Originally Posted by
Camilo
I thought the rider was on a path that was parallel and alongside the right turn lane, going more or less straight onto the crosswalk. If she was on the path coming from the right, that requires a right turn onto the crosswalk and has the little stop sign - and didn't stop, of course it's a different story.
The paths merge before the intersection, there's only one path and curb cut leading at an angle to the crosswalk, and it has the stop sign. (There's another on the opposite corner where's there's only one path)
Or at least it
had one. There's more recent streetview imagery of that corner from 84 rather than Stanley doesn't seem to show it any more.
Even if there is no longer a stop sign though, there's still the part of the vehicle code the prohibits moving into a crosswalk unsafely. And unlike for pedestrians, California drivers don't have to pre-emptively yield to a cyclist who merely wants to cross - they still can't hit someone if they arrive after they begin crossing safely, but someone who wants to cross does not actually have the right of way, especially over traffic already in the intersection. (That may feel unfair, but it's the same "vehicle that comes from behind" issue - applied to a smaller harder to spot vehicle that is a potentially fast-moving bike)
However, it is still possible she stopped and entered the intersection before, or at the same time as the truck and hit the side of the cab towards the front of it and subsequently fell underneath the wheels of the trailer that was (as is normal) cutting the arc that the turning cab made.
Entering at the same time would imply beginning a crossing when it was unsafe to do so. To continue that to an actual collision would imply entering the intersection carrying unsafe speed - basically, thinking of the crossing as a through traffic lane, when a crossing is really something quite distinct.
That really seems to be the most important lesson from this - a MUP alongside a road may feel like it's also a road, but it really isn't. Pedestrian crossing signals that are maybe not very clear if they coincide with or are (supposedly) protected from turning traffic may also play into that dangerous uncertainty.
I will stick to my other opinion that it's a predictably dangerous situation and it's essential to make sure nobody's turning right
Absolutely.
It would be tough to make that observation over the left shoulder if the rider is on a path parallel and going in the same direction to the right turn lane. If the rider is coming from the right as is that MUP with the stop sign, it would be much easier.
That may be part of why the path enters the crossing at an angle, regardless of which direction you originally approached it from. But needing to look over your shoulder is something that would occur while trying to ride integrated with traffic as a co-equal part of it, which isn't how that crossing works. Though when riding with traffic on the roadway, a mirror is quite useful to simplify such preliminary checks. Tractor trailers hauling gravel also make a ton of noise.