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Sadly, a bicyclist was hit by a vehicle this morning and killed. SFPD arrived at the scene at around 10:55 a.m. at Fulton and Steiner streets. The cyclist, whose name has yet to be released, was "pronounced dead at the scene."
Who had to right of way is still under investigation.
As always, be safe out there on the road, kids. And don't forget about SFMTA's Bicycle Program meetings--which will use your input on proposed improvements to bicycle routes in San Francisco--that start tonight.
Also, there will be a Ride of Silence tonight. San Francisco Bike Coalition says:
We're deeply saddened to hear that a bicyclist was killed in a crash with a pickup truck this morning (Weds 5/21/08) at the intersection of Fulton and Steiner. We don't know the cyclist's name or much of the story yet, but we will be out riding for him and others who have been injured or killed while cycling on public roadways on this evening's Ride of Silence. We'll share more details on the tragedy as we learn them.
The ride in honor of the dead cyclist starts at 7 p.m. at the intersection of Fulton and Steiner.
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There will be a "Ride of Silence" starting from this intersection at 7 PM.
That's horrible.
Very sad. I saw all the cop cars as I moving my car on Scott St at noon for street cleaning.
$50 the biker ran a red light and had no helmet.... Darwin wins
hey asshole, there's no stpolight at that intersection. that hill is pretty treacherous, too.
so please, shut the fuck up.
A few pointers to all (we don't want to become SFGate's comment section, do we?)
- There's a stoplight at that intersection. Don't believe me? Click on this and select "street view."
- I've biked and walked through that intersection a ton of times, and it's really, really dangerous. Bicyclists are coming down a steep hill, and if a car is coming up the hill from the side, it's very difficult to see a bicyclist coming. The car could not see the biker, take a right on red, the bicyclist hits the side of the car and...end of story.
The point of this is that posts saying "I bet the bicyclist did this" and "I bet the driver did this" are completely pointless until a full police report comes out. Unless you were there, you don't know.
In the meantime, mourn the dead, be happy that you're still alive, and be calm and careful. This city can kill you in any number of ways; walking around in traffic while fuming about something said on the Internet would be a sad way to go.
There actually is a stoplight at that intersection, but I don't think the cyclist ran it. Even if he did, it's pretty sick to imply that he deserved to die for making a mistake everyone has made. Show some respect and keep the Darwin Award comments to yourself.
my bad, i was thinking that was the light at fillmore. i used to ride that stretch every day as part of my morning commute, but that was ~2 years ago.
and yes, the intersection is really dangerous. you can easily time the light, but if you get it wrong (or it's a different day or time of day) you need to start braking waaaaay early in order to be able to stop.
i blame gravity.
Thank you, Dan.
"Thank you, Dan."
Seriously.
That's a bad intersection as is the Fulton/Scott with a four-way stop and really bad visibility for cars, cyclists, and peds.
Even if it wasn't the reason, I'm taking this as a sobering reminder to make sure my brakes are not worn down. That's a bad hill. Please, all other cyclists, do the same.
Also, name and face to this tragedy.
His name was Kirk Janes. He was a bike messenger who had just started his own delivery business.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/21/BACR10QFKV.DTL
Sheesh, and being so ungreedy as to pass up money that was definitely his due?
"Janes had broken his hip while riding on Second Street last year and could have gone on disability from the state. Instead, he quit Speedway Delivery last year, and, after a brief break to recover, started his own business.
"He could have gone on disability, but he decided it would not be the right thing, knowing he was not going to go back to Speedway. He passed up a lot of money, just on principle," said Ryan Akers, a friend and fellow messenger."
RIP, Kirk.
Hey - this is really really sad because I was just getting to know Kirk and he was amazing...kind, smart and capable. To the ignorant Darwinian moron above, all I can say is that your negative remarks about those who have passed are so insulting to your own intelligence, and you lost the bet so pay me asshole. $50 you douche. When you die maybe I'll have some sympathy for you, since you can't spare any decency now you lose.
Kirk deserves all the respect and admiration we can all give him for being a beautiful person, a good rider and friend...Please Please let us all remember that we LOVE each other and we can show it by protecting and watching out for each other on the road and off.
(darwin reject this includes you love...I'd watch your back and look out for ya even thinking you're an idiot and you should do the same. We have to stick together out there and have each other's safety in our vision. By the way, I've known Kirk to offer his own helmets to those who were in need, so he knew the importance of wearing one, and caring about other's safety)...
LOVE. peace.
this was not a situation to make fun of. we all lost a beautiful soul in this accident.
Hummm poor soul is right getting hit by a truck or bus is no way to die....
However I love the wisdom here.... trixxie
Your intellect is amazing and your writing skills are superb, Your use of douche, pay me $50 and asshole just tell me that you probably are such high and mighty respectful human being your Sh*t probably doesn't stick....
Hummm and Darwin.... or not
Friends said Janes, who still smoked despite surgery on his throat, kept riding even after a recent injury to his hip. He spoke with a raspy voice.
Like I said the truth will come out ... and you "LOVE & PEACE" All I can say is your intellect his hidden by your obvious bi-polar condition....HIPOCRITE... woops kind loving trixxie
Man, there are some jerks here today. Some thoughts:
1. First, our thoughts and prayers should be with Kirk's family. It was a tragic accident no matter who, if anyone, was at fault.
2. I would be interested in seeing the police report. Was the cyclist wearing a helmet? Did he run the light? Did the cyclist ride a fixie with no brakes? Did the driver run the light, or turn right on red without checking for traffic? It is EASY to run that light - the hill is very steep and if you make the lights at Steiner and Fillmore you save a lot of time, so it is completely understandable that someone would try to.
3. Lesson for everyone: wear a helmet; make sure your brakes work (and this means make sure you HAVE brakes!!!); look where you're going; don't run the light unless there is ABSOLUTELY NOBODY around; don't run the light in a car period; and don't make the right on red unless you check that there is nobody coming, including bikes.
Also, a "No turn on red" sign might help for Steiner, and a larger than standard countdown timer for Fulton, would help make it a safer intersection. And VISIBLE traffic lights at this intersection and also at Fillmore - the old style corner mounted lights there are very hard to see from a bike OR a car until it's too late.
According to the examiner (not the most unbiased source of information regarding bicyclists, I'll grant you), the driver of the truck stated that he was going through a yellow light and the bicyclist hit the backside of his truck. So if we believe the driver, the bicyclist ran the light.
It hardly surprises me. I ride a bike myself, but the messengers are friggin' maniacs. I, and a couple other pedestrians, was almost hit by one running a light just two days ago. And when one of the pedestrians dared to yell "Hey!" at the guy, he flipped us off and kept going.
I'm not saying this particular cyclist was that much of an asshole, I'm just noting what I've observed of messengers in general. They don't seem to care much about their own safety, or anyone else's.
Don't Kill the Messenger
Cyclists are not as dangerous to cars, other cyclists or pedestrials as cars are. Everyone knows it. There rest of these arguments are smoke filled, coffee house crap. All one need do is look at the statistics:
"...Data compiled in the 2006 collision report give a glimpse into the causes of the [car vs. pedestrian] accidents and which locations are the most dangerous. Speeding, blowing through a red light and failing to yield for a pedestrian in a crosswalk are, in rank order, the top three violations. And 70 percent of the injury collisions occurred in or near an intersection..." Sfgate.com
Cars are the number one cause of death for teenagers
Anecdotal evidence of the danger of cars at my deathspace.com
San Francisco's pedestrian fatalities are four times the national average.
San Francisco is the most dangerous city in the state for pedestrian deaths. "In 2005, San Francisco saw 26 pedestrian deaths, making it the deadliest city in California for those who walk and in the top five nationally."
From the Northern Police Station Weekly Newsletter (June 26, 2007)
..."The vehicle code section most often violated by California drivers in pedestrian fatalities is 21453a CVC, failing to stop at a red light, and San Francisco is widely regarded as the red light running capital of the United States..." (emphasis added)
From Science Direct:
"...Police reports of severely injured pedestrians help identify hazardous traffic areas in San Francisco, but they under-report non-fatal collisions...We found that police collision reports underestimated the number of injured pedestrians by 21%..."
Oh, man. It sounds like he wasn't wearing a helmet.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/22/BAQU10R3J5.DTL&tsp=1
Yeah, I saw that.
Wear a helmet!!
Yep, like I said;
Kirk Janes, 35, of San Francisco was not wearing a helmet and was pronounced dead at the scene from head injuries.
Stay classy, SpySea.