You’ve heard of ephemeral vernal pools, but San Francisco has its own version - autumnal lakes of water that rise up after heavy rain sometimes. Let’s call this one Lake Ashbury.
The cover on this legally parked bike certainly earned it’s keep the other night, battling waves of water 10 feet high.
Click to expand:
Such is the plight of those who park motocycles on the mean streets of San Francisco.
It’s safe to assume that wheels are in motion for changes at the infamous Fell and Masonic intersection. Even District 5 Diary’s Rob Anderson (and hey Rob, nice pullback on your recent reckless and defamatory post this past week) doesn’t object.
But here’s the problem for some cyclists:
”A traffic signal displaying a red, yellow or green bicycle will usher cyclists through the intersection.”
That means you’re going to have less time to get across deadly Masonic on your bike. Hopefully, these changes will add up to fewer injuries but if you cross on a red bicycle light, as you might be tempted to do, any collision that results will likely be blamed on you.
The changes will take some getting used to, anyway.
Have fun, stay safe!
So far this year, the big news regarding the traffic situation on Masonic Avenue is a reduction in the speed limit to a maximum of 25 MPH.
Mission Accomplished?
One of this morning’s accidents on Masonic:
It seems there’s still room for improvement on this street.
Now back in the day, there were plans for a Panhandle Freeway(!), so it’s not like some traffic czar organized the streets in this area in a coherent fashion. We have what, we have by “accident,” mas o menos.
Is it too late for wholesale changes to the way Masonic is laid out?
This was the scene last night at the Atlantic Richfield on Fell and Divisadero last night. “No Gas.” Why’s that? Who knows. Maybe it’s a temporary shutdown at this particular station for an innocuous reason. Maybe.
Or, maybe it’s a signal to go out and buy all that you can lay your hands on. That was such a good strategy a few months back when we had that “rice shortage“. Wasn’t it?
These days, it’s not just Peak Oil or Peak Rice, it’s Peak Everything. Oh noes! Panic, panic panic!
Oh well. The upside to all this is that the Fell Street bike lane, formerly crowded with cars sitting in line for ARCO gas (check the photo from MapJack at “1160 Fell St, San Francisco, CA 94117“), is now free for bikes to use 24/7. So the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition can count another victory. Plus the owner of the Spirit station across the street must be happy.
Hurray!
The Ice Age is coming, the sun zooming in
Meltdown expected, the wheat is growing thin
Engines stop running, but I have no fear…
Bike messenger Kirk Janes was killed yesterday morning in a collision with a truck at Fulton and Steiner in Alamo Square. San Francisco’s Ride of Silence, already planned for yesterday evening, was then hastily altered to start at this intersection.
The Ride of Silence occurs on the third Wednesday in May in almost 300 cities around the world. It’s a bicycle ride to commemorate cyclists killed or injured while riding on public roads. It helps to raise awareness among motorists of the dangers they pose to cyclists. Unlike a Critical Mass event, Ride of Silence rides are not designed to stall traffic or create conflict with motorists.
A KTVU channel 2 news crew spoke with riders as they assembled:
Friends of Kirk Janes were on hand with flowers:
It’s unusual to see a group this large not chatting and making noise. At the infamous intersection of Fell and Masonic:
Per FixMasonic:
This morning, at a public hearing at San Francisco City Hall, it was decided without opposition to implement a 25 mile-per-hour speed limit on Masonic Avenue. This is a direct result of our petition and represents that first such change to Masonic Avenue in response to FixMasonic.
This is great news for all of us who want to see change to Masonic - not only because a lower speed limit can only lead to safer driving, especially if we encourage SFPD to enforce it, but because it acknowledges that Masonic Avenue is a residential street and demands a street design appropriate to a residential neighborhood.
Please come celebrate with us and help us keep this amazing effort moving forward:
FixMasonic Meeting
Wednesday, April 23, 2007, 6:30 pm
San Francisco Day School, Golden Gate @ MasonicYou are also invited to Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi’s office THIS EVENING, Friday April 18, at 5:30 pm for an exhibition of posters by schoolchildren envisioning a safer Masonic Avenue - City Hall Room 282.
Finally, we would like your response to a petition regarding usage and safety of Masonic Avenue. To complete survey online, go to www.walksf.org/fixmasonic
