Intersection of Francisco and Laguna: Anyone Notice A Problem?

Jonathan Curiel reported about the intersection of Francisco and Laguna Streets in the Saturday, July 11, 2009 Chronicle. His column is located at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/07/11/BAPL18LUR7.DTL. The problems with this intersection are many. There are two lanes in both directions. It is uncontrolled (there is no stop sign or stop light for cars). The crosswalk at Francisco and Laguna Streets is located in the middle of a long straight away, which invites cars to travel faster than they normally would. What problems are created under these circumstances? The two lanes in both directions for Francisco Street means that the street is extra wide. Meaning there is a long way to walk before a pedestrian reaches a point of safety, therefor pedestrians are out in traffic a long time. The intersection is in what appears to be a quite area and unfamiliar drivers do not expect pedestrians. This means unfamiliar drivers are not on the look out for pedestrians.

The reality however is different. This is a popular place to cross the street. Marina residents know, many pedestrians walk to and from their homes in the Marina to Moscone Park. The above factors are compounded by the fact that a crosswalk is present, which makes pedestrians “feel safe” or as if other cars will assume they (the pedestrian) have the right of way because they are inside of a crosswalk. All of this adds up to a crosswalk / intersection that is dangerous to pedestrians.

Can the safety of the intersection be improved? A pedestrian island with a button activated flashing yellow light may help. A stop sign would slow traffic. A traffic signal would regulate car traffic. Jonathan Curiel reports that the SFMTA plans to re-evalute this intersection in the next couple of months. Let’s see what they come up with.