SFist: Octavia Blvd: A dangerous illegal turn every 3 minutes.

heatherr

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 23:13:22 -0800

all the visual noise at that intersection makes it hard to tell how to get on the freeway *without* making a right, and the no-right turn signs are so completely useless, it's a joke...but it's not funny. asshole drivers and asshole bicyclists - I'll never forget being forced off the sidewalk on 23rd at mish - after a critical mass demo - by high fivin' clowns riding four, count 'em, four across!! as they congratulated themselves on STICKING IT TO THE MAN - need to get a clue PLUS some law enforcement that doesn't automatically blame the bicycling commuter for turning into roadkill... unfortunately, a death or three at that intersection might, finally, maybe, somehow get the sfpd to stop criminalizing those darn lefty crazy radical bike riders, even enforce a traffic law or two every so often. wow! but don't hold your breath. jake...it's frisco-town.

Dude

Sun, 28 Jan 2007 12:45:23 -0800

Preventing right turns is the dumbest idea I've ever seen. And I'd rather have cops spend more time chasing murderers rather than have them waste time ticketing this. This is was a bad idea to begin with -- a sop to the 1% of SF that cycle regularly. Cyclists in the city have no leg to stand on when it comes to complaining about enforcement of traffic laws. They break them more than any other group around.

fizzandpop

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 15:46:22 -0800

As opposed to the Cannondale Ironman® Slice Six13 Si 2: Chariot of the yuppie cyclist. Seriously, this issue has nothing to do with class, it's dumbass drivers/cyclists vs er...nondumbass drivers/cyclists. Don't bring your envy of people with shiny things into this.

gse

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 15:07:58 -0800

ILLEGAL! BURN THEM! next you'll tell us that some drivers exceed posted speed limits.

Jim

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 12:12:16 -0800

Well, you're probably thinking of the BMW 3-series as having that title, but I'd say the current generation of the Audi outsells the 3-series in S.F. these days.

fizzandpop

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 11:59:53 -0800

"Audi A4: Chariot of the Yuppie." Come on, you're better than that.

Jim

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 10:45:10 -0800

Redesigning the bulb out is under consideration. As far as getting to the freeway is concerned, basically any other right turn will get you there. If you are inbound (heading east towards the Financial District on Market) then Duboce or Valencia or South Van Ness will all get you to the 101.

al

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 10:42:56 -0800

perhaps some regular krypto lock through the rear window several times will wise people up

murphstahoe

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 10:42:42 -0800

Note that in addition to the NO RIGHT TURN sign there is a sign that says FREEWAY with a little arrow pointing straihgt. Follow that sign, and soon you will see another FREEWAY sign with an arrow on it telling you where to go. Keep following signs that point to the FREEWAY and voila! You'll end up on the FREEWAY. In this case you go another block to Gough, turn right, and enter at I believe Van Ness. I acutually don't know the exact road list to get there because I just follow the signs.

Bill Miller

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 10:35:12 -0800

I turn there every day. I don't see what the big deal is. It is so much faster than going around the block. I'm a great driver so I have no problem dodging any bikes or peds that get in my way. My Porsche corners so well that I can zip around there before anyone notices. If they are going to start cracking down on this it will take me at least an extra 3 minutes to get to work. That would be terrible.

kc

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 10:16:13 -0800

I have a stupid question. I just moved to the area, and I've gotten caught up in that intersection before. Where exactly do you go to get to the freeway from Market? Is there an on-ramp further up or down the street? I haven't known what to do, so I've just detoured through residential streets to get onto Octavia.

Zig

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 09:13:58 -0800

I doubt enforcement is a long term or effective solution ot this I wonder if the bulb build out couldn't be extended across the bike lane still allowing bikes to pass through but sending a clearer message to drivers, by design, that right turns are illegal

Jim

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 00:16:37 -0800

And yes, that little red car appear to be sitting in the crosswalk. It might be a little difficult for the driver to know where the stop line is, but obviously it's where the crosswalk begins. Peds have it much easier than bikers at this intersection generally.

Jim

Thu, 25 Jan 2007 23:53:58 -0800

Noted: Walk SF, not Walk CA (although first photo on Walk SF's website was one that I took for Walk CA, but oh well). They could rejigger the intersection so that it would be like every other in CA. That would cost $50K or $150K or something like that. You'd get a lot more cars making the right turn from Market, for better or worse. Part of the problem of Octavia Blvd. is that it doesn't pull it's weight in getting cars in and out of the city, putting more pressure on other routes. The downhill aspect of the street tends to put bike speed close to car speed, with unfortunate results. I'm working on a bio. It will be something nonresponsive like, "Jim has a million hit points and maximum charisma."

alright

Thu, 25 Jan 2007 22:01:28 -0800

i'm still not sure why they can't put the right-turn lane to the right of the bike lane here (or the bike lane to the left of the turn lane, depending on how you do the math)? no room?

bluecanary

Thu, 25 Jan 2007 21:08:19 -0800

What can be done? Well, the lazy-ass San Francisco police could get off their fat, coffee-drinking asses and start ticketing these assholes. But good luck with that. I've lived in several cities and never encountered such an utterly worthless police force in my life. They do NOTHING of any use. And may the person who designed the disaster known as Octavia Blvd. be run over by a Hummer, along with anyone who calls this catastrophe an "urban success."

Jeffrey W. Baker

Thu, 25 Jan 2007 20:08:03 -0800

Oh I forgot to mention: in the first photo there's nobody making the illegal right turn, but how about that jerkoff stopped in the crosswalk?! Wow that's annoying.

Jeffrey W. Baker

Thu, 25 Jan 2007 20:06:48 -0800

Hi Jim, thanks for covering this. By the way, you don't have a bio on the contributors page.

Manish

Thu, 25 Jan 2007 19:45:01 -0800

It's Walk San Francisco that is involved, not Walk California. In addition, the Senior Action Network and Livable City are involved as well.

genex

Thu, 25 Jan 2007 19:17:37 -0800

Glad this is getting some attention, I've had some close calls on my bike here as well...