The San Francisco Citizen

The latest chapter in the long story of San Francisco’s Bicycle Plan began today with this filing from the office of San Francsico City Attorney Dennis Herrera. (Earlier chapters of this tale dealt with local social gadlfly and self-confessed JFK conspiracy theory crank Robert “Crazy Rob” Anderson and his successful efforts to get the city to do an environmental impact study.)

It seems that certain areas just can’t wait for the bureaucratic gears to grind, so a judge is being asked to give the city and county permission to get started sooner rather than later.  

Dennis J. Herrera, San Francisco’s happy warrior:

What areas are those? Well, how about Market and Octavia for starters. But there are other problem areas as well. Try these on for size:

Polk Street between Beach and Market Streets, where 73 motor vehicle-bicycle collisions have been reported since 2003.

The length of Valencia Street, where the 65 motor vehicle-bicycle collisions reported since 2003 include a large proportion of “dooring” incidents.

The Third Street Corridor, where the 32 collisions involving cyclists and motorists reported since 2003 include one fatality of a bicyclist struck by a truck at Third and Marin Streets.

Folsom Street between 13th Street and the Embarcadero, where 52 bicycle-related injury accidents have been reported in the last five years.

Lower Market Street, from 8th Street to the Embarcadero.  Some 179 bicycle injury collisions have occurred along the entire length of Market Street, from Castro Street to the Embarcadero (including the Market and Octavia intersection) over the past five years.

What will Judge Peter J. Busch make of this? We’ll have an inkling by the end of the month.

Today’s filing certainly seems like a well-tailored request…

This was the scene tonight at St. Mary’s Hospital in the Western NOPA - it was another District 5 debate featuring Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi and challengers Rob Anderson and Owen O’Donnell.

Click to expand:

Let’s hear what they have to say. You already know Ross, here is Owen and here is Rob, who runs the District 5 Diary website.

The mise-en-scene, about 40 people made it to the end:

This debate was emceed by Richard Magary and cosponsored by the following:

Buena Vista Neighborhood Association
Cole Valley Improvement Association
Haight-Ashbury Improvement Association
Inner Sunset Park Neighbors

May the best man win.

In other District 5 news, the Panhandle Bandshell is wowing them in Europe. Godspeed, little bandshell. Come back real soon, ya hear?

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!