As I exited the Civic Center metro stop on this beautiful sunny morning, I glanced up Hyde street. There was no 19 bus to be seen up the street, which meant it was at least 5 minutes away. At best, it would make it to my destination at 8th and Bryant around the same time as I would on foot.

Rounding the corner onto 8th, just past the 19 stop, I came upon 20 to 30 people, mostly men, mostly in their mid 20s, lined up against a fence. Nobody was talking, everybody had headphones on, some were smoking. They were waiting for the Xynga shuttle to take them to their office 6 blocks away, about 2/3 of a mile down 8th street. 15 minutes by foot, 5 by bike.

At their feet started a freshly painted bikelane, possibly the widest in the city.

Somewhere far away, in an empty bar completely unaware of the human tragedy unfolding at 8th and Market, the jukebox played “Don’t Know What You Got Till It’s Gone.”