safety

Streetsblog just learned that Timothy Doyle, who was hit by an SFPD cruiser last May, has filed suit against the city for pain, lost work, and other damages. Readers will recall that Doyle was riding his bike in the bike lane near the intersection of 2nd and Mission when an SFPD cruiser illegally jinked into the bike lane, sending Doyle to the hospital. "It will take years to work its way through the courts," he wrote in an email to Streetsblog. Meanwhile, "I have healed about as much as possible. I certainly don't feel as good as I did before May 12th, 2016, but things are passable."

North Dakota state rep Keith Kempenich has had enough of people exercising their right to assembly and free expression. In response to the protests at Standing Rock, Kempenich has introduced legislation to shield drivers from penalty who unintentionally strike a pedestrian "obstructing vehicular traffic."

By calling for safety improvements for Westwood Blvd., city council challenger Jesse Creed is drawing a clear distinction between himself and anti-bike-lane incumbent Paul Koretz.

Community organizers get people to show up at open houses to make sure safety for cyclists and pedestrians remains at the top of the agenda.

Woonerven is a Dutch word that translates to “living yard” or “residential grounds,” referring to streets that are intended for multiple uses. On a Woonerven street, all are welcome, and cars are limited to “walking speed.”

South San Francisco will rebuild a one-mile segment of El Camino Real this Spring with wider sidewalks, safer crosswalks, curb extensions, pedestrian refuges, bike lanes, and new street trees planted in both the medians and sidewalks. However, the bike lanes won't be continuous--to preserve curbside parking, in places they will disappear. And some intersections will remain dangerous to cross.

Another cyclist was hit this morning on Market Street, between 7th and 8th, reported Streetsblog reader John Rogers. Details are still coming in. "Market is still a full-on traffic free-for-all, and the danger faced by the thousands of cyclists that ride the central street of our city everyday remains a travesty," he wrote to Streetsblog in an email this afternoon.

Heavy trucks kill. They account for as much as 32 percent of cyclist deaths in New York City and 58 percent in London, far out of proportion to their share of traffic. Across the U.S., 1,746 bicyclists and pedestrians have been killed in collisions with commercial trucks over the last five years.

It's Walk-to-School Day, a day when children all over the country get to enjoy the simple experience of traveling somewhere using their own power. It makes me happy because I love seeing the pictures of kids walking with their parents. But it's a sad day too, because we shouldn't need a special day to celebrate such a normal, healthy, human activity.