Pedestrian Safety

This subject is the focus of a lot of talk these days in San Francisco as there have been a couple of accidents in which people have been killed when hit by a Muni bus in recent weeks. As always, people are prone to blame the Muni whether or not it is one of their drivers faults. Too many times, however, in my frequent trips as a Muni rider, I see pedestrians walking unsafely or standing unsafely. For instance, just a short time ago one young woman was standing a good three feet out from curb at Geary and Polk as the # 19 bus started making his right turn onto Polk. He had to honk twice to get her attention and then she did not seem to know what to do but she did move back. Just before that a motorist almost failed to stop as the bus crossed Golden Gate Avenue at Larkin and nearly got his front bumper ripped off or worse. Another time I saw the river of a limo (dressed to the tens for a wedding) open the drivers side door just as the bus I was on pulled out of the bus stop which he, the Limo driver was partly obstructing. That resulted in one crumbled door and glass all over the place. Oh well, so much for that wedding duty. Another time on the N-Judah Owl, I witnessed a group of young people exit the bus at the rear door and just stand there, precisely where their feet put them, as the bus began its right turn onto Carl Street. That resulted in the rear tire running over one or more toes of one of the young women in the group.

We need to use common sense and I don't see a lot of pedestrians in this city doing that. Too many act like they can walk anyway, anwhere they want as if they own the road. Then when one of those types gets hit by a Muni bus, it is their (Muni) fault. Come on folks, grow up, get a life! You need to be responsible for what YOU do.