D., fox plaza, free, front, illegal, light up the night, lights, livable streets, made, market, mta, Muni, nights, police, rear, San Francisco, sfbc, SFMTA, street, vehicle
Posted in bikes, transit | 2 Comments »
Friday, May 28th, 2010
As long as you follow all the other parking rules of California and San Francisco, you are fully empowered to park a foot and half away from a curb and still be legal.
But, c’mon dude, is this the best you can do?
Click to expand
How about a new law? How about six inches max for San Francisco?
I mean, sometimes there’s not enough room on the streets even if you have rubber touching the curb.
Thank you, drive through.
Now, Go Forth and Sin No More.
Tags: 18 inches, 22502, autos, california, car, citation, code, curb, cvc, dmv, far, from, illegal, lane, legal, meter maid, parking, pco, San Francisco, section, space, ticket, vehicle
Posted in cars | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 11th, 2010
The first thing you need to do with your General Motors [1908-2009, R.I.P] B-Platform [1959-1991, R.I.P.] is a lift (some people use stacks of hockey pucks) so you can fit your twenty-something inch wheels beneath. And then you need to tint the windows in violation of the California Vehicle Code. Now, you’re done.
Get your friends inside and you’re ready for a slow roll down Columbus. (Menancing stares through half-closed windows optional.) Thusly:
Click to expand
Of course, you can just go out and buy a B-Body if you don’t have one.
Choose wisely:
Tags: B., beach blanket babylon boulevard, body, ca, caprice, Chevrolet, chevy, Columbus, cvc, dubs, green, impala, north beach, platform, San Francisco, street, tinted, Wheels, windows
Posted in cars | No Comments »
Wednesday, January 6th, 2010
The failings of the drivers of San Francisco are well-documented…
…but what about pedestrians - how are they doing?
Not well, based upon their behavior in the Financh and other nearby districts. Let’s take a look at the Metropolitan Transportation Commission‘s “Safety Toolbox: Common Violations for Pedestrian-Involved Collisions” for some help:
Common pedestrian-at-fault violations
The problem is that lots of peds violate California Vehicle Code Section 21451(c) and 21456(a) without knowing it. That is, they routinely enter crosswalks immediately after their light turns green. That’s a no-no in CA unless you make sure that traffic has cleared the intersection first.
“21451(c) A pedestrian facing a circular green signal… may proceed across the roadway within any marked or unmarked crosswalk, but shall yield the right-of-way to vehicles lawfully within the intersection at the time that signal is first shown.”
“21456 Whenever a pedestrian control signal showing the words “WALK” or “WAIT” or “DONT WALK” or other approved symbol is in place, the signal shall indicate as follows: (a) “WALK” or approved “Walking Person” symbol. A pedestrian facing the signal may proceed across the roadway in the direction of the signal, but shall yield the right-of-way to vehicles lawfully within the intersection at the time that signal is first shown.”
Can a ped get a ticket for blocking a car? Yes, but I’ve never heard of it. Prices start at $108 - I’m sure that they can easily exceed that what with court fees and whatnot.
21451(c,d) Green Signal–Pedestrian Responsibilities $108.00
So, green does not mean go. Green means go after the intersection has cleared – this applies to pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, everybody.
The real concern for pedestrians is them being held at fault after being hit by a vehicle. The issue turns on whether the driver entered into the intersection on a red light or not. When you encounter Third Street and Market, where cars need to travel 175+ feet to clear the intersection, extra vigilance is needed. The only thing keeping most pedestrians from immediately crossing on a green is a caravan a slowly moving cars trying to clear the intersection.
So you can continue living your life thinking that cars are running red lights at every busy intersection during every light cycle, or you can learn the PEDESTRIAN CROSSWALK DUTIES in California.
Your choice, ped.
Tags: 21451, 21451(c), 21456, 21456(a), cars, citation, cvc, drivers, green, intersection, law, mrket, pedestrian, red, San Francisco, street, third, ticket, Vehicle Code, vehicles, yellow
Posted in Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
Monday, August 24th, 2009
I gotta tell you I don’t know a whit about the Yelp-rated Juicy Couture store at 865 Market Street. What I do know is that its manifest succulence makes it a magnet for tourists like these folks with the white Subaru wagon from the east bay. Since Juicy has an address on Market, drivers are apt to stop right out front to drop off passengers. But the problem with that is that it blocks half of the inbound lanes.
And sometimes you get “doorings,” detailed below.
After the creating the recent “Incident at Juicy Couture,” these east bay tourists moved along to a parking cutout in front of the the bebe reserved for commercial vehicles. That’s one way to do it:
Click to expand
The thing is that these days, lots of people are riding bikes on Market Street. Back in the day, there used to be more bike messengers, but now it’s mostly people commuting to work in the Financh and the SoMA. So, when you open your car door you need to make sure that you’re not going to “door” a cyclist that’s zipping by your vehicle.
Does California have a special law covering this issue? Of course. The DMV calls it “Opening and Closing Doors”
“22517. No person shall open the door of a vehicle on the side available to moving traffic unless it is reasonably safe to do so and can be done without interfering with the movement of such traffic…”
What that means is that it’s almost impossible to door a cyclist without it being your fault. Typically, a dooring results from the driver trying to exit a parked vehicle. But the driver in the Subie above didn’t get out of the car. In this case the driver left some room, maybe two or three feet, between the right side of the wagon and the curb. That left enough space for a cyclist to come through and then get surprised when a passenger on the right side opened a door to exit.
The author of California Vehicle Code Section 22517 seems not to have anticipated the possibility of “moving traffic” flowing past both sides of a parked vehicle, but any injuries to the cyclist would almost certainly be the fault of the passenger or the driver (depending on the circumstances).
Now in other states, things might be different – O.K. fine. (Actually, in other states, they say things like, “My Door Almost Got ‘Biked.’”
But in California, you need to take extra care before opening your car door. Just saying.
Tags: 22517, area, bebe, c.v.c., california, California Vehicle Code, code, cvc, district, door, doored, dooring, financial, market, market street, pleasanton, silver, soma, south of market, street, subaru, vehicle, wagon, white
Posted in cars | 3 Comments »
Friday, August 14th, 2009
See what I mean?
Hanging Mario mushrooms about your vehicle is a good and inexpensive way to get pulled over for driving with obstructed windows. Everyone should be aware of California Vehicle Code 26708, Material Obstructing or Reducing Driver’s View. (It’s tough. Tough but fair.) Learn it, know it, live it.
As seen in the Sunset District. Click on photo to Power Up:
To save Princess Toadstool, Mario conquers the eight worlds of the Mushroom Kingdom by going to the castle in each to defeat a minion of King Koopa. To reach each castle, Mario battles through three “sub-worlds” by defeating or avoiding King Koopa’s henchmen. If Mario successfully fights his way through the castle and defeats the minion, a Mushroom Retaineris freed. Inside the eighth castle, Mario has a final fight with King Koopa and frees Princess Toadstool.
Don’t stop believing.
Tags: 26708, 26708. obstructed, 8-Bit, black, california, California Vehicle Code, California Vehicle Code 26708, color, cvc, district, gray, grey, hanging, isuzu, Mario, Mushrooms, nintendo, rodeo, sundet, Sunset District, suv, view, windows
Posted in cars | Comments Off
Tuesday, August 4th, 2009
See this trendy Smart Car parked all perpendicularly to the curb in San Francisco’s Western Addition / NOPA area? Well don’t be surprised if you see it and others like it get cited for illegal parking.
That’s right, what’s encouraged in Paris, France will get you a citation in the 415.
Click to expand:
Cf. Or this way, don’t park this way.
The gritty nitty:
CA Vehicle Code: 22502. (a) Except as otherwise provided in this chapter every vehicle stopped or parked upon a roadway where there are adjacent curbs shall be stopped or parked with the right-hand wheels of such vehicle parallel with and within 18 inches of the right-hand curb…
So don’t be surprised when a DPT SFMTA PCO KO’s U ASAP.
TTFN.
Tags: 22502, benz, ca, california, car, citation, code, cvc, dmv, dpr, illegal, Mercedes, meter maid, parallel, parking, pco, perpendicular, SFMTA, smart, smart ca, ticket, vehicle
Posted in cars | 2 Comments »
Saturday, June 27th, 2009
See? It’s legal to ride your bike on this stretch of the 101, so long as you keep to the right.
Click to expand:
Details here.
Tags: 101, 21960, bicycle, bike, california, CalTrans, cvc, cyclists, department, freeway, illegal, legal, must exit, prohibited, ride, San Francisco, San Mateo, transportation, Vehicle Code
Posted in bikes | Comments Off
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009
Whether or not you get a ticket for parking the rear of your Mercedesin traffic on Gough Street, you probably shouldn’t do it anyway.
Did the driver even try here?
Click to expand:
Doesn’t look that way.
Tags: 18, benz, california, code, curb, cvc, Examiner, free, gough, inches, Mercedes, newspaper, park, parking, San Francisco, san fransico, street, tires, vehicle, Vehicle Code, Wheels, xam, xams
Posted in cars | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, May 27th, 2009
We’re living in a society here, people. So even though the Man gives allows you a foot and a half spacing from your tires to the curb, you can do better than that. Check out this Mercedes SUV – see how far it is from the curb? Why not use one of the many San Francisco Examiner newspapers that some billionaire from Colorado has seen fit to have strewn about the place?
If a ‘Xam can fit betwixt the curb and your wheel, then you gots to try again. Two Xams away is way too much. PARKING FAIL. Bikes belong in traffic, as they say - you want to make things easier for everybody else, right? With practice, you should be able to get it down to a quarter Xam or less.
Click to expand.
Lots of room for improvement here on Fell Street. (In mitigation, the Mercedes ML driver did manage to retract the outside rear view mirrors. Ten points for Gryffindor.)
If you can’t handle this simple task, maybe you shouldn’t be driving.
Just saying.
Tags: 18, anschutz, california, code, curb, cvc, Examiner, free, inches, newspaper, park, parking, Philip, phillip, San Francisco, san fransico, tires, vehicle, Vehicle Code, Wheels, xam, xams
Posted in cars | 1 Comment »
