A pedestrian near Pine Street nearly got clipped this week by a rideshare driver who apparently decided that a changing light was more of a suggestion than a rule. The driver blew through the intersection making a turn while pedestrians — with the walk signal — were already in the crosswalk. The passengers? Staring straight ahead, blissfully unaware that their driver was treating a city block like a qualifying lap.

Look, we get it. Rideshare drivers are under pressure. The algorithm rewards speed, not courtesy. But that's precisely the problem — and it's one the city refuses to meaningfully address.

San Francisco has spent years and millions on its Vision Zero initiative, which was supposed to eliminate traffic fatalities by 2024. Spoiler: it didn't. Pedestrian deaths remain stubbornly high, and anyone who regularly walks SF streets can tell you why. Aggressive driving — particularly from rideshare and delivery vehicles constantly chasing the next fare — has become the norm, not the exception.

As one SF resident put it: "Always assume those clowns won't stop for you and you'll be right most of the time." Another local shared their own rideshare horror story: "'Please hang up your video call' — words I spoke to an Uber driver on Van Ness at Market." These aren't isolated anecdotes. This is Tuesday.

Here's what's frustrating from a policy standpoint: the city has leverage it refuses to use. San Francisco could push for stricter licensing requirements for rideshare operators within city limits. It could demand that Uber and Lyft share driving behavior data and hold repeat offenders accountable. Instead, we get more painted bike lanes and self-congratulatory press releases while enforcement remains essentially nonexistent.

One resident summed up the growing sentiment with brutal simplicity: "Can't wait for Waymo to wipe them out." When your citizens are rooting for robots over human drivers, something has gone deeply wrong.

The person who nearly got hit said it best: "Drive like you live in the neighborhood." That's not a radical ask. That's the bare minimum. And until the city decides that pedestrian safety is worth more than a sternly worded blog post, San Franciscans will keep dodging cars in crosswalks — walk signal or not.