Bicycle Safety
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In the Door Zone: If You See Something, Should You Say Something?
I ride my bike along Valencia Street nearly every day from my home to City Hall or some other assignment and I love the relatively slower pace of traffic that resulted from the bicycle green wave signal retiming last year (way to go Janel!). Without fail, however, my heart rate rises when I come upon someone riding in the door zone of Valencia's lanes, which happens every single day I ride. I have visions of a door opening and the person getting maimed, or worse. Maybe it reflects my own obsessive mental state, but I've literally had dreams where the cyclist in front of me gets into serious trouble when a door swings open, leaving them no time to safely maneuver around.
November 16, 2010
Commentary: Why Are We Building Bikes Lanes That Are Hurting People?
As one of the certified bicycle safety instructors working with San Francisco’s Bike Ed program, the most important safety concept we try to get across to our students is that cyclists should never ride closer than 4 feet from any parked car. The reason is that getting 'doored' is the single most common cause of injury by motor vehicle users to people riding bikes in San Francisco.
November 8, 2010
A Pleasant Ride to the Beach in the New Kirkham Street Bike Lanes
San Franciscans who live in the Sunset or want to pedal to the beach now have a three-mile stretch of bike lanes on Kirkham Street from 9th Avenue to the Great Highway. I rode the new bike lanes over the weekend and it was a mostly calm, relaxing ride. I typically pedal through Golden Gate Park to get to Ocean Beach (a much smoother trip since the repaving) but on Sunday I decided to explore a few quiet neighborhoods along Bike Route 40.
October 14, 2010
Aunt Remembers Derek Allen, Bicyclist Killed in Crash with Muni Bus
It will probably be some time before we find out exactly what caused last week's crash in the Inner Richmond that killed 22-year-old Derek Allen. From accounts posted by friends on Streetsblog, Derek was staying with some friends in the Richmond and was on his way to get dim sum on his bicycle when he was fatally struck by a Muni bus on 6th Avenue.
October 12, 2010
Bicyclist Killed by Muni Bus on 6th Avenue in Inner Richmond
UPDATED Friday, 9:05 a.m.
October 8, 2010
Girlfriend of Driver Charged with Killing SF Bicyclist Still Being Investigated
The girlfriend of a drunk driver charged with killing a 22-year-old bicyclist on Masonic Avenue a month ago is still being investigated for allegedly taking over the wheel and fleeing the scene after the crash, though a spokesperson for District Attorney Kamala Harris said a decision has not been made on whether she'll be charged.
September 14, 2010
Candlelight Vigil Pays Tribute to Bicyclist Killed by Drunken Driver in SF
More than a hundred people turned out last night to remember a man most of them never knew. His abrupt and violent death at the hands of a drunken driver on the city's streets had enraged and saddened them, and led to calls for immediate improvements on one of San Francisco's most notorious traffic sewers.
August 26, 2010
Memorial Wednesday for Nils Yannick Linke, Cyclist Killed in Hit-and-Run
A candlelight march and memorial vigil is being planned Wednesday evening for Nils Yannick Linke, the German tourist who was killed by a drunken driver while riding a bicycle on Masonic Avenue just four days after his 22nd birthday.
August 23, 2010
Young Bicyclist Killed by Driver in Milpitas But Police Offer Few Details
Police in Milpitas say a 17-year-old bicyclist, identified by the Santa Clara County coroner's office as Steven Lucatero of Milpitas, was killed by a driver last night on North Capitol Avenue, but authorities aren't offering very many details. According to a press release from the Milpitas Police Department:
August 23, 2010