Cub reporter David H. was on the scene today when an auto accident occurred on the southwest corner of 22nd Avenue and California around lunchtime.
According to witnesses, the car stopped at the stop sign and was struck in the rear by a second car. The driver who was rear-ended car went to the hospital.
22nd and California is a busy intersection for both cars and pedestrians with Angelina’s Cafe on one corner and Dietrich’s Market on the other, along with bus stops on opposing corners. David says he’s seen cars zoom by at full speed without stopping, or simply make a quick pauses at the stop sign (“Slow TO a Pause” is how some jokingly refer to stop signs).
The Richmond District police station is well aware of the risky intersection. They held a safety awareness session with the Community Police Advisory Board and SAFEover Memorial Day weekend about that very corner.
Next steps? Probably to start laying down the law more severely by issuing citations.
Sarah B.
Citations would be a welcome change all along California between Presidio and 33rd. About a dozen cars roll through Calif and 19th every morning in the 10 minutes I wait for the 1AX. Wake up City Hall! There’s money to be made here!
Another welcomed safety change on Presidio at both the Clement and California intersections would be to fix the walk signal so that it automatically turns green along with the traffic light. So many times when I’m walking on those roads I don’t get to the button in time to change the walk signal. They have it turn automatically on Geary, so why not the lesser roads?
what about a light at 22nd and cal? it is a really busy intersection with a LOT of pedestrians.
That car is pretty wrecked for a neighborhood surface street at a stop sign?!
The speed people travel on California is alarming. They treat it like a highway across the Richmond.
All of California street through the Richmond is a disaster!
I used to run every night up California to 22nd and then cross over to run down 22nd toward Lake. I decided to change my running route after several close calls at this intersection. Drivers seem to be more concerned with what is going on with the buses than with any pedestrians that are trying to cross the street.
I recently got nailed for rolling a stop in the Haight, the infraction cost me $234. I won’t be doing that anymore!! Enforcement works.
@Hawk, the city should do the same thing with cyclists. How many of them would actually stop at a stop sign after their first $234 ticket?
@paul… totally agree! have almost been leveled by cyclists running red lights and stop signs. these people do not think traffic laws apply to them.
and overall, will it take an infant stroller being launched 100 feet to change these drivers habits? have had close calls on this street walking my 1 year old
As a member of the Richmond District CPAB at Richmond Station, we conducted our traffic operation on June 4 in cooperation with SFPD to try and get people to pay attention to the stop signs and watch for pedestrians. Not only are there many businesses at that intersection, there is an ELEMENTARY SCHOOL nearby where CHILDREN are present! Of course, school is out for the summer now, but when it resumes in August, drivers need to be mindful of pedestrians crossing the street. If they don’t, I’d like to know what they’re going to say to the parent of the child(ren) who they hit. I doubt that “Oops,” is going to cut it.
I wanted to respond to the comment about a stoplight. This is the first thing people think of when there is a “problem” intersection, but anyone who work in urban traffic planning (including here in SF and the SFPD) will tell you that installing a new stop light generally INCREASES the number of problems — at least for a certain amount of time — people don’t know it’s there or they try to “race” it, etc. So, in general, every effort is made to control traffic in another way before resorting to that. Having said that, shortly after Eric Mar was elected supervisor, he told me with great excitement that he had a plan for putting speed bumps on Fulton. I had told him that I am a runner and run Fulton and/or GGPark to Ocean Beach many days. He obviously expected me to be thrilled. I told him I thought it was a very ill-conceived idea. the fact is that it takes a lot of time to get from here in the NW corner to the Marina, downtown, the Mission, so. of Market — and frustrating. Geary is a mess, esp. on weekends and the traffic lights on Califronia are not “timed” to encourage a very fast flow of traffic. I think that, when we do traffic planning, instead of doing things that make it more difficult and more frustrating, we ensure that there are a couple of streets that are planned to allow traffic to flow quickly and smoothly. Otherwise, we end up with people doing 35 mph down Anza and Cabrillo…
Sometimes certain types of people have trouble seeing out their eyelids.
I just wanted to respond to John Stommley’s comment. I appreciate freedom of speech and John you have the right to your stupid and ignorant opinion. You should move.
Continued community and neighborhood involvement with the Richmond station is going to make an impact. I am glad this article was on the website.
California rolling stops on California in the state of California
Please, all kidding and innuendo aside, this is a serious issue all around the City. However, as a Richmond district resident and a parent, this particular intersection should be a major concern BECAUSE of the fact that there is a SCHOOL nearby. When children are injured or killed because of careless drivers (but also possibly by distracted or inattentive pedestrians stepping out into traffic without looking), it is a TRAGEDY. That is nothing to laugh or joke about. How can anybody handle the loss of a child? It pains me when I know that much of these types of accidents (Auto vs. Ped) could be avoided if only people slowed down and looked out for each other. This is a moral obligation that we ALL have as drivers and pedestrians. But, more importantly for the drivers, they must remember that driving is a PRIVILEGE, not a RIGHT.
I just so happen to live on this very corner, and have no issue with the way people drive through there. The only problem with the intersection, in my humble opinion, stems from the obscenely rude people who feel that they are somehow exempt from both parking laws as well as common courtesy by double parking in front of the local business (Bazaar Cafe, Dietrich’s Market, and the worst offender of all, Angelina’s) for extended periods of time. It blocks the driver’s view of traffic through the intersection, blocks in residents who possibly need to use their cars, and in some cases impedes public transportation. Please park your BMW’s and minivans properly, just like the rest of us.
I would have to say that, overall, the problems at 22nd Avenue and California Street are varied and complex. Of course, there is no easy solution, but awareness is important. And, to address the point you made about double parkers, I agree – it is very rude and poses a potential hazard from having one’s view blocked of cross-traffic and pedestrians. Again, if we all took responsibility for our own actions and displayed some common courtesy (as well as common sense), it would go a long way to abating much of the problems at the intersection. There’s no ruder surprise than having a pedestrian step out in front of you when you’re going around a double parked vehicle, or when you can’t see the cross traffic that is coming (and may be about to do a rolling “stop”) from your left or right. I think that parking and traffic enforcement would help raise people’s awareness if they did get dinged. I know that the cafe owner/manager wasn’t too thrilled about the prospect of us that Saturday morning, but surely she must understand that there’s a bigger picture issue at stake here and the minor inconvenience of having a traffic awareness operation is not going to hurt.