SFist: UPDATE: 19th Avenue Car Collision Shuts Down Intersection

aznbabe

Sun, 23 Dec 2007 23:20:38 -0800

REGARDING THE SAFETY AT 19TH AVENUE, SAN FRANCISCO On 12/21/07, tragedy struck again....at 19th Avenue. I can't find any article on this recent accident. I just received news today that my aunt was hit by a speeding motorist at 19TH AVENUE and she died Saturday. Misfortune hits the family again. A few years ago, their two young adults (both in their 20's) died from cancer. It's the most tragic news because it hits home!!!! Instead of celebrating for the holidays the family will have to make funeral arrangements. Something MUST BE DONE SOON or there will be more tragedies at 19th Avenue--IT COULD BE YOUR LOVE ONES!!!!

miraloma

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 13:57:53 -0800

It's Elsbernd, and I have done that -- thanks.

mariconsoy

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 07:59:39 -0800

Miraloma- Why not contact your Supervisor [is it Elsbernd or Chu?] and relate the results of your daughter's study. Prob is that 19th Ave is a state highway and I think Sloat may be too [35?] so Caltrans has juristriction??

miraloma

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 07:30:10 -0800

The intersection does have red light cameras. That particular turning direction does not have a dedicated left- turn arrow -- that's the problem. It has two left-turn lanes, but the cars in them literally have to wait till the light turns red to race the oncoming traffic to turn. Red-light running is a famous problem there despite the cameras -- that's why my daughter was interested for her science project, because we'd seen so many red-light runners there. But then when we were really focusing on the traffic, the problem with the left turns leaped out at us. Another left-turn direction does have a dedicated left-turn light. As noted above, only three cars per cycle can make the turn, but at least they can do it safely on the green arrow.

MalcoveMagnesia

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 23:18:31 -0800

Those rare times I drive, I avoid 19th avenue like the plague that is it. Does that intersection have left turn arrows (signs point to "probably not")? It should also have red light cameras, too. Or better yet, just bury the road underground and turn it into a $#$@#$ extension of Interstate 280.

jnice

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 21:43:44 -0800

the turn from southbound 19th onto eastbound 19th is pretty bad too. 3 cars get across per cycle. ugh.

miraloma

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 19:58:07 -0800

My daughter did an elementary-school science project a few years ago counting red-light runners at that intersection. With me supervising, the two of us stood on that same 19th/Sloat corner where the woman was killed for 30- to 40-minute periods on four different afternoons. One thing that leaped out as we counted cars was that in normal traffic, it's absolutely not possible to make the left turn that that SUV was reportedly making without jumping the red light and racing the cross traffic starting toward you. This is the left from eastbound Sloat into northbound 19th, which doesn't have its own arrow. That was so evident that we started counting the cars that had to jump the red light to make that left too, even though it wasn't what the science project was about. (It was about drivers simply blowing through the red light to go straight.) If reports are accurate that that's what the SUV was doing, that may be a key point. Theoretically, you wait in the left-turn lane till the cross traffic has gone by and safely turn left on the green. But actually, there were no light cycles during our little exercise in which the cross traffic was light enough for the left-turners to turn on the green. (We took notes on this, thinking there was a way to work it into the science project, but couldn't really figure out a way.) There's just too much traffic for the intersection to handle safely.

iris

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 19:31:15 -0800

Must've been one hell of an accident. Hope folks are doing okay in the hospital. I drive that intersection every day. I've never seen issues there. It took me over an hour to get from City College to home in the Outer Sunset. I tried to detour through West Portal, but it was stop and go (mostly stop) there, too. One wonders about where the hell traffic control was because Ocean Ave, Junipero Serra, Sloat, and Portola (just to name a few) were effectively shut down.

Agent510

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 18:02:20 -0800

Why are all these accidents happening on 19th? Is there actually something faulty about the way the intersections were designed, or are people just careless?

murphstahoe

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 17:01:45 -0800

May I be the first to blame the damn cyclists.

skibu666

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:59:55 -0800

It's the only way to get to Stern Grove, a city park, from the East.

mattymatt

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:48:38 -0800

Jeez. Why does anybody even go NEAR that intersection these days? It's like taking a stroll along a highway. Oh, in fact, that's what it is.