December 17, 2007
Octavia/Market Barrier: At Last
After SFist (as well as a few others) specially called for this barrier, it has done gone up. Finally. Rejoice!
Way back in early '07, we reported that after January's motorist/cyclist accident, "17 drivers on eastbound Market made the illegal turn onto the freeway during the 61 minutes from 8:00 to 9:00 AM ... [t]hat's a lot -- about one illegal turn for every two cycles of the intersection's lights." Ack.
But will the new barrier work? Sure. But how well we can't say just yet. The barrier does look a tad flimsy -- a Mini Cooper having a bad day could take those tines down in seconds -- and a right turn is still possible, but only more difficult this time. Still, the $250 maximum fine might prevent most of your impatient and eager drivers from making the dangerous right turn onto the freeway.
Certainly this thing could have go up faster and cheaper, but let's not split hairs; after all, it's Christmastime. And at least it's up.
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I like how it's a "$250 MAXIMUM" fine. Sure makes it easy to figure out whether you're willing to risk it or not.
It's meant to look scary, and for most people it IS scary.
For other people, the threat of a point or two is pretty big.
Too bad we don't have six-figure tickets like that Nokia exec. got for speeding.
http://www.screaming-penguin.com/node/2396
SFgov: We'll eventually get it done. I'm glad this is finally in, hopefully no more peds and cyclists will get creamed by motorists here!
SFgov: We'll eventually get it done. I'm glad this is finally in, hopefully no more peds and cyclists will get creamed by motorists here!
I'm all for traffic barrier posts. They even are a much more affordable way to narrow intersections at crosswalks (and thus slow traffic) and looking pretty snappy in London and Brooklyn doing just that -- but these? Not so much. They could really be much nicer. And less "highway"-ish. All that time and effort on Market Street streetscape work over the years and then DPT goes and buys something that looks so cheap and tacky. Of course, someone else is going to realize this in like 6 months and they'll be replaced with something else. And you know? SF just has money to burn redoing things, apparently.
For your convenience, and at no additional charge, while our byte-and-bit supplies last, in 4-part-harmony (with FEELING!), you might enjoy the 27 8x10 glossy responses with indents and annotations and a paragraph following each one explaning what it was to be used as explanation in a court of blog against bicyclists, you'll find the right-thinking-pure-wholesome-patriotic-american-god-fearing-supprot-the-president-to-support-the-troops view of the changes at the specified interchange reproduced below.
> Hey, let's rebuild the Fell St. offramp instead!
Why are we proposing a rebuild of anything at all? That's transport money properly due the almighty car being diverted to those unseemly, unamerican, undesirable non-motor vehicles.
Stop being silly!
> An illegal set of these posts
Bloddy right they're illegal! They impede the proper flow of motor vehicle traffic on the streets provided me by the laws of nature and nature's god for my driving pleasure. Haven't you read of his greatness, his purity, his TruthierNeff, His Honorable Ron AndersonNeff?!
(ref: http://district5diary.blogspot.com/)
> keeping down the number of cars making illegal right turns
Gawd only knows why anyone would wish to illegally oppress the automobile. It's common knowledge that the streets are for cars. Not busses. Not trolleys. Not cable cars. Cars. Everybody says so.
> There already have been multiple car/bike accidents
> involving cars illegally turning onto the onramp.
It's the bikers' fault, obviously. They shouldn't have been there anyway. Got what they deserved. Serve 'em right.
> There could be a retired cop car posted with a dummy inside
Why not get some of those unamerican bikers who are depriving perfectly honest oil and auto companies of their just due payments. Not to mention the auto mechanics put out of work by the bikers callous indifference and selfishness. And don't even get me started about the poor, impoverished insurance companies being swindled out of the premiums necessary to continue this great land of ours!
It's *tragic*, I tell you, TRAGIC that two or three whiners keep whining about their whiny little bikes. Boo-hooo-to-you-two-too! Get a horse!