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| "Everyone plays a part in chainsaw safety, from the people wielding chainsaws, to the people scurrying in fear around chainsaws." image found here |
A century honored tradition of wielding chainsaws in the city may soon come to an end if an anti-chainsaw measure passes in San Francisco, which bans chainsaws in the city altogether. The move has chainsaw enthusiasts and merchants alike fuming over such a measure.
Penny Southerland, longtime chainsaw aficianado, screamed, "The streets of San Francisco were made for chainsaws. They were here ever since I can remember! I can't believe someone would have the audacity to tell me I can't run around with my chainsaw in the city anymore. If people just watch where they're going, wear helmets & high-viz clothing, there won't be a problem. It's unfair to blame everyone with chainsaws for chainsaw injuries. Everyone plays a part in chainsaw safety."
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| Chainsaw merchants say it's only coincidence that people running through the city with chainsaws contributed to the uptick in chainsaw injuries & deaths. |
But "anti-chainsaw" advocates see things differently and blame the increase in chainsaw deaths and injuries squarely on the people who have chainsaws. Teddy Wilshire exclaimed, "It's nuts that you would allow a dangerous piece of metal around the city. It's not just the danger posed by the swift moving blades. It's also the fumes that spew out from those metal death machines. Take your chainsaw into an area where there aren't a lot of people around. Why is it that crazy to think we can move through the city without chainsaws?"
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| Randy has been wielding a chainsaw on Market Street ever since he can remember, and he's not about to stop "just because some idiot hurts themself on my chainsaw." image found here |
Randy Smith, head of the "San Francisco City Chainsaw League" said,"It's my God given right to juggle chainsaws while running through downtown. It's my preferred method of travel. People just need to make sure to educate themselves and their children to watch for people with chainsaws. It's about mutual respect. Besides, if you don't want someone coming at you with a chainsaw, travel around with a chainsaw, for safety."
City officials have been reluctant to ban chainsaws in the city outright, and opted for signs and paint to help designate chainsaw and non-chainsaw zones. They've also started campaigns to educate people about the importance of safety near people who are operating chainsaws. SF's chainsaw safety czar said, "it's really about how to place legal blame on people who hurt others with a chainsaw, and the people who hurt themselves on someone's chainsaw. The city also started a "Vision Zero" campaign to end all chainsaw deaths by 2024.
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| Signs, paint and lights will help delineate between someone 'accidentally' being struck by a chainsaw, and those who were distracted and simply "asking for it". image found here |
