Catering to cyclists



Photo by Gene X Hwang

 

This letter to the editor appeared in the January 2 SF Examiner:



Traffic laws shouldn’t cater only to cyclists

 

For several years, the San Francisco government, and particularly the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, has prioritized the needs and wants of bicyclists to the detriment of motorists and pedestrians.

 

Now, a member of The City’s Bicycle Advisory Committee is proposing changing the timing of the stoplights at 12th and Market streets because impatient bicyclists won’t wait up to one minute for the red light to change, choosing instead to run the light.

 

His reasoning, that the bicyclists face fines if ticketed for running the light, is illogical.

 

For far too long, bicyclists have been allowed to violate traffic laws that apply to motorists and pedestrians. It’s time for them to follow the laws that apply to everyone else.

 

Making them wait for up to one minute like everyone else is not punishment.

 

The needs and wants of motorists and pedestrians need to be considered every now and then.

Howard Epstein
Former chairman
San Francisco Republican Party
San Francisco