These San Franciscans blame pedestrians for traffic deaths
sfstandard.com
San Francisco’s Vision Zero data suggest that in recent years, motorists were at fault in most pedestrian deaths by car. Still, some readers think city safety measures do more to inconvenience drivers than to protect those on foot.

Daylighting, which involves removing parked cars from around crosswalks in order to improve visibility and just wiped out about 14,000 street parking spaces, has proved especially controversial.

“If someone doesn’t die because of it, we will never know, while the living have to suffer,” Nina Geneson Otis wrote in an email to The Standard. The real estate broker said daylighting is the kind of policy that makes Democrats lose elections.

Others say the city’s actions remove responsibility from pedestrians to look out for their own safety. “A pedestrian can do anything, and be irresponsible, and no harm will come to them?” Brandi said, describing the policies as “idiot-proof.”

  • paysrenttobirds@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    25·
    3 days ago

    This is funny because in the bay area as nowhere else I’ve ever lived, pedestrians actually take the right of way as they should. In Berkeley they don’t even glance over their shoulder, it is completely up to the driver. Doesn’t work where the driver can’t see them, though, so I think peds and (most) drivers are more conscious of that as a bad situation. I don’t believe real estate agents speak for residents.

    I found it much more annoying as a driver elsewhere where people wait two feet from the curb and wave at you to come to a complete stop before they start crossing. Or while walking, after I’ve stepped off the curb drivers half a block away assume I must not have seen them so they honk at me. A lot of theatre and emotion for what is really just a normal part of driving (don’t run into people even if it means you have to slow down).

    • AA5B@lemmy.worldEnglish
      331·
      3 days ago

      Drivers don’t stop. I’m not stupid enough to step off the curb until it’s clear you’ve seen me and are stopping

      • kurikai@lemmy.worldEnglish
        17·
        3 days ago

        You might, I might, but Kids and some adults don’t have the awareness. And it’s not their fault they don’t have the awareness either

      • paysrenttobirds@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        1·
        2 days ago

        I’m not suggesting you go blindly, but it’s common practice to step off the curb – they don’t have to pay any attention to you at all until you do. My practice is to avoid eye contact until I’m really in front of them, but obviously if they aren’t stopping you don’t keep walking.

        • AA5B@lemmy.worldEnglish
          2·
          2 days ago

          More bad driving practices in the US, that became worse as people forgot how to drive over pandemic ….

          • we allow “right turn on red”, but everyone seems to have forgotten “after coming to a complete stop”. So many times they don’t even slow down, and yes I’ve almost gotten hit like that several times
          • many drivers stop across the crosswalk or ahead of the stop line. Even if people stop, they could have already run over a pedestrian. So many times I’ve had to choose whether to walk out into the intersection, or behind the car blocking my right of way.
          • then there’s the ”suicide lane”, where even though a car sees you and stops, that doesn’t mean the next lane will. What happens when you’re partway across and no one else stops?
          • and the ever more popular running a red light. Just yesterday, I slowed to an easy stop at an already red light and two cars behind me pulled around to go through.
          • paysrenttobirds@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
            2·
            1 day ago

            I agree drivers got crazy after the pandemic. I haven’t been in the bay area since then and maybe my remembered experience just doesn’t exist anymore.

      • yonder@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
        10·
        3 days ago

        Exactly. If I’m putting myself in front of a vehicle, I HAVE to know that it will not run me over. Especially since drivers in my area seem to be unable to stop in front of stop lines.

        • FireRetardant@lemmy.worldEnglish
          4·
          2 days ago

          So common to see the rear wheels past the stop line. I wish cops would at least give out warnings to reduce this habit. Its so normalized most don’t even realize to stop before the line.

          • SwingingTheLamp@midwest.socialEnglish
            2·
            2 days ago

            One thing that I didn’t realize, as an American, is that having traffic lights on the far side of the intersection isn’t universal. If we only put them on the near side, drivers would have to stop behind the line, or else they’d be unable to see when the light turns green. Another example of better infrastructure being better than enforcement.

          • zalgotext@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
            1·
            2 days ago

            Dude so many intersections around me don’t even have the stop lines, because they were either never painted in the first place, or they’ve faded or been paved over

        • sem@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
          3·
          3 days ago

          I like to go in front of a vehicle with the knowledge that either they will see me and stop, or I’ll be ready to jump out of the way. I’m very stressed out when walking around.

    • friend_of_satan@lemmy.worldEnglish
      8·
      3 days ago

      I almost got nailed by a city bus on 5th and Market in SF after the green walk signal turned on. Somebody literally grabbed my jacket and pulled me back and maybe saved my life.

    • sem@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
      1·
      3 days ago

      Half a block seems really close unless it’s a huge block or they’re going really slowly to begin with