Cyclist on Ford GoBike Killed in South of Market
On Friday, March 8, 2019, a Berkeley woman was involved in a fatal crash in South of Market on Howard Street just before she made it to the intersection at 6th Street.
According to Examiner, some witnesses say that the cyclist was hit by a commercial box truck while attempting to avoid a car’s door.
We are deeply saddened to hear of this devastating crash which would have almost definitely been prevented by a protected bike lane.
Howard Street Needs More Protected Bike Lanes.
Howard Street’s protected bike lanes from 6th Street to 11th Street were approved by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency in October 2018 and the protected bike lanes were installed in December. Still, more work needs to be done, and people have been calling for action for a long time.
Currently, the bike lane on Howard between 5th and 6th street only has an unprotected bike lane. Cyclists traveling down Howard never know when a driver’s side door is going to swing open and into their path or when they’ll encounter a delivery truck parked in their lane.
In response to the fatal crash, the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition issued a press release outlining immediate action they’d like to see from the City which included extending Howard’s protected bike lane to 5th Street and signal protected intersections on Howard.
Protected bike lanes to Embarcadero?
We’re likely going to get a protected bike lane on Howard going back to 5th Street, but why not have a protected lane all he way back to Embarcadero? If you’d like to see this, please visit ourbikes.org and send an email to our leaders telling them that we need a protected bike lane on Howard right now.
Dooring Accidents
The white Lexus may have been the vehicle which was involved in the crash if the driver opened the driver’s side door into the path of the cyclist. This is called a dooring accident. Dooring accidents occur when a motorist (or passenger) opens their door into the path of a cyclist causing them to crash by avoiding the door or crashing in to the door. California Vehicle Code 22517 prohibits opening the door of a vehicle on the side of moving traffic unless it’s safe to do so, and drivers or passengers who cause dooring accidents which result in an injury or fatality are may be at fault for these types of crashes.
Investigators on scene at Howard and 6th #SOMA #SanFrancisco where a cyclist on a GoBike was killed this morning. They are towing a white car one witness had indicated may have opened its door into the bike lane causing the female victim to fall under a truck #VisionZero @sfbike pic.twitter.com/XWEu3NzVTz
— Christopher Jewett (@sfnewsman) March 8, 2019