Route to freeway not too complex

While we certainly appreciate your continuing coverage of the dangerous situation for cyclists and pedestrians at the Market-Octavia-Central Freeway junction, I have to take exception with the last of your “Octavia Boulevard by the numbers” points, stating that drivers are required to go 15 blocks to “reorient car through three left turns, to face south on Octavia Boulevard after realizing there is no right turn onto U.S. Highway 101 from Market Street” (“Injured Samaritan rails against S.F. intersection,” June 29).

This perpetuates a gross misunderstanding of how the freeway is meant to be approached — there’s no need for eastbound Market Street traffic to make a huge counter-clockwise loop to get onto the freeway — the intended approaches are quite simple and much shorter: Right on Duboce, to South Van Ness on-ramp, or right on Gough, to Otis, to Duboce, to South Van Ness on-ramp. Follow the signs, follow the law, everyone’s fine.

Likewise, Market Street motorists have lost nothing they had with the previous freeway ramp complex. Drivers could never enter the freeway from Market Street eastbound, instead they had to drive down Duboce or Gough or Van Ness, just as they do now.

Again, thanks for your coverage of this known perilous intersection on The City’s premier pedestrian/bicycle/transit street. We’ll continue to push for a safer Market-Octavia intersection for everyone, and to advocate for a city which values the safe and dignified circulation of bicyclists and pedestrians above the convenience of motorists.

Andy Thornley

Program Director

San Francisco Bicycle Coalition

The City

Deep pockets

I fully applaud the efforts of Pete Junker in trying to stop a driver he thought was fleeing the scene of an accident, and I understand his desire to be compensated for injuries caused by the driver, but his tortured logic in suing The City, and not the driver, is another repugnant instance of a lawyer going for the money and justice be damned. Obviously, the driver at fault hasn't the “deep pockets” The City has, so the lawyer must try to create a link in order to get the big money. If these lawyers were paid only their already outrageous hourly rates, and not a large cut of any settlement, these lawsuits would not occur.

John Brady

The City

Clintons and Bushes

If Hillary Clinton's portrayal of the Bush White House as abetting a “culture of cronyism, corruption and incompetence,” and in need of a “clean sweep” is accurate, then why in the world would anyone want to elect her as president? The prior Clinton administration wrote the book on cronyism, corruption and incompetence, and the Bush administration is just an appendix to their authoritative manual. Where do I begin? Travel-gate? File-gate? Selling nights in the Lincoln bedroom? Being disbarred for perjury? When President Bush leaves office, it will be interesting to see if any of his relatives solicit payoffs for presidential pardons, a la Hillary Clinton's own brother Hugh Rodham. Do you think that Laura Bush will take a chapter from Hillary's stint as first lady and distribute a list of high-priced suggested farewell gifts?

Richard Beleson

The City

Fixing Muni

People would walk farther to catch a bus if they knew the schedule. Not the headways, or time between buses, but the actual time the bus was scheduled to arrive at each stop. It works in Europe. In Germany, France, Portugal and other countries, you can set your watch by the arrival time of the bus. And the stops are further apart.

Cutting stops to speed up service is putting the cart before the horse. Service will be faster, but more people will miss buses, and consequently fewer people will ride.

You could even run fewer buses if you had a schedule that was adhered to. And people would be happy. I don't think our best and brightest are in transit administration. Mayor Gavin Newsom has gotten some bad advice and maybe some faulty stats on this one.

Will Segen

The City

Due process

I support constitutional rights. Therefore, I would like to thank Mayor Gavin Newsom for his patience in allowing Supervisor Ed Jew to present his side of the story before rushing to judgment. Despite unprecedented media and political pressure to act before all of the facts are in, Newsom has refused to cave in and is standing firm on the side of justice.

Jimmy Kwok

The City

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