🚀 go-pugleaf

On 2011-01-13, Gregory Sutter <gsutter@zer0.org> wrote:
> On 2011-01-13, Keith Keller <kkeller-usenet@wombat.san-francisco.ca.us> wrote:
>>
>> My main worry with that suggestion is that eastbound traffic from
>> Bosworth to Lyell would take an incredibly long time to adjust to the
>> new stop sign, and barrel through it rather than stopping.
>
> I'm sure they would adjust soon enough, just as they have to the new
> stop sign where Still meets Lyell.  A nice zebra crossing would help
> matters.

I think you're more optimistic about drivers than I am.  ;-)

>> Does a lot of car traffic need to make that left turn?  I'm skeptical;
>
> Just look at the number of cars that make the right, as they're
> forced to do, and then use the left for the 280 South onramp to take
> the first opportunity to make a U-turn around the end of the island.
> It happens all the time; during the day, I wouldn't be surprised to
> measure 60 cars per hour making that U-turn.

I have to admit I have never paid much attention.  I will look more
carefully over the next few weeks I go by that way.

> One reason for this is that traffic from 280N exits onto San Jose,
> takes the first right onto Rotteck, R on Bosworth, then wants to go S
> on Lyell to Alemany, but cannot without making the U-turn.  (The only
> reasonable alternative to this is San Jose --> St. Mary's --> Mission
> --> Silver --> Alemany.)

I think it depends on where one is going on Alemany.  Far south enough,
it makes more sense to take the Ocean/Geneva exit.

> Have there been reports of pedestrians actually getting hit in
> the onramp crosswalk?  I walk across it nearly every weekday, and
> while some drivers are assholes about ceding the right-of-way, I've
> never seen or heard of anyone being hit there.

I don't know of anyone actually getting hit.  But I do see people almost
hit probably at least once every 1-2 months.  I see other problems as
well--cars turning from both directions at the same time almost
colliding (usually this is when the left-turning traffic is trying to
beat peds through the crosswalk), left-turning cars blocking Bosworth
while waiting for peds, peds being sideswiped by cars, and drivers
riding their horn on a slow pedestrian.  (During rush hour, there is
often a traffic jam in the left turn lane as well.)

> Overall I would not prefer a full traffic light at that location,
> since as things stand, pedestrians can proceed directly across the
> crosswalk and approaching drivers must yield.  However, I'm not sure
> the little old ladies who I also see crossing it daily would agree
> with me, so I wouldn't be bothered by a light there either...

I think a light would help not just pedestrians but auto traffic as
well, especially traffic turning left from Arlington onto Bosworth
eastbound as well as traffic turning onto the onramp from either
direction of Bosworth.  But yes, timing the light with the Bosworth-
Diamond light would be a little tricky.

I'm not sure if a light could be combined with a fix for the Lyell-
Bosworth intersection.  There, I think the middle island on Bosworth and
the stop sign would have to be pushed quite a bit back in order to
accomodate left-turning traffic onto Lyell, but I worry that traffic
coming down Bosworth from Diamond wouldn't be able to see cars turning
from westbound Bosworth onto Lyell.

--keith

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