Posts Tagged ‘crosswalks’

Much like most major cities, in Seattle there are currently a number of construction projects underway. Old buildings have been demolished to give way to new apartment complexes, office buildings, and retail establishments. It’s exciting to see different neighborhoods getting more built up, but there’s been an irksome downside to all the construction (well, aside [...]

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Despite offering a good starting point, there’s still plenty of information missing when you look at the Walkscore of a specific location. As has been pointed out plenty of times there are some serious limitations when it comes to the most prominently cited rankings of a neighborhood’s walkability. In addition to not considering factors like [...]

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An article from the DC Area blog “Greater Greater Washington” posed an interesting question about whether a recent pedestrian enforcement campaign is essentially “blaming the victim” by targeting the wrong people for the wrong types of behavior. The sign (pictured to the right) encourages pedestrians to avoid distractions, always use a crosswalk, and obey the [...]

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On Saturday afternoon 92-year-old motorist Levon Arkelian was cited for failing to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk after he struck and injured two 14-year-old boys who were crossing Fifth Street West at Sassarini Elementary School. Neither alcohol nor speeding played any role in the collision, and the driver claimed he simply didn’t notice the [...]

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A recent survey conducted by the Bay Citizen is showing that despite being considered one of the top U.S. cities for walking, San Francisco pedestrians don’t always feel safe on city streets. The survey found that nearly half of the 98 respondents wanted increased enforcement from police when it comes to ticketing drivers and cyclists. [...]

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Summer vacation is coming to an end and the back to school blitz is officially here. With kids getting set to resume their daily commute, and some younger children getting ready to start school for the first time, now is the perfect opportunity to review some key safety tips for children and motorists alike. A [...]

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Much has already been written about the cuts to pedestrian related projects in the new Federal Transportation Bill. Fortunately, there are still people out there actively campaigning for pedestrian safety and better streets, not just for vehicles, but for everyone. As part of our ongoing partnership with Walk SF, we’ve developed the following graphic that [...]

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An incident last week in which a man using a crosswalk was hospitalized after being hit by a shuttle bus only served to exacerbate feelings that when it comes to pedestrians getting hit, police are reluctant to take action against drivers…even when the driver is clearly at fault. Video footage of the collision shows that [...]

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We’ve written a lot on this blog about the tragic result of San Francisco bus accidents. In the past, fatal Muni bus accidents have cost the city millions in lawsuit settlements, and most importantly, have claimed the lives of far too many San Francisco residents. Over the weekend, new city dweller Emily Dunn was struck and killed by a Muni bus in the city’s Castro District. The police report indicated that Dunn was struck 95% into the crosswalk by a Muni Bus making a left turn, an action that is commonly cited as unsafe.

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Here in the Bay Area, we’re lucky to live in or near cities that are well known for their walkability. The website WalkScore, for example, recently ranked the country’s most walkable cities, and listed San Francisco in second place, and Oakland in tenth. While this is certainly cause for celebration, it might not take safety into account, considering that it has been an awful year for San Francisco pedestrian safety, and that more than 550 pedestrians are killed each year in California alone. A new account by local blog Oakland North explains one reason why the East Bay city doesn’t live up to the walk hype: dangerous crosswalk signals.

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You may have seen the video of a mall shopper falling into a fountain while writing a text message on her cell phone. If not, watch it here. Pedestrian mishaps like this have led some to ask whether walkers should be subject to regulation similar to distracted driving laws that have sprouted up across the country. To most, the idea of getting a ticket for writing a text message or talking on the phone while crossing the street sounds absurd. But a distracted walking law has already been proposed in New York, and some California residents think it should be considered over here as well.

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The thought of being killed as a pedestrian in San Francisco is terrifying. Fatal pedestrian accidents happen far too often in the Bay Area, especially considering that San Francisco was recently ranked the second most walkable city by the website Walk Score. Unfortunately, it’s nearly impossible to guarantee pedestrian safety in a busy city like San Francisco. Organizations like WalkSF have been incredible about raising awareness about pedestrian safety programs and lobbying the city to make serious improvements. But fatal accidents remain too common far in San Francisco, which has already mourned 9 pedestrians this year.

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Late last week, 61 year-old James Hudson, a San Francisco resident, was fatally wounded by a drunk driver on Masonic Avenue and Turk Street. The suspect, San Francisco County Sheriff’s Department cadet Jose Jimenez, was arrested on charges of vehicular manslaughter, driving under the influence, and attempting to flee the scene. The pedestrian accident marks a troubling trend showing that Masonic Avenue is dangerous and that the city must take steps to improve pedestrian safety. The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency will meet this Friday to discuss a popular $20 million plan to make Masonic Avenue safer.

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There’s no question about it: when it comes to reducing car accidents, pedestrian accidents, or bicycle accidents, states and local governments have been proposing the most interesting plans to save lives and prevent injuries. But so far, when the federal government gets involved, safety measures that often look like “no-brainers” on the local level get muddled by political ideology and Washington groupthink. This has already been the case for a federal distracted driving law and a federal teen drivers license law currently languishing in Congress. The next safety policy to be doomed by Washington policy is the Safe Routes to School program.

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Jogging across San Francisco’s busy Masonic Avenue Monday, a pedestrian was blindsided by driver going 30 miles per hour, sending the jogger flying through the air and later to the hospital with a severely broken leg. SFWeekly correspondent Matt Smith writes that he and his daughter also would have been hit if they had passed the intersection on their tandem bicycle two seconds earlier. The terrifying collision shows that pedestrian accidents are far too common here in San Francisco and that the city must implement a plan to increase street safety and reduce pedestrian injuries and fatalities.

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As pedestrians in San Francisco and throughout the country become more active, some increase in pedestrian accidents is inevitable. Especially when it comes to senior citizens, children, and people in poor neighborhoods, pedestrian accidents remain a major problem. And based on preliminary data from the Governors Highway Safety Association, California reported the highest number of pedestrian fatalities in 2010. With this in mind, the SFMTA has charged a Pedestrian Safety Task Force with developing a plan to tackle San Francisco’s pedestrian safety problems head on.

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At a meeting in San Francisco late last week, the city’s pedestrian advocacy organization WalkSF met with members of the Board of Supervisors to brainstorm methods to best reduce bicycle accidents. 800 people are hit in pedestrian accidents each year on San Francisco streets, a number the organization hopes to reduce. Although the city released a pedestrian safety study last month, it has widely been criticized for failing to include an action plan detailing how to achieve significant and lasting results. Last week’s meeting appears to be a first step toward locating such an action plan.

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Pedestrians beware, as we head into the holiday months, generally considered the most dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists due to increased traffic, worsening road conditions, and dimmed visibility. Thanks to daylight savings and the holiday rush to acquire presents, it’s no surprise that the final three months account for about 40% of the year’s total pedestrian accidents. But even before the statistics for November and December roll in, Oregon has noticed a significant increase in pedestrian accidents this year.

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If you need to cross the street a busy intersection, you’re likely to wait for the traffic light to indicate when crossing is safe. But many busy multi-lane intersections marked with crosswalks throughout California don’t have such a traffic light. As a result, a San Mateo jury ruled this month that such marked crosswalks are often more dangerous than unmarked intersection because they give pedestrians a false sense of safety while crossing at busy intersections.

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