Thursday, June 25, 2015. 15:00. The driver of SFMTA interceptor vehicle 158 M 782 exhibits blatantly criminal behavior by running a red light and making an illegal and unsafe left turn.
The driver should have stopped. The driver could have stopped. The driver chose not to stop.
SFMTA employees are NOT exempt from the California Vehicle Code, even while driving city vehicles. §21052 states that “The provisions of this code [ . . . ] apply to the drivers of all vehicles while engaged in the course of employment by this State [ and ] any municipal corporation [ . . . ].”
A violation of CA VC §21453(a) for running a red light results in a penalty and fees of at least $500. A violation of §22100(b) for the illegal left turn is at least $300. A violation of §22107 for the unsafe turn is at least $400. (It’s an unsafe turn because the driver was in the #3 lane and the #2 lane is marked as “NO LEFT TURN” meaning that its traffic was proceeding straight ahead, because any reasonable driver would know that you can’t make that left turn from the #3 lane, and because an SFMTA parking enforcement officer has special training that ensures they know they can’t make that left turn from the #3 lane.) Combine all those violations and the driver is also guilty of reckless driving, §23103(a) (“a person who drives a vehicle upon a highway in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property”). Reckless driving alone is upwards of a thousand dollars and possible jail time. The violation of §24603(a) for the brake light being out would be in all likelihood a “fix-it” ticket. All told, this driver would be looking at a couple thousand dollars in penalties and fees, plus points on their license (if they even still had a license after all was said and done).
This person has no business being on the payroll of the City of San Francisco. They should be terminated immediately. If you wonder why so many San Francisco residents have such a negative attitude of the SFMTA and DPT it is because we see on a regular basis the elitist “I-can-get-away-with-it-the-rules-don’t-apply-to-me” behavior exhibited by this employee.
But will the employee see any consequences of their criminal behavior? That’s doubtful.
A letter has been sent to SFMTA executive director Edward Resiskin, and to DPT supervisor Marie Holland. We’ll update this post when we hear back from them.