August 28, 2007
Presidio: Still Dangerous
We were running in the Presidio this morning, and after a few cars nearly creamed us it struck us that one of San Francisco's preeminent outdoor plagrounds is a very dangerous place in which to play outside. Bike lanes appear and disappear randomly, and when they're doing maintenance and logging on the Coastal Trail (like today), runners and walkers coming from Arguello are forced to Washington Street, praying that cars don't splatter them on the many blind curves.
It's been over a year since Ashlyn Dyer was killed while running on one of the Presidio's main drags, but not much has been done to improve safety. The Bike Coalition says that bike lanes are planned on Washington Street, but nothing's been done there, and nothing at all is the works in the area where Dyer was hit (running paths on the other side of guardrails, anyone?). The city's bike plan is stalled for another year or so, but the Presidio is technically outside the jurisdiction of San Francisco, so bike work can go on in there. Bike Coalition, WalkSF, care to enlighten?
Picture of a dangerous Presidio road from flickr user texasex2k.
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Spot-on. I ride the bus through here, and my heart's in my throat every time we pass a jogger. I'd wear a helmet and padding if I were you.
Just because it's immune from the injunction doesn't mean that it'll be any easier to make the roads people-friendly. Federal traffic engineers always seem to favor cars over humans, especially in these petrol-happy times. If it ain't made of careening metal, it ain't worth saving.
Welcome to San Francisco!!! Please be advised that East-Bayers, North-Bayers and South-Bayers use the city as their personal freeway. You will be ran over/killed and no one cares. Thanks for visiting!!!!
And while we're at it, how about some kind of protection for bicyclists biking into Sausalito?
All the "Bike the Bridge" advertisements don't mention that once you get off the bridge, you take your life into your own hands pedaling on a narrow road as Hummers whip by, amusing themselves by seeing how close they can get to you.
Our state needs to pull its head out.
On a real military base speed limits are severely enforced, and I mean tickets for going 2MPH over the limit, issued by a man with an automatic rifle. And the speed limits are often 15MPH or even 10MPH. Perhaps the Presidio should return to its military roots for traffic enforcement advise.
i was always taught to run/jog on the opposite side of traffic so you can view any automobiles in front of you. yet, i see a lot of runner's in the bike lane going with traffic. runner's definitely need to be proactive with their safety measures.
I think bike riding on the opposite side of the street is illegal. I think you can run on any side you want though.
I ordinarily always run on the opposite side of the street, but in the Presidio on the weekends you're sharing the shoulder of the road with lots of cyclists, some of whom are going very fast. So with all those blind curves, I think it's actually somewhat safer to run along with the bikes and cars so they're coming up behind you and have a better chance of seeing you before they pass you. But really, I don't feel safe running there on either side of the road.