Protected bike lanes are coming to Folsom Street near the Transbay Center! “The plans are now set to be constructed in 2016, and they’ve been upgraded “because of Vision Zero,” according to Paul Chasan of the Planning Department.
“The new design calls for a two-lane street and a cycle track, which is going to make it a much safer pedestrian environment,” Chasan told a supervisors committee at a recent meeting.” View the full article.
“Last week, Muni’s Board of Directors approved the 28 19th Avenue Rapid Project, which calls for multiple capital improvements that will boost pedestrian safety and shorten travel times along the 28/28R bus line by 20 percent. The project is part of Muni Forward, a system-wide initiative created to improve transportation infrastructure for ‘core routes serving nearly 70 percent of all riders.’
The project approved last week will create 49 pedestrian bulb-outs along 19th Avenue, as well as 21 “transit bulbs” for passenger boarding and disembarking. As part of the work, SFMTA plans to consolidate several stops and expand service for the 28R-19th Avenue Rapid next year. After the project’s design phase is completed next summer, construction work will roll out through 2018, culminating in a street repaving that summer.” View the full article.
“Making a left turn in a bustling place like New York City can be dangerous — even deadly.
Case in point: 17 pedestrians and three bicyclists were killed in the city last year by vehicles making left-hand turns, according to WNYC data.
To help reduce the number of deaths, several NYC officials reportedly wrote Google a letter on July 1, asking it to include an option on Google Maps that reduces the number of left-hand turns suggested by the navigation app when driving to a destination.” View the full article.
Truck side guards run along the side of a truck between the wheels, and have been adopted in European countries in order to prevent fatalities in collisions between trucks and bicyclists and pedestrians.
“Here’s how they work: Say a cyclist is pedaling down the street, in a bike lane, and just happens to get doored by a parked car just as a truck is passing on the other side. Rather than falling underneath the wheels of the truck, the cyclist (hopefully) bounces off the side guard — probably not in great shape, but not dead either. Think of it as a cow catcher, for people.” View the full article.
Like California, Tennessee is one of over two dozen other states to have a three-foot law for passing bikes while driving.
“One police officer in Chattanooga, Tennessee, wanted to find a way to give the law in his jurisdiction some meaning. Officer Robert Simmons, who has been with the city’s department for 12 years and on full-time bike patrol for seven, came up with an idea for a device that can measure and record the distance between a bike and a car.” View the full article.
Our partner SFMTA recently approved Safer Market Street, a project that will help our City reach its Vision Zero goals. Now that it has been approved, the next step is implementation.
“The paint crew began restriping at Hyde Street in preparation for the turn restrictions today, just a week after board approval. The paint crew will continue their work through July along with the sign and meter shops, to install the turn restriction signage and loading zones respectfully. It is expected that the work for the turn restrictions, loading zones, and painted safety zones will be complete by early to mid-August. The signs will be bagged until all are complete, at which time the turn restrictions will go into effect, and will be enforced by SFMTA parking control officers and SFPD. In preparation for this, staff will post re-route maps as well as work with mapping/GPS providers to ensure directions are updated to safely navigate the project area. The transit-only lanes will be complete by January 2016.”
Visit the project page on SFMTA’s website for more details and updates! View full article here.
“Have you ever been stuck behind a truck and unsure whether to overtake it because your view of the road ahead is obscured? To overcome this potentially dangerous situation, Samsung has revealed its “Safety Truck,” which allows you to ‘see-through’ the truck to the traffic ahead.
The Safety Truck is equipped with a camera on the front that displays its footage on four panels at the rear of the truck. Drivers are thus able to see the road ahead, allowing them to overtake the truck safely.” View the full Article.
At last week’s US Conference of Mayors, which convened over 270 mayors from across the country as well as President Obama, 15 mayors resolved to support Vision Zero programs in their cities. Even more pledged to implement Vision Zero in the future. Cities that signed on at the conference include: Fremont, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, Baltimore, Madison, and more. View the full article.
“Bike lanes on the block of Division Street between 9th and 10th Streets will get some much-needed protection this fall. Earlier this week the SFMTA Board of Directors approved a design that will put people on bikes between the curb and parked cars. The massive 9th and Division intersection will also get safety improvements like large painted curb extensions.
The upgrades would complement other bike and pedestrian safety improvements going in along Division, which becomes 13th Street as it runs beneath the Central Freeway.” View the full article.
At this week’s SFMTA Board meeting, “one big issue stood out: the Safer Market Street plan, which would restrict cars from turning onto a stretch of Market Street and was unanimously approved. But also on the agenda was a proposal to remove over 30 parking spaces in Hayes Valley as part of the city’s Vision Zero campaign, which aims to improve safety and eliminate traffic-related fatalities by 2024.
The removal of visual obstacles at intersections—called daylighting—has become an active safety tactic for the city as it pursues the Vision Zero campaign. The theory is that removing the visual obstacle of parked cars at intersections will help drivers see pedestrians who are about to cross the street, as well as help pedestrians see if a car is coming before they step out into traffic.” View the full article here.