Comments on: N-nada

By: Whole Wheat Toast

Whole Wheat Toast — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 04:59:42 +0000

The reason why they can’t run 3 or more car trains is because of electrical problems and the third car would literally disconnect from the other two, that’s why not only Muni sucks, but the car builder, Anasladobreda, sucks. The cars are too long, too heavy, and too wide. IMO the boeings were better, smoother ride, though no air conditioning, and up to 4 (yes i said 4) cars can be attached at the same time!

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By: Tara

Tara — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 22:11:22 +0000

That’s too bad, Anne. This is exactly the kind of thing the city should be trying to avoid – residents should not have to uproot themselves within the same city because of chronic public transportation problems.

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By: Anne

Anne — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 20:09:47 +0000

I agree with Tim how some of these routes should be place underground, but that’s just opening a whole new can of worms on construction, money, and public disagreement on digging up their streets…

I live in the Sunset and the N either comes so very often or never comes at all. Sometimes riding the 71 is faster.

Rush hour going home is a pain because of the massive load of people getting on. Unfortunately, 3 car trains aren’t possible because of it’s design. (Something about not being able to control all 3 cars.)

I have decided to find a new home that’s closer to work but I’m sure I’ll run into other transit problems…

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By: jeff

jeff — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:24:48 +0000

Janice,

You are right — quality of life is so important. I don’t take the whole “lost productivity” line for myself. Muni’s malfunctions and general dysfunctionality serve only to piss me off on a personal level. It’s completely inexcusable, especially in a town that touts its environmental credentials, to have such a sub-standard public transit system.

I only meant to suggest the productivity line because that’s what seems to get people’s attention, as Tara says in the previous comment.

With the upcoming redesign of Muni Diaries, we hope to add a function that will ease the process of formal complaints. Details to come …

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By: Tara

Tara — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:41:45 +0000

“Lost productivity” is definitely just the tip of the iceberg. There are lost wages, but also late fees, missed appointments, pissed-off friends and pissed-off Muni Riders, of course, when the system doesn’t work. “Quality of life” is a good way to put it, but given the sad state of Muni affairs, that phrase probably won’t resonate as loudly as “hey, your local economy will go to down the crapper if enough people lose their jobs or can’t get to work because of your shitty system.”

I don’t have any kids and only have to worry about myself, my personal or professional engagements and an occasional ride with a small dog. But you’re absolutely right about the range of people Muni is screwing – not just regular commuters.

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By: Janice

Janice — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:23:23 +0000

Thanks for letting me rant. Don’t worry, Jeff, I’ve been riding MUNI all of my 39 years, and complain to officials, as my father before me did. He had to used assumed names at the end.

This is far from the first time I have been screwed over by MUNI and left with a screaming kid. I’m probably misinterpreting “lost productivity”, but quality of life is just as important as people getting to work.

I’m still a taxpayer and pay to ride MUNI. In this phase of life I realize people are trying to get to places for a lot of reasons. Perhaps they get charged $15 for every five minutes they are late picking their kid up at daycare; maybe they have a very sick pet at home; maybe they need to take medication on a regular basis; and on and on.

I could drive everywhere but I try not to. Unless you have experienced MUNI with a toddler it’s probably hard to understand the frustration and helplessness. I can’t even just get a cab if I get stranded downtown because of car seat issues.

The elderly probably could add a whole other view of problems with MUNI that we don’t think of.

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By: Tara

Tara — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:04:58 +0000

Hi all, thanks for your thoughtful comments. And condolences to Janice about Muni hell! I once got stopped on an F (by actual city police officers) because they couldn’t see my FastPass. Thanks for doing your part to reduce rampant FastPass crimes. Making you take out your transfer while you’re clearly encumbered is ridiculous.

But Greg, that explanation does make sense. The metro, unlike the Subway, actually does have to interact with people and cars out there in the above-ground world, you’re right. It’s just too bad there can’t be some kind of compromise that would alleviate the sardine-pack in the two-car system.

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By: Tim

Tim — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 17:02:35 +0000

The N is atrocious, especially out in the Sunset. I lived right at the turnaround near Java Beach for a few year, and it would routinely take an hour just to get downtown. I really thing they should pu the majority of the route underground out there – I don’t see the point of having a high-speed train line that needs to stop for a stop sign on virtually every block once it gets past 14th Avenue or so.

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By: Jeff

Jeff — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:56:34 +0000

why build station platforms so long then?

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By: Beth W.

Beth W. — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 16:15:58 +0000

Yup, Muni was extra-borked yesterday afternoon. I typically don’t have much trouble finding an N when I need one (which is not all that often). And it’s one of the few lines where they actually do two cars, which is helpful.

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