"I have to admit, all this happens at a split second, so there's that. Also, I'm far more experienced, I want to say, than him at biking in traffic and with pedestrians, since I've been doing this every day (even in rain) for 1-1/2 years, in this city, downtown. I don't go 35mph EVER. It's stupid. There are just too many uncontrolled factors in a large city. When I drove, I went 40mp on King and felt bad about that. So, in his case, he was speeding and that is the main problem in my mind. It's valiant of him to try to crash, but right, deviating from his course would have saved everyone grief. Other choices: trying to swerve into a barrier (isn't the MUNI underground stairwell a wall there?, and aren't there traffic barriers?). He made a bad decision, because he's inexperienced. Do not barrel down a hill if the light is going to change- and lights change- and the counters on the side are great- but in reality, don't go that fast. Pedestrians have the knack of walking into empty traffic..." - anna sauce