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Photo du Jour 501
You've got to keep them separated: "Soft hit posts" sprang up on Market Street last week.
You've read last week about the concerns raised over the intersection of Octavia and Market. Today, we thought it would be interesting to check things out after Friday's protest to see if driver behavior has improved. We have some good news. Find out after the jump.
The primary change has been the addition of seven soft hit posts placed to make illegal right turns more difficult. We recorded 17 illegal turns during an hour of morning commute on Thursday morning, but the same 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM period today saw just two people make the turn. That's a big improvement, so we applaud all involved with making the changes. Further improvements are in the works, so we'll keep you posted.
An SUV clocks a newly-installed white plastic post when making an illegal turn from Market. The post (far right) has almost fully sprung back to vertical.
Poor little feller. A soft hit post heels over after being hit. They should call these things "scratch your VW/Audi A4 real bad" posts so people won't be tempted to run them over.
The only other vehicle to make the turn during the one-hour period today:
South-bound traffic appears unaffected:
Market Street as it appeared to east-bound drivers this afternoon. The cones have been removed, so it's all up to the posts now. Godspeed little posts.
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I can't believe those two a-holes STILL made the illegal turn. What part of "No Turn", look at the signs, and hey, it's written on the street, and whoa, there's some white posts blocking the turn, DON'T THEY UNDERSTAND?
Like bicyclists, we SF wheelchair users have a beef, not only about cars taking illegal rights @ the Mkt/Octv fwy, but bicyclists riding on SF sidewalks.They too often run into us, cut us off at curb ramps, & force us off into other pedestrians or structures. We're crip enuff & bike riders don't seem to give a fuck they're putting us at risk for more injury. SFPD said in writing it would start enforcing the law against bikes ridden on sidewalks. They don't & that suxx! Pls help get the word out???
They should install cameras like the "red light ones" and send a cute little card in the mail, with a ticket.
SF Wheelchair User,
I have been run off the sidewalk by some crazy-ass wheelchair people in this here town... I agree, bikes on sidewalks suck... but some of these new-fangled wheelie chairs can really get a move on.
We need a wheelchair speed limit!
The plastic post closest to the turn will be torn off within a month.
What it should be is a metal pipe (half of it sunk into the cement) with an orange flag on top.
(bonus if the flag says "gotcha!!")
Dear friends, nice article and pictures, however, maybe you should properly name them. When a Isuzu/whatever SUV runs over a plastic post, you should not call the picture 'This post is named "The scratch my Audi/VW post" '. If you think VWs and Audis are bad while their drivers are drinking lattes, you should look around and see bullets coming out of Chevy Monte Carlos (the other vehicle) and deadly menace coming from illegal turns of SUVs.
Oh, but Audi drivers are such easy targets. Why not pick on them?
Extra points for the SUV having bull bars for maximum injury potential.
Every so often, just get a bicycle cop to set up right after the turn to stand along the shoulder, when someone makes the illegal turn, direct them over and write them a ticket for not following the signs.
here's an easy and simple solution.
make a turn lane from market street onto the octavia on ramp.
the congestion along octavia is pretty horrible. why not make that entire area LESS congested, by adding another option to get onto the freeway?
as for those in the neighborhood who don't like that idea... look... you bought/rent a house that used to be a freeway entrance, and it will always be a freeway entrance. nothing is gonna change that.
and the pedestrians? the DPT needs to add a crossing light... or they can completely block off the sidewalk. either way, someone is still going to be dumb enough to try and cross when they're not supposed to.
A turn lane would be worse because the cars wanting to turn would have to weave across the bicycle lane to get to it, with disastrous results like those on Page Mill Road at the I-280 interchange.
There was a traffic planning reason for prohibiting the right turns from inbound Market - concern over traffic backing up on Market into the Castro. Of course traffic now backs up into the Lower Haight and the Western A, but that was the decision made. (When you tear down a perfectly good retrofitted offramp that used to take traffic over Market, you're going to break some eggs.)
The drivers are the menace, not the cars. VW/Audis aren't bad per se. That Audi Unpimp Your Ride campaign, now that's funny. Didn't see any lattes, did see some wacky tobacky.
The first white post is called "scratch your VW/Audi A4 real bad" regardless of what hits it. The others are named, in order
"scratch your Chevy real bad"
"scratch your SUV real bad"
"Inky"
"Blinky"
"Clyde"
I have no car or bike, and only take public trans or walk.
Drivers turn onto the freeway, because it makes NO SENSE not to. Google Maps even TELL people to do that. And because Octavia and Dubuce are a mess.
I can't believe taxpayers paid over $100 Million for an on-ramp that no one can use, and a traffic-jam creating boulevard design. The freeway-haters made it this way...now look what you have.
Why can't there be a GREEN RIGHT ARROW? Just like at Duboce & Market? Or is the real intent to punish drivers, so they Bike to work in San Jose?
SF cyclist are a cartel, self-righteous, scoflaws bullies.
SF drivers need to take valium, and hang up.
Meanwhile us pedestrians are in the crossfire of both.
Solutions:
* Bike bridge over the ramp
* Right-turn lane with Green arrow
* Remove ramp, build bridge over Market St.