Originally Posted by FBinNY

Thank you for the aerial photo. It clears up some of the mystery for me because not knowing the intersection or the paths of the cyclists I couldn't visualize what could have happened.

Seeing this reinforces my sense that this was more of a timing, than a visibility thing. Crossing or Turning across long wide intersections, takes some time and it's very possible for bicyclists or pedestrians to run out of time, especially when starting late on the green. Combine that with drivers timing it to be there just as the red (for them) turns green, and bad things happen. Of course either the cyclists or driver might have run a red, but we'll never know.

There's also the added visibility issue at night, because as they turn, cyclists are at an angle where their lights don't make them visible to oncoming traffic.

I'm not blaming the victims, but there are lessons here for all of us. Issues of visibility, timing and the inability to properly estimate speed and distance at night.