Image: Leanne Maxwell/SFist

• A small plane crashed around 2:30 pm Friday about 13 miles east of San Jose in a remote mountainous area near Mount Hamilton; one person confirmed dead. [KGO]
• Jorge Antonio Silva, 41, of Richmond was convicted Thursday of sexually abusing three girls during different time periods between 2006 and 2017; a sentencing hearing is scheduled for November 21. [Bay Area News Group]
• With the tariffs in full effect, prices on the following items are expected to continue rising: coffee, bananas, watches, women’s dresses, audio equipment, household furniture, and motor vehicle parts. [KPIX]

Image: Leanne Maxwell/SFist

Pop quiz, hot shot: Approaching a street you need to cross, you see the walk sign kick into crosswalk timer mode. Do you:

a) Speedwalk into the intersection so you can be sure to fully cross before it hits "1"
b) Stop at the corner as everyone on earth pushes past you to cross the street
c) Set up your chair and start yelling "No sex! No sloppy seconds!"

The majority of you probably said a), believing as San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency spokesperson Paul Rose once did that the timers are "an awareness tool" and that as long as you have the green, your trap is clean. But you and Rose are both wrong (Rose learned this one the hard way back in 2014), as Section 21456(b) of the California Vehicle Code reads:

Whenever a pedestrian control signal showing the words “WALK” or “WAIT” or “DONT WALK” or other approved symbol is in place, the signal shall indicate as follows:

(a) “WALK” or approved “Walking Person” symbol. A pedestrian facing the signal may proceed across the roadway in the direction of the signal, but shall yield the right-of-way to vehicles lawfully within the intersection at the time that signal is first shown.

(b) Flashing or steady “DONT WALK” or “WAIT” or approved “Upraised Hand” symbol. No pedestrian shall start to cross the roadway in the direction of the signal, but any pedestrian who has partially completed crossing shall proceed to a sidewalk or safety zone or otherwise leave the roadway while the “WAIT” or “DONT WALK” or approved “Upraised Hand” symbol is showing.

As the law says the only time it's acceptable to cross an intersection controlled by a "walk/don't walk" sign is when the "Walk" is on, starting to cross during the countdown is illegal, and those who violate that rule risk a citation.

While enforcement of that law is apparently rare in SF, with San Francisco Police Department spokesperson Officer Robert Rueca telling the Chron "Anecdotally speaking, I've seen officers more likely to ticket vehicles for not yielding to pedestrians," in April of 2015 the LA Times reported that police ran crosswalk sting operations in their downtown area, which is home to "communities of color who predominantly use L.A.'s transit system." 13,152 $197 tickets were issued there for this minor offense over a four-year period.

It appears that that seemingly lopsided enforcement, which the LA Times referred to as "an added tax for the crime of being poor," spurred LA Assembly member Miguel Santiago and SF rep Phil Ting to introduce AB 390, which according to the bill text would "authorize a pedestrian facing a flashing 'DON’T WALK' or 'WAIT' or approved 'Upraised hand' symbol with a “countdown” signal to proceed so long as he or she completes the crossing before the display of the steady 'DON’T WALK' or 'WAIT' or approved 'Upraised Hand' symbol."

And the law seems certain to enter the books, as it passed the state Senate on September 7 and the Assembly on Monday, so next stop is Governor Jerry Brown's desk for his signature. Assuming he signs, soon crosswalkers will be able to do the same thing they've been doing all along, but this time they won't be breaking a law that they might not have even known about.

Previously: Oh Crap: We've Been Using Crosswalk Timers Wrong All This Time

Have you, like us, been using the ever-so-handy crosswalk countdown timers to gauge whether you have enough time to scramble across several lanes of traffic? As San Francisco Police Cmdr. Mikail Ali revealed to the Chronicle, those countdown timers are, in fact, a cruel trap. Another tool the SFPD could be using to nab pedestrian scofflaws.

According to Cmdr. Ali, pedestrians are not actually allowed to enter the crosswalk once the countdown has begun. It's sort of how like you're not actually allowed to enter the crosswalk once the blinky hand appears, but you're still going to do it anyway. Flaunting the countdown timer is a good way to risk earning a citation from the SFPD (or worse).

Apparently we weren't the only ones confused that crosswalk timers were not actually there to keep us safe. Muni spokesman Paul Rose told the Chronicle that the timers were "an awareness tool" and pedestrians could, "start whenever they want," only to later be corrected by Cmdr. Ali. At least he didn't get a citation.

Previously: Etiquette Week: How To Walk On The Sidewalk Like A Reasonable Human Being
[Chron]

Wednesday night in West Portal, two pedestrians crossing a crosswalk were hit by a car. The incident occurred at the intersection of Vicente Street and West Portal Avenue at around 9:40 p.m.

The driver remained at the scene of the collision and is cooperating with the investigation," reports SF Appeal. "Both the pedestrians and the driver of the vehicle claimed to have had the right of way at the time of the collision."

One of the pedestrians, a female, was transported to a nearby hospital to be treated for serious injuries.

[SFA]

"Move Along" by kapshure.

Authorities released the name of the 23-year-old woman struck and killed by a Muni bus on Friday afternoon. San Franciscan Emily Dunn was at the end of the crosswalk at the intersection of 18th and Hartford streets at around at 2:30 p.m. "when a bus that was making a left turn struck her."

SF Examiner points out, "The woman had crossed the street about 95 percent of the way when she was hit and pinned underneath the bus."

Dunn was pronounced at the scene.

With no passengers on the bus at the time, the vehicle was making its way to the F-Market stop at 17th and Market streets. "Police and area residents said the street was not a usual Muni route."

[Examiner]

Have you come across crosswalk signals that skip countdown numbers? We have. And it's scary. Fortunately, Walk San Francisco, a pedestrian safety advocacy group, can help you take action.

"We're hearing reports of bad ped countdown signals that skip to 0 several seconds too early. MTA is aware of this problem. If you see one please call 550-2736 (24-hrs) to report it," Walk SF notes on their Facebook page.

Stay safe, San Francisco.

In an effort to appear more quality of life-ish, the intersection at Eddy and Taylor received a makeover. (Taylor and Ellis got the same design yesterday too.) This Tenderloin spot, best known for being a crime magnet where you never want to be after the sun goes down or up, got new designs on their crosswalks.

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