Thursday, January 25, 2007

San Francisco bike lane and right turn collision

Last Monday, a truck driver made an illegal right turn from Market Street at Octavia and seriously injured a bicyclist who was in the bike lane to the right of the truck. These illegal right turns occur frequently enough at that an ABC 7 news crew at the scene filming some background footage happened to catch a hit-and-run on video.

In response, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition has organized a demonstration at Market @ Octavia to call attention to the City's lax enforcement at this intersection.

Some commenters wonder why the turn is illegal, since it seems an like an obvious place to get on the freeway. If a road is engineered for a certain activity, it does not matter how many signs and prohibitions are in place; drivers will drive to the engineering, not the signs.

I've been nearly hooked at this intersection and take the lane here. Perhaps the city, motorists and cyclists would all be better served if the bike lane was removed entirely at this location.

5 comments:

  1. The problem with removing the bike lane and having bicyclists take the lane instead is that the vast majority of bicyclists won't take the lane and the same crash will occur. Only without the bike lane/sharrow/ or some clearly marked onroad bicycle facility liability for the crash will be murky. It's a wicked problem without a clean solution.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Another case of gutter troll ROADKILL. Perhaps the VAST majority of cyclists should be TAUGHT how to take the lane in high SKOOL drivers' ED.

    This wasn't certainly NOT the first. Won't be the last. Look for more gutter troll roadkills before the geniuses figure it out.

    Tell the gutter trolls to TAKE the lane. Cagers can judge distances much better in front, NOT to their side. Do them, AND, yourselves a favor.

    TAKE THE G-DAMNED LANE, people.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Drivers drive to the engineering, NOT to signs and prohibitions. Now, THAT'S the most profound statement I've heard in a LONG time.

    I say hold the ENGINEERING geniuses accountable in a court of LAW for killing and maiming untold THOUSANDS, actually 43,000, every year.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am at work, so I don't have sound on my computer, but I am really hoping they were able to get the license plate number of the hit and run driver in that video.

    Some people are just completely nuts to drive off in a situation like that.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Yep. Leaving the scene, failure to render aid, along with unsafe lane change, possibly RECKLESS driving.

    ReplyDelete