I don’t know, cyclists have the choice of stopping before the busy crosswalk near the Powell Cable Car turnaround or just blowing on through.
But what you shouldn’t do is stop in the middle of the crosswalk right when you happen to notice all the cops around, as one person does here.
And oh, at the beginning of this short video, dude coming south on Cyril Magnin (aka North Fifth Street) gets yelled at by a city worker in a white pickup for waiting to illegally turn left to get to inbound Market:
Do you know the rules of being a pedestrian? Most people don’t. Most people think, and not without good reason, that:
“PEDESTRIANS ALWAYS HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY.”
But this is a false statement.
Peds, you can’t go across crosswalks:
1. Too Fast (that means no running into a crosswalk);
2. Too Slow (that means you can’t hang out and stand around or do jumping jacks or whathaveyou);
3. Too Early (that means you have to let the intersection clear of cars bikes buses etc EVEN IF YOUR LIGHT JUST TURNED GREEN – I’m srsly, it’s The Law in California); or
4. Too Late (that means when you see the red DON’T WALK signal flashing or you see a yellow light shining, basically)
Here’s a recent example of too late, on Market Street.
Do you see? The cyclist, who stopped properly at his stop line on outbound Market in the Financh, had the time to to wait for his green and make it across the intersection only to be blocked by these sauntering peds. Why? Because they entered their crosswalk too late, that’s why. (Do you think the SFPD officer camera left stopped to hand out citations? No, why would he, it’s not really his job to give out tickets to late-night peds. Also, note where the cyclist’s left hand is, stuck out as a warning.)
Click to expand
This kind of thing is the reason why each San Francisco car vs. ped death so far in 2012 has been the fault of the pedestrian him or herself.
And yet, the only solution San Francisco’s governmental and quasi-governmental organizations have to offer for ped death is infrastructure ”improvement.” It’s the only implement in their toolbox.
Instead of taking Oak to the Wiggle bike route when you hit the eastern part of the Panhandle, why not take the “Northern Wiggle” route to Mcallister the next time you need to get downtown?
So, from around Masonic and Fell, take the flattest route you can find to get to Fulton and Divisadero, then go one block uphill to McAllister, then ride all the way down to Market Street with a minimum of red lights and cops.
Thusly:
That’s how you do it…
Oh, and you know, those jaywalking pedestrians are a pain, right? Somebody ought to “outreach” them, “educate” them on how to walk, huh?
For some reason, Market Street has crosswalks in the middle of blocks, complete with traffic lights. So cyclists tend to look around for peds and then blow on through, multiple times a day, you know, for decades no problem.
But these days the SFPD is trying to change things by actually enforcing California Vehicle Code CVC 21453 on bike riders just as if they were car drivers!
This boring video of three minutes of yesterday’s inbound commute here shows what it’s like – the motorcycle cop had just yelled at the cyclist you can see on the right at the red light:
(The yelling occurred at :40 or so.)
One supposes the next step in this operation will be to have the SFPD actually start handing out citations.
(Actually, cops don’t really like citing cyclists, for various reasons. One supposes that this is an enforcement action specifically directed at bike riders. This kind of thing occurs from time to time of course.)
On It Goes…
*”A typical sting will have a law-enforcement officer or cooperative member of the public play a role as criminal partner or potential victim and go along with a suspect’s actions to gather evidence of the suspect’s wrongdoing.”
This is the scene these days on inbound Market just after 6th Street in the corrupt Twitterloin.
The cops see you driving down Market, contrary to the relatively recent right turn only policy, and then you get directed to pull over so you can get cited with extreme prejudice.
Motorcycle dude was just hanging out in the middle of Market, just waiting for another offender:
Click to expand (1500 days of outdoor use have rendered my Canon 5D incapable of functioning except in the extremely hands-off “green square” mode. Pray for Mojo.)
Oh boy, the SFPD is going to bring it to 5th and Market come Monday.
Officers from Southern Station:
“…will initiate enforcement operations during the week of August 8, 2011. Enforcement will be conducted at the intersection of 5th Street and Market Street and will involve officers in cars, on motorcycles and on foot. The Police Department and SoCPAB plan to expand this traffic safety campaign to other parts of the Southern District in future weeks.”
They’re going to be all over the place!
Sorry, “Red Bull Street Team Girls” of Market Street, the Boys in Blue from Southern Station won’t have as much time for you starting next week:
Click to expand
All the deets:
San Francisco Police Partner with Community for Pedestrian Safety
11-088 Posted Date: 8/5/2011 12:00 PM
San Francisco Police Officers will partner with members of the Southern Station Community Police Advisory Board (SoCPAB) to improve pedestrian safety in the Southern Police District.
On Saturday, August 6, 2011 from 9:00 am to 12 noon, members of the SoCPAB will be at the intersection of 5th Street and Market Street to share their “be-city-smart” message and increase pedestrian awareness at this location. Members of SoCPAB will hand out fliers in an effort to educate the public on traffic safety.
Captain Charlie Orkes, Commanding Officer of Southern Station stated, “In a city named most walkable in the country (www.walkscore.com), it is unacceptable that our Southern District has the highest incidents of traffic related injuries and fatalities.”
SoCPAB Co-Chair and Community Leader echoed that, “If our joint effort between SFPD and residents saves just one life of those walking, riding or driving, it will be a success.”
Following Saturday’s educational campaign, the Police Department will initiate enforcement operations during the week of August 8, 2011. Enforcement will be conducted at the intersection of 5th Street and Market Street and will involve officers in cars, on motorcycles and on foot. The Police Department and SoCPAB plan to expand this traffic safety campaign to other parts of the Southern District in future weeks.
Get all the deets here and here about yesterday’s debut of yellow paint and new signage on the Golden Gate Bridge.
So now, the East Sidewalk looks a little something like this.
O.K. Honey, put on your favorite dress while Daddy unpacks his suit and then we’ll walk the Golden Gate Bridge! Hey Honey, have you seen Daddy’s porkpie hat? Oh here it is:
Click to expand. Via the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District
Well, it looks that way when you can see it, when the crowds aren’t around.
Speaking of which, leave us review this tale of woe from a month and a half ago. (You know, sometimes news bits read exactly like an opening statement from a plaintiff’s attorney. Why is that, I wonder?) Anywho, let’s skip through that to get to the point:
“Kaplan’s injury occurred June 19, while she was traveling back to San Francisco after cycling in the North Bay. While navigating the crowds, she noticed a woman with a camera crossing the sidewalk, unaware of her surroundings. Kaplan swerved to avoid the woman, forcing her to crash into the guardrail and land violently on the ground. “I was actually moving very slow,” said Kaplan, 27.”
No, no, no, no, no. Actually, Kaplan, 27, you were moving too fast for conditions. Obviously.
Leaving that aside, I’m at a loss as to why the GGBH&T didn’t attempt something like this paintjob like two months ago. (Was it raining every day back then? Maybe, I forget, srsly.)
Having said that, I don’t know what I would have done, you know, if I could have stood in the expensive shoes of the unelected politicians what run the bridge, you know, to lower the expectations of nutso roadies and other cyclists who expect to “make time” on the sidewalks of the GGB at 20 MPH+ regardless of any refurbishment activity or anything else in the world.
So:
Fixing up the GGB – YAY!
The crazy-ass system of how the bridge and transpo district is governed, that unintended accident of history – BOO!
Kaplan, 27′s complete psychological denial over an accident she caused – BOO!
The GGB’s new attempt at directing traffic on the eastern sidewalk – YAY!
The GGB’s prior half-assed attempt at directing traffic on the eastern sidewalk from a couple months back – BOO!
Fin.
Ever more deets from the GGB people, the gritty nitty, after the jump
I have no idea what happened in this incident here,* involving a serious head injury and a MUNI bus on Market Street, but check out Famous Akit‘s recent first-hand experiences of people who don’t know enough to stay behind the yellow line right here.
Da Law is the Da Law, both above and below ground, right?
Here’s how it works, peds, and this applies the world over, you need to stay behind the yellow line and leave that airspace free for people who are driving buses and taxis and cars and motorcycles and bicycles, and, I don’t know, skateboards and Segways.
Leave us review:
“Use X-Walk to Cross Street, Stay Behind Yellow Line, Use X-Walk to Cross Street, Stay Behind Yellow Line…”
Click to expand
If you spend any time at all driving any kind of vehicle up and down Market Steet, you’ll know that, for some reason, San Francisco pedestrians feel:
1. It’s their innate right to jaywalk 24/7/365; and
2. There’s no reason for them to actually look for oncoming traffic before jaywalking because of #1 (see above), their innate right to jaywalk 24/7/365
The biggest threat to any pedestrian is the pedestrian him or herself, obviously.
And that goes double for the 415, home of the Worst Pedestrians in the World.
*I’m thinking that the initial reports of this tragedy had more certainty over what occurred. The ped in this case might be 100% not at fault.
Thank you for your comments regarding the current Seismic Retrofit construction being undertaken on the Golden Gate Bridge west sidewalk that is requiring all Golden Gate Bridge visitors to be sharing the east sidewalk for a temporary period of just four months, through September 2011.
We wanted to share some additional information and give you an update on several things as follows:
1) After three meetings held in May and June with sidewalk stakeholders including the Marin and SF Bicycle Coalitions as well as the bike rental companies, we are right now preparing to add striping and associated signage to the East Sidewalk to assist in better separating the cyclists and the pedestrians. The stripping and signage were agreed upon by the stakeholders. We have ordered the needed materials. We will perform this work at night as soon as the materials arrive and the weather cooperates.
2) We are also adding some “sandwich board” signs at locations leading to the East Sidewalk to assist in preparing all visitors to be cautious on the East Sidewalk.
3) We want to be reemphasize the West Sidewalk closure is a part of the critical Seismic Retrofit construction work that is occurring now on the Marin anchorage housing. This work being undertaken to allow the Bridge to remain standing during a nearby 8.3 Richter magnitude earthquake. This portion of the Seismic Retrofit Construction project began in April 2008 and retrofits the massive Marin anchorage housing and associated pylon N1. The 4-month-long temporary closure of the West Sidewalk is required as the roof of the Marin anchorage housing, of which both the East and West sidewalks are a part, has to be replaced. The timing for the work on the West Sidewalk is not ideal, but it was set in accordance with the contractors work flow and delaying this work was not an option. The retrofit construction project has been underway since late 1997, with little to no impact to our customers, and we ask for your continued patience.
4) We would also note that, according to SF Travel, the City of San Francisco has seen an increase of visitors from a daily average of 1,200 visitors in June 2011 to an average of 2,400 visitors just last week! People love to visit and experience this Bridge.
5) The Golden Gate Bridge is an international icon visited by at least 10 million people a year. We all must remember to share our beloved Bridge with visitors that come from around the globe to experience what we get to experience every day.
Thanks for your understanding during this critical construction project. AND, finally, there is ONE EVENT with a permit this weekend to be aware of: Sunday, July 17, Tri Cali Alcatraz Challenge Aquathon. Event time is 8 am to 12 noon when up to 600 runners will cross the EAST SIDEWALK heading north and turn around at Vista Point and return on the EAST SIDEWALK headed south. Learn more about permitted events that are scheduled here: http://goldengate.org/news/bridge/Construction-Alerts.php
