Panhandle parking---and the Shrader/Fell intersection

SF Streetsblog

Dear Friends:

On Tuesday evening PRO-SF will meet[John Adams CCSF,1860 Hayes Street, room 139] to hear a presentation by MTA about its plan to remove parking spaces along Fell Street. Many of you have written to MTA opposing the plan, and/or attended the February 2 MTA hearing to express your opposition. Tuesday's meeting will be an opportunity---perhaps the last---to oppose this plan.

Below are the email addresses if you want to send comments. Even if you have sent them already, it couldn't hurt to send an additional round.

Thanks for considering this email.

Cordially

Howard Chabner

sustainable.streets@sfmta.com

MTABoard@sfmta.com

ed.reiskin@sfmta.com (Ed Reiskin is the Director/CEO of MTA)

luis.montoya@sfmta.com (MTA Livable Streets)

jeffrey.banks@sfmta.com (MTA engineer)

matt.lasky@sfmta.com (MTA engineer)

london.breed@sfgov.org (Supervisor London Breed)

breedstaff@sfgov.org (legislative aides to Supervisor Breed)

Rob's comment:
Howard's message is attached to a PRO/SF message that includes this:

...We also will be discussing the intersection at Shrader and Fell Streets. This intersection had a accident on February 26th between a bicyclist and a car, thankfully there were no fatalities. As one neighbor explained: 

Just this past Monday we had another bike accident at Fell and Shrader. Apparently a small truck traveling west on Fell on the lane closest to the Panhandle either ran a red light or was going very fast through a yellow light (that's what he stated), while all the other cars had come to a full stop on Fell. 

A cyclist, unhelmeted and turning left onto Fell, was going too fast and did not see the truck that screeched on its brakes. I don't know if the cyclist ran thru a red light or had a green light, but he was coasting thru. Fortunately, the cyclist was not seriously injured, although he certainly could have been. I did not see the accident but heard it, and went across to photograph immediately afterward. So I've included some photos for your review. 

The intersection is a complex one because of the configuration of it; bicyclists are having to cross Fell Street to get over to the bike lane going west to GG Park. Cars going south on Shrader turn right onto Fell Street and are also traveling west to GG Park. I've asked the SFMTA to educate us on the regulations regarding this intersection and together hopefully we can come up with ideas to improve it...

Anyone familiar with this intersection---I cross it often to and from the track at Kezar---understands that it can't be "improved" any more than it already has been. There are crosswalks and stoplights on both Shrader and Fell. According to the description by "neighbor," both the cyclist and the motorist may be at fault, more or less.

This is the kind of accident that contradicts the Vision Zero slogan trying to pass as a traffic safety policy. Nothing the city can possibly do will prevent people from being in too much of a hurry and unsafely entering an intersection too late or too early.

Because of human nature, San Francisco won't "eliminate traffic fatalities by 2024"---or by 2124, for that matter. That's a laudable goal for those responsible for the safety of our streets, but it just makes those who insist it's a realistic goal sound stupid, while insulting the intelligence of the rest of us.