August 2013 | | Gary Brustin

San Francisco Cyclist Groups Call for More Safety Measures after Fatalities

Posted on August 28, 2013November 23, 2019 by Gary Brustin

After a series of three bicyclist accident fatalities in San Francisco, bicycling groups in the city have been calling on officials to implement more stringent safety measures.

In an open letter to the Mayor, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition calls for more bicycle-friendly streets, that come with more infrastructure to help reduce the risk of injuries to bicyclists. In 2013 so far, there have been three bicycle accident fatalities in the SOMA neighborhood, including one that occurred on August 14 this year. In the latest accident, a female bicyclist was killed when she was hit by a truck while she was riding a bike.

According to the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, there have been certain similar characteristics among all these fatalities. All of these accidents occurred either in or near the SOMA neighborhood, and all the accidents involved large commercial truck. What is even more distressing is that in each case, the truck driver who was involved was not cited, or charged with a crime.

According to the letter, the SOMA neighborhood is fast becoming an expansive community, where many people live and work, and therefore this neighborhood deserves to have appropriate bicycle infrastructure that consists of more than just freeway-on-ramps.

The letter also suggests a number of short-term as well as long-term measures that can be used to help reduce the risk of accidents. For instance, as an emergency bicycle safety measure, the San Francisco Bicycle City Coalition is calling for the painting of all bike lanes green, especially in some of the most dangerous areas that have been the sites of numerous accidents. The Coalition is also calling for the installation of convex mirrors on large vehicles like trucks to increase driver visibility, as well as safety programs for truck drivers.

Cyclist Blamed for Serious Taxi Accident

Posted on August 26, 2013November 23, 2019 by Gary Brustin

A cabdriver involved in a New York taxi accident that resulted in the amputation of the leg of a British tourist, has blamed a bicyclist who he says banged on his car and behaved aggressively towards him, for the accident.

The bicyclist is a messenger who is being dragged into the accident that has made headlines in the Big Apple. According to reports, the cab ran up on the curb, and struck the British tourist, a 23-year-old woman who had just arrived in the city on holiday. The woman suffered serious leg injuries, and had to have her leg amputated.

According to the taxi driver, the messenger had behaved very aggressively towards him, and had banged his car just before the accident. The cab driver claims that the noise startled him, and he slammed on the accelerator pedal, running up the curb.

Investigators are particularly looking at the role of the bicyclist / courier messenger in causing this accident. Not surprisingly, the taxi driver’s federation, are rooting for the taxi driver, and are making claims about the dangers of speeding bicyclists on the roads. According to the Federation of Taxi Drivers, taxi drivers are often in danger from speeding bicycles.

California bicycle accident lawyers have recently found a very disturbing trend in which bicyclists are being blamed for accidents that often don’t even involve them. There seems to be a very hostile attitude that targets bicyclists, and this sort of attitude is being seen not just in California, but across the country. Bicyclists are a very vulnerable section of the population in that there are very few loud voices advocating the rights of bicyclists, and protecting them during incidents like these.

Bike Share Enhances San Francisco Biking Culture

Posted on August 19, 2013November 23, 2019 by Gary Brustin

On August 29, the Bay Area Bike Share pilot program will go live in five cities in California including San Francisco, Palo Alto, Redwood City, San Jose and Mountain View. The program will include more than 700 bicycles that are strategically located at 70 stations in the city. This is believed to be the first regional bike share system of its kind, and will be managed by a special partnership that includes a number of government and city agencies.

According to the San Francisco Mayor, this is an attempt to establish a world-class bike share program in the city of San Francisco, just as currently exists in several cities across the world and the United States. The Bay Area Bike Share program will provide San Francisco residents easy access to a bicycle when they want it. This is a huge step forward in promoting bicycling as a means of safe and effective transportation of the city of San Francisco. Biking is not just a safe and convenient method of transportation, but also an affordable and healthy way to get around.

However, San Francisco must keep in mind, the lessons that need to be learned from the bike share program experiences of other cities around the country. The most prominent of these that comes to mind is the New York bike share program, which has been very successful, and has helped promote a strong bicycle culture in the city. However, the promotion of the of bike share program in New York City, has not coincided with the promotion of the wearing of bicycle helmets.

San Francisco’s bike share program must focus on encouraging bicyclist safety, including the wearing of helmets.

For now, bicyclists who want to use a bike from the bicycle share program can simply check if one is available on their smartphones.