Berkeley Cyclist Killed in Market Street Collision With S.F. Muni Bus

The San Francisco Medical Examiner's Office has identified a cyclist killed Sunday in a Market Street collision with a Muni bus as Mark Heryer, 48, of Berkeley.

The incident occurred as Heryer was riding westbound in the 500 block of Market, near Sutter Street, at about 3:20 p.m. According to a San Francisco Police Department statement:

At this time it appears the both the bicyclist and bus were traveling Westbound on Market Street when the bicyclist lost control and collided with the bus, ultimately succumbing to his injuries at the scene. ... The cause of the collision is under investigation and no determination of fault has been made. Investigators will take into account the time of day, road conditions, traffic conditions, as well as any video surveillance which may have captured the incident.

According to other police and Muni statements, Heryer may have been hit as he attempted to ride between two westbound buses in a lane that contains streetcar tracks.

Muni spokesman Paul Rose told KTVU: "My understanding from the investigation is that the bike wheel was caught in the center trackway, and [Heryer] fell under the MUNI vehicle."

Ed Reiskin, the Municipal Transportation Agency's executive director, issued a statement expressing condolences to Heryer's friends and family.

The Market Street tragedy was just one of two serious cycling collisions in San Francisco on Sunday. Less than an hour after the Market Street incident, a woman riding a bike near Chestnut Street and the Embarcadero was struck by a horse trailer being towed by a truck. The unidentified victim suffered what the Police Department described as non-life-threatening head injuries and was taken to San Francisco General Hospital.

The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition also expressed condolences and urged the Police Department "to conduct a full and thorough investigation, and identify the primary contributing factors" in both incidents. The statement said:

We cannot achieve Vision Zero -- our City's goal to eliminate traffic deaths and severe injuries by 2024 -- without the three E's: engineering, education and smart enforcement. Today's tragedies demonstrate yet again that our City's elected leaders and agencies owe it to the growing number of people here who bike, and to the families of those who can no longer join them, to redouble their efforts and investments to deliver engineering solutions without delay, expand safety education, and ensure that the SFPD's priorities honor yesterday's tragedies and data through smart enforcement tomorrow.