The San Francisco Citizen

The traffic light controlling the western entrance of the Bunker Road Tunnel in the Marin Headlands makes you wait five whole minutes. Why? Because it only has one lane for cars, so traffic goes west for a few minutes and then east and then back again, all day long.  

There’s another way back to the Golden Gate Bridge but it’s a whole lot hillier.

After a long countdown, the green light appears. Click to expand:

And here’s your reward, after all the wait. Some people love it, while others get irritated: “Stop braking. Stop it, stop it.”

All in all, a fine tunnel. Look for it between Cavallo Point and Rodeo Cove the next time you’re in the Sausalito area.

So, you’re all set to motor on the streets of San Francisco with your high-performance vehicle and then…

Disaster! Some funeral procession is blocking you even though you have the green light. It’s just like Critical Mass, except these car parades can show up at any time. Do you really have to listen to these “funeral cops” when they try to block your vehicle’s path?

Maybe. See below.

Per Tom Marshall, a CHP spokesman in HQ in Sacramento:

“The Vehicle Code says any person who disregards any traffic signal or direction given by a peace officer authorized to escort funeral processions in uniform shall be guilty of an infraction and subject to penalties.

“The Vehicle Code is silent on non-peace officers performing funeral-escort duty.

“However, we would recommend that motorists observe the directions of such an escort not only out of respect, but also to avoid danger to themselves and those in the procession.

“It is reasonable that a motorist in a funeral procession is somewhat relying upon the escort’s direction and may not expect someone to not observe their directions.”

What that means is that, especially in places like San Francisco where there are rules for Funeral Precession Escorts, you probably won’t get a ticket for ignoring a so-called “fake cop,” but you very likely will get the blame if you get into an accident.

Choose wisely.

This official street sign at the end of San Francisco’s Bush Street at Presidio Avenue was manufactured just a few weeks after George W. Bush was sworn into office in January, 2001.

You can go to the intersection near 2999 Bush to see yourself these days. But will it get taken down next year when it’s no longer necessary?

Here’s the sign, made with a little help from 3M:

“END BUSH 2/01 SSC C&C of S.F. 3M” 

Click to expand.

Look fast, as 01.20.09 will be here soon.

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!

First,  let’s all agree that denial, (also called abnegation), is:

 ”is a defense mechanism‘ postulated by Sigmund Freud, in which a person is faced with a fact that is too uncomfortable to accept…”

Can a radio station be in denial? Well, how about the coverage KCBS AM 740  is giving to yesterday’s crash landing of a traffic-reporting Cessna 172. KCBS reports this incident thusly: “Plane Lands near I-80 Ramp” with an account about how “freeway traffic was not affected by the landing”.

Firstly, KCBS used this in the webpage URL: “Plane-Blocks-I-80-Off-Ramp” - so this was spurious information? Or maybe the plane blocked the off-ramp, but not the freeway? Secondly, other media sources correctly called this incident a “crash-landing,” as that’s what it was. Thirdly, KCBS reported last month’s other crash landing of a Cessna 172 in the bay area as a “crash landing.”

The dash of a Cessna 172 that didn’t crash land in the bay area last month, from the incredible Telstar Logistics Flickrstream

There’s lots of ways to report a story. KCBS certainly chose a drama-free approach. As must be obvious by now, you can put a Cessna 172 (that has a landing weight pretty close to a tiny 2-seat Smart Car) down in a very small piece of real estate, but yesterday’s crash landing could easily have been fatal.

So, better check yo self before you wreck yo self (again). Just saying,

Today’s headlines include news of the crash landing of a Flying Vikings, Inc. Cessna 172 in Oakland, California.

The San Jose Mercury News earlier reported that N61736 ”had a gas leak,” but now is going with ”mechanical problems” as the cause of this incident. KCBS, which labels this single engine plane the KCBS Radio Traffic Plane, is reporting the pilot claimed the oil pressure guage plummetted just before the engine conked out. This aircraft, built in 1974, suffered “substantial damage” during an incident in 1981.  

The following language, written before today’s accident, appears on the Flying Vikings website:

Since Flying Vikings also has a contract with local news gathering organizations, students are offered opportunities to build time that no other school can. Fly 3 to 6 hours a day and get paid.

A visual aid to help imagine yourself staring at a motionless propeller low over the Bay Area. Click to expand:

The dash of a Cessna 172 and a view of Candlestick Park, from the incredible Telstar Logistics Flickrstream

Here’s a photo of a different Flying Vikings aircraft, a Piper that suffered a fatal accident in 2006. Readers may find this link, relating to the Piper crash, of interest, however, it might lead you to unproven speculation about the cause of that tragedy.

The Federal Aviation Administration and Cal OSHA should be able to determine the cause of this forced landing fairly easily.

A relatively happy ending to a scary situation.

Routine stop on Market Street in San Francisco, March 20, 2008. Click to enlarge.

“The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS), commonly known in the United States as “Homeland Security”, is a Cabinet department of the federal government of the United States with the responsibility of protecting the territory of the United States from terrorist attacks and responding to natural disasters.”