Oakland, Calif., May 2, 2025 — In a powerful affirmation of bicyclists’ rights, the California Supreme Court has ruled in Whitehead v. City of Oakland (case S284303) that public entities cannot rely on liability waivers to avoid responsibility for dangerous road conditions.
At Rahman Law, we want to support the use of bicycles and advocate fiercely for pedestrian and cyclist safety. Better regulations are a part of that safety. e-Bikes are new and therefore lack a solid foundation of safety regulations just yet. Unfortunately, this places minors at risk for fatal injuries due to reaching speeds that shouldn’t be accessible to them on an e-bike because while laws differ widely in different states, counties, and cities regarding e-bikes, what doesn’t differ is the universal law that speed kills.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., June 30, 2024 —
Rahman Law PC announces the sixteenth year of the law firm’s principal and founder, Shaana A. Rahman, being selected as a Top Rated Personal Injury Attorney in San Francisco, California on the Northern California Super Lawyers List.
San Francisco was the second city in the United States to adopt a Vision Zero resolution back in 2014. The pledge was to reach zero severe and fatal traffic accidents within 10 years. Walk San Francisco, a non-profit we love supporting, advocated heavily to bring about Vision Zero in San Francisco.
At the end of 2023, California Governor Gavin Newson signed into law SB 413, making it illegal in California to park within 20 feet of the approach of any marked or unmarked crosswalk, whether or not there is a red curb painted or a sign.
Recently, the San Francisco Chronicle’s Pilot Proposal Contributors, through its SFNext project, posited an interesting idea to revitalize downtown San Francisco. (“Could this idea for pedestrian-friendly streets bring new life to downtown S.F.?”, San Francisco Chronicle, 11-13-23; https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/pedestrian-streets-downtown-18457711.php) The post (and some pre) pandemic issues plaguing San Francisco from Civic Center Plaza to the Financial District have been much talked about, making local headlines on what seems like a daily basis.
In California, someone riding a bicycle may move out of the bicycle lane when “reasonably necessary” to avoid hazardous conditions, even if they are moving slower than traffic (Cal. Veh. Code § 21208). When vehicle traffic is heavy and few pedestrians are in sight, it might be tempting to ride on the sidewalk to avoid road hazards, but as personal injury attorneys here in California, we want to share a few thoughts about riding a bike on the sidewalk.
When it comes to rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft the benefits to using them as a passenger may seem pretty obvious: a ride home when you’re too tired to drive; a lift to get you closer to your destination when a parking lot is full; a shuttle between a train station or airport and a hotel when you’re traveling… Unfortunately, these idealized use cases tend to blind many riders to the pitfalls and risks behind using a rideshare service.
We take our work in the bike community seriously and we are always here to talk to cyclists and answer questions about what to do if you’ve been injured or had your bicycle damaged in a car crash. Sometimes, we just help cyclists navigate a claim on their own with an insurance company (you can download our free toolkit to help you with your property damage demand to get the insurance company to pay for your bike here), but sometimes having a lawyer in your corner is the best option.
Pedestrians are safest in crosswalks. However, crossing the street outside of a marked crosswalk is still something pedestrians do and is commonly known as jaywalking–crossing between adjacent intersections controlled by traffic signal devices or law enforcement where there is no crosswalk. California law has historically prohibited jaywalking allowing police officers to issue citations for a moving violation to pedestrians carrying a fine of up to $250.00.
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