For those who live along 17th Street in San Francisco’s Castro neighborhood, they are more than familiar with the area’s long history with cycling accidents. Almost every week there is an accident involving a cyclist and a vehicle, and now as the city is finally looking into the concentration, it leaves people asking the same question – why are there so many bicycling accidents here?
For the residents, many of whom have multiple cycling accidents caught on tape, they all know the problem, or rather, problems. There are two rampant problems along 17th Street in Castro that cause cycling accidents. The first is double parking and the second is the Muni train tracks. The train tracks cause bicycle tires to get stuck and cyclists to fall face first onto the concrete while the double parking of cars force cyclists to swerve dangerously close to traffic.
Residents state that it is the double parking that is the greatest danger, and if the city can solve that problem it would greatly reduce cycling accidents. However, other improvements have included removing the train tracks, making the street one way, and removing the parking in order to better protect the bike path.
While the city is still weighing the options for the area, this one street in San Francisco is far from the only area in the United States that is a problem for cyclists. If you have been in a cycling accident and need representation, contact us today. The Law Office of Gary Brustin represents the rights of injured cyclist.