While riding to work on Thursday, Amelie Le Moullac, 24, died after a truck hit her at the intersection of Folsom and Sixth Streets in SOMA. According to police, the semi-truck was making a right turn onto Sixth Street from Folsom when it struck her.
According to Streetsblog, every bicyclist killed in San Francisco this year had been hit by a truck. One life-saving tidbit that might help motorists (truck drivers, specifically) keep their fellow cycling commuteers safe is to learn the correct way to turn right when there's a bike lane.
A right-turning car is supposed to move into the bike lane before the intersection, anywhere from 200 to 50 feet before, first signalling the lane merge, then merging right to the curb lane, then finally making the actual turn when safe.The guiding principle is to always make a right turn from the right lane -- or "Turn from the Curb." Turning across lanes is a big no-no, since it can result in crashes and near-crashes, especially "right hook" collisions.
Furthermore, a Folsom street improvement plan would greatly improve not only the life expectancy of cyclists, but it would also improve business along Folsom. (We know how much City Hall loves business!) SFist spoke with several business owners along Folsom over past few months, who have eagerly awaited the street to go two-way traffic. However, city agencies, as Streetsblog goes on to point out, "have yet to initiate the street redesign."