WHILE CONDUCTING A VISUAL APCH; REPORTER'S ACFT CAME INTO CONFLICT WITH AN ACR-SMT AHEAD AND ACR-LGT ALONGSIDE.

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WE WERE BEING VECTORED DOWNWIND; N OF THE ARPT; FOR A VISUAL TO SFO RWY 28L/R. ABOUT 3 MI E OF THE SAN MATEO BRIDGE THE CTLR SAID; 'CONFIRM YOU HAVE THE ARPT IN SIGHT; YOU'RE CLRED FOR A VISUAL TO RWY 28R.' (WE WERE NOT CLRED TO FOLLOW ANOTHER ACFT NOR TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEP FROM ANOTHER ACFT NOR WERE WE ADVISED THAT ANOTHER ACFT WAS MAINTAINING VISUAL SEP FROM US.) WHEN WE GOT TURNED AROUND ON AN INBND HDG WHICH WOULD TAKE US OVER THE HIGH SPAN; WE SAW LGT Z ANGLING IN TOWARD US; APPARENTLY ON A VISUAL TO THE LEFT. THE CTLR WAS VERY BUSY--WE HAD NO OPPORTUNITY TO QUERY HIM ABOUT LGT Z. ABOUT 1/2 MI FROM THE BRIDGE THE CTLR CLRED US TO CONTACT THE TWR. WHEN WE SWITCHED TO THE TWR; THE CTLR SAID; 'SLOW TO FINAL APCH SPD; YOU'RE 2 1/2 BEHIND A LIGHT TWIN; CONTINUE.' WE THEN WERE ABLE TO PICK OUT THE LIGHT TWIN FROM AMONG THE HOUSES AND BLDGS ALONG THE BAYSHORE. ESSENTIALLY; WE WERE FORCED INTO SEE AND AVOID BY AN UNPLANNED SITUATION RESULTING FROM A POOR PROC. AS A RESULT THERE EXISTED A COLLISION HAZARD. THE IMMEDIATE PROB IS THE VISUAL APCH PROC AT SFO. THE PROC IS TOO MUCH FOR THE PLTS AND IT IS TOO MUCH FOR THE CTLRS. THE PLTS ARE BUSY WITH THE HIGHEST COCKPIT WORKLOAD OF THE FLT. THE DEMAND FOR THE PLTS TO ADDITIONALLY PROVIDE THE SEP AND/OR TO FLY UNPLANNED FORMATION W/O TRNING; W/O PREARRANGEMENT; W/O A LEADER AND W/O COMS IS UNWISE AT BEST; DEADLY AT WORST. THE CTLR IS HANDLING 4; 5 OR 6 AIRPLANES IN A 1/2 IFR-1/2 VFR SITUATION. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE FOR HIM TO KEEP TRACK OF WHICH AIRPLANE HAS BEEN CLRED FOR A QUIET BRIDGE OR JUST A STRAIGHT VISUAL; PERHAPS TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEP AND PERHAPS NOT; PERHAPS TO FOLLOW ANOTHER ACFT AND PERHAPS NOT; WHICH ACFT HAS BEEN CLRED FOR A TIPP TOE TO FOLLOW ANOTHER ACFT; WHICH ACFT HAS BEEN CLRED TO MAINTAIN VISUAL SEP BUT NOT CLRED FOR AN APCH; WHICH ACFT HAS BEEN ADVISED THAT ANOTHER ACFT IS MAINTAINING VISUAL SEP FROM HIM AND IS CLRED FOR AN APCH WITH NO RESTRICTIONS; WHICH ACFT HE IS PROVIDING RADAR SEP FOR; ETC; ETC. THE ROOT PROB IS AN FAA ADMINISTRATION WHICH APPARENTLY HAS ALLOWED THEIR CONCERN FOR ARPT ACCEPTANCE RATE TO CLOUD THE IMPORTANCE OF SAFETY.