Oh, boy, we were so excited about this afternoon’s Carmen Chu/SFPD/MTA SUPERGROUP* press conference on their exciting Effort to Improve Pedestrian Safety near Muni Light Rail Vehicles. What would it be, all trains equipped with that foam from Demolition Man? A new rule requiring all passengers be covered in bubble wrap? Seat edges were ON.
But now we have the follow up press release, and are here to tell you: the plan is a sticker. THIS IS NOT A JOKE.
Supervisor Carmen Chu, The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which operates the Municipal Railway (Muni), and the SFPD today announced new decals on Muni Light Rail Vehicles (LRV) as part of an ongoing effort to enhance pedestrian safety around transit vehicles.
The release goes on to quote Chu as saying “The Sunset District contains some of the longest stretches where Light Rail Vehicles (LRVs) are above ground and pedestrians are more prone to the dangers of vehicles. I have seen many near misses, and I commend the SFMTA for taking this important step to address safety for pedestrians around LRVs.” WITH A STICKER.
At the presser, SFPD Captain Paul Chignell of Taraval Police Station said that the SFPD would increase enforcement for this violation to improve pedestrian safety. OK, I think we can all get behind that — raise your hand if you’ve been stepping off Muni Metro just as a car whizzes by.
Just a reminder: California Vehicle Code Section is 21756(A) is what makes this not OK, and the $146 fine is what makes this a even less OK.
So what’s this sticker? You can see it above — apparently they were applied to the entire light rail fleet (no word on when cameras will be installed or repaired on the entire light rail fleet, though, ZING!). It’s hard to tell from the picture how big these stickers are, and, therefore, how visible they will be to drivers. If you see one, send a picture!
Update: Friend of the Appeal, Greg Dewar attended the presser and sent in this photoset. Keep an eye on his site for an article far better informed than this one.
*Like, Traveling Wilburys supergroup, Cream supergroup. Let’s not get crazy.