Hill Flying: finally, a good use for San Francisco

nouseferaname90

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SAN FRANCISCO (CBS) ?
41 years after the movie "Bullitt," cars are still bouncing around San Francisco's Russian Hill neighborhood. But a series of recent incidents have police there worried that it could be getting more dangerous.

"It's called 'hill flying,'" said Lt. Victor Tsang of the San Francisco Police Department. Thrill seekers taking advantage of San Francisco's steep topography accelerate up to the crest of the hill and then soar through the air.

Often the driver has an accomplice shooting video with a cell phone, and the video ends up on YouTube.

Sigrid Wallach, a Russian Hill resident, shot video of a car that lost control, then crashed and burned on August 6th. She said hill flying occurs at least once a week.

"They blow through the stop sign and go airborne over the crest of this hill," Wallach said. "I think it's an outrage that they would come to Russian Hill and engage in this activity."

"Our doorman who works the night shift says he sees it, hears it every night," said Wallach.

Tina Moylan of the Russian Hill Neighbors Association said she's seen hill flyers young and old. Many seem to be trying to replicate scenes from "Bullitt," which drove right through the intersection of Taylor and Green.

While it can be fun for thrill seekers, it can get ugly. On August 20th, a hill flyer crashed into a row of parked cars.

"They lost control, hit the eight cars that are that the bottom of the hill and completely crushed them," said Moylan.

That incident happened at 3 o'clock in the morning. Often, hill flyers bound over during the daytime. Lt. Tsang is worried about what could happen with so many families and dog walkers.

"When you come down that hill and your brakes fail, you're going to pick up a lot of motion and there's going to be a horrendous crash," said Tsang.

Supervisor David Chiu said he has talked to the Police, and they have decided to step up patrols in the area. An unmanned police car has also been placed at the foot of one of the hills to deter hill flyers.

http://cbs5.com/watercooler/hill.flying.stunt.2.1159275.html

Residents of San Francisco don't want to accept that their city finally has a use.
 
You know, being that I live in SF, I've often wanted to do that. However, I do enjoy my car too much to, say, ruin the suspension by doing a stupid stunt. I also know how other drivers are in San Fran, and a ton of them are clueless to anything around them, but those are probably the ones doing this. Also, tons of pedestrians and bicycles are always around at all hours. I'm surprised there hasn't been any fatalities.

It is universally dumb.
 
If SF was smart, they'd have a pay event where for one day they close down the Russian Hill area, put up barriers to prevent cars from going into houses, and let people emulate Bullitt. It'd bring in a lot of money.... certainly more than the 'Gay Cruising The Castro Tour,' 'Castro: Tales of the Village,' 'Come Out to the Castro: San Francisco's Gay Village from Top to Bottom,' or the 'Eccentrics of San Francisco's Barbary Coast' events....
 
If SF was smart, they'd have a pay event where for one day they close down the Russian Hill area, put up barriers to prevent cars from going into houses, and let people emulate Bullitt. It'd bring in a lot of money.... certainly more than the 'Gay Cruising The Castro Tour,' 'Castro: Tales of the Village,' 'Come Out to the Castro: San Francisco's Gay Village from Top to Bottom,' or the 'Eccentrics of San Francisco's Barbary Coast' events....

A great idea, but the problem is this: the people that live on those streets will complain. SF isn't a car city. Its a pedestrian city where cars are tolerated. You have to really be on your game in the city because pedestrians don't look where tey are doing and drunks riding bicycles will just wander around the middle of the road. Heck there is a day of the month where a ton of people ride there bicycle to work with the purpose of saving the environment by not driving their cars and by inconveincing everyone else who has to or enjoys diving their cars. Traffic is awful during those times.

So they won't be able to close anything off because the wankers in that area will bitch and moan. Then a moron will not pay attention or ignore the road blocks because they want to walk right there.

That being said, if they could close it down for such an event to where it would be controlled and safer, I'd go rent a car and have some fun :) It won't happen though.
 
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A great idea, but the problem is this: the people that live on those streets will complain. SF isn't a car city. Its a pedestrian city where cars are tolerated. You have to really be on your game in the city because pedestrians don't look where tey are doing and drunks riding bicycles will just wander around the middle of the road. Heck there is a day of the month where a ton of people ride there bicycle to work with the purpose of saving the environment by not driving their cars and by inconveincing everyone else who has to or enjoys diving their cars. Traffic is awful during those times.

So they won't be able to close anything off because the wankers in that area will bitch and moan. Then a moron will not pay attention or ignore the road blocks because they want to walk right there.

That being said, if they could close it down for such an event to where it would be controlled and safer, I'd go rent a car and have some fun :) It won't happen though.

They seem to be able to close off similar roads for the gay pride parades just fine.....
 
They seem to be able to close off similar roads for the gay pride parades just fine.....

Ah but you see, being gay in the city is okay. People are expressing their individuality. Having a car and killing the environment is not. Car events are generally discouraged. Now if it was for jumping Prius or electric cars, it might work. Does it make sense.. no, but its how things are. I just moved here at the beginning of 2008, so I see the stupidity in a lot of this stuff.

A few groups got together to rent out a runway at an abandoned naval bases in the Bay Area for an autocross. It was turned down, partially due to the environmental impact of the cars idling and going over fast for 45 seconds. Its nuts, man.
 
Make it an event for hybrids and electric cars only. They should go for that, right? :p
 
Yeah, but if you give it a long enough run up....

I have driven a prius up a long hill. long runups don't work.

Going from LA to NorCal involves going up that hill out of the LA valley. It was honestly like Clarkson's experience with the Fabia 3cyl.

60mph...............1 or 2 minutes......62 mph..... and so on. That was with my leg hurting from pushing the accelerator so hard. I took my foot off for about 3 seconds and the car went back to 55, and it never made it back to 65 until the hill ended. It was one of the most miserable experiences in a car.
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What if people put gay pride stickers on the cars they jumped. Call it a gay parade or something.
 
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The Governator says : "Just keep dah gays in Sahn Frahncisco."
 
How about a Hill Flying competition that...erm...raises money for...erm...I dunno, gays?
 
I remember attempting something similar in a Dodge Shadow, we even caught air. If a Dodge Shadow can do it...
 
I like the video:

"Police have stationed an unmanned police car at the intersection to deter hill flyers"

Ummm, nice going. Now everyone in San Francisco knows it's a fake.
 
I figured you guys would want another video
[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wbysr2mKNAA[/YOUTUBE]
 
I like the video:

"Police have stationed an unmanned police car at the intersection to deter hill flyers"

Ummm, nice going. Now everyone in San Francisco knows it's a fake.

Yeah... that's not gone well, not has it?
 
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