On Jun 25, 2:55 pm, "Bo Raxo" <crimenewscen...@gmail.com> wrote:

No, it's not silly.  It's well known, or should be, that you shouldn't
enter an intersection unless you can clear it.  And yet any time
there's heavy traffic the morons pile into the intersection.  MOST
people that I encounter on the roads shouldn't be allowed behind the
wheel of a car.  I'm astounded at the inattention and stupidity that
I'm subjected to on a daily basis.

Yes, death is far too severe a punishment.  Revocation of one's
driver's license for a month or two would not be.  Punishments for
simple yet important infractions like this are way too lax and also
not well enforced.  The ONLY possible excuse I could see for blocking
the box (and I've had it happen to me) is if you're planning on taking
the last clear space on the other side of the intersection and some
a.s worshipping rimjobber passes you in another lane, cuts in front of
you, and takes your spot.  (which would be a ticketable offense
anyway, for changing lanes in the middle of an intersection.)  Barring
that, no excuse.

- - - - - - - -

In theory you're right.  But here's the reality:

You see traffic is backed up on the other side of the intersection.  You
stop before entering the intersection, waiting for traffic on the opposite
side to move.   During rush hour, some asshat on the cross-street waiting to
turn right on the red (legal in California) will go ahead and zip in as soon
as there is any opening.   So if traffic is slow enough, you could sit there
through the entire cycle of the light and never get to cross, because people
taking right turns from the cross-street will fill available space.

Now I suppose you could sit there, through one green light after another,
until traffic dies down enough towards the end of rush hour to give you an
opening.  Or you can cross, stop in the intersection, and try to do it when
you estimate traffic will move before the light changes.  Which generally
works, until you throw in one more asshat suddenly deciding to double park
during rush hour, or some similar stupidity.

Probably doesn't help that the SFPD assigns motorcycle cops to write
tickets, and patrol cops generally can't be bothered.  So outside of a few
pretty well known corridors it's a free-for-all.  Admittedly, it's one of
the things I love about this city, that unless you're doing something
actually dangerous you won't get ticketed for the sheer revenue of it.

Bo Raxo