As a result, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition is not happy. Not happy at all. They are demanding something to be done about that particular intersection at Octavia and Market Street and to show how serious they are, they are calling for a demonstration this Friday at 8 in the morning at the actual intersection. They are also calling for attendance at various meetings between now and then and demanding action. What the want is more in the way of enforcement, including more police presence and cameras.

That intersection has been a source of trouble from the get-go. Originally, the turn was supposed to be legal. Then, after complaints from bicycle activisits, the right turn was made illegal. This despite complaints from others that a right-hand turn at a red light is a God given right. What was Woody Allen's line about right hand turns being the only positive contribution California has made to civilization? Anyways, the whole thing just appears to be one of those things that was going to be problematic. It's a pretty obvious place for a right-hand turn but it's also a pretty obvious place not to have one as it's extremely dangerous for bikers.

When we worked in the city, we loved to bike down Market Street on our way to work. If we had to do it now, we'd probably find another way to go. That intersection scares the crap out of us.

Image from the SF Bicycle Coalition