Twittering the Meltdown 03.04.09
Some choice tweets from this morning’s seemingly ongoing debacle:
meganallison Cole&Carl ib N: no
Plug1 12 train N/T backup heading into the Metro Tunnel. Muni meltdown is in full effect!
AgentNano Ok looking through Twitter chatter, looks like there are still Muni Metro delays due to a control issue with the underground.
rowenoftc RT @nbcbayareacom: Muni RIDERS! Slow subway traffic on ALL LINES because of a problem with the train control system. (Mike Inouye, Trx Guy)
AgentNano Muni problems started at 7. Muni alerted the media am hour later.
AgentNano Muni problems for all Metro trains underground due to a problem with the train control system.
Send us your Muni Meltdown™ stories … once you reach peace of mind. Or not.
‘Do not board’ 03.04.09
So yesterday I was on the platform at Embarcadero station. An L-train arrives. I’m happy because I’m standing in that spot that when the door opens, I’ll be the first one on so I can grab my favorite seat (second row of the forward facing seats, either side of the train, inside seat as I ride from EMB to the end of the line). The doors open and from the distance, as I am about to board, I hear a very large man with a booming voice yelling “do not board” over and over again. He gets on the train, the doors close. He gets off the train and a maintenance man shows up with a big spray bottle of something and a lot of towels. They get inside, the doors close. A few minutes later the doors open and we’re let on.
Anybody know what it was?
Red Puddle on the 14 03.03.09
Earlier tonight I got on the 14 at Geneva and Mission. The back of the bus was badly tagged and littered (sunflower seed hulls, chicken bones, napkins and such), but this seat was truly something I haven’t seen before. Was it blood? Sure looked like it, but I didn’t feel like investigating.
Transbay Terminal Fail 03.03.09
Well, this story came up yesterday on the Chron (wow, i’m surprised that it’s actually still alive!), but according to the Chron, the new Transbay Terminal, which is unbuilt, could be obsolete in 20 years!
Good morning, here’s my crotch 03.03.09
As Muni Diaries has documented before, sometimes people pull out their penises and stick them in your face on the bus. OK, that just happened once (as far as we know), in one of our most popular penis-in-public posts yet.
Perhaps more often, there are more tame crotchal offenses, including crotch-on-the-shoulder guy.
As the Muni Ladies have noted before, you (well, all of us, really) must use proper crotch etiquette when you’re standing on the bus. So I don’t know who told this guy he could do the “Sugalumps” song from Flight of the Conchords during my morning commute, but it’s just across-the-board unacceptable.
It’s pretty self-explanatory. I was sitting on an aisle seat for about 40 minutes, and was occasionally treated to a shoulder bump with this guy’s crotch. It just happened a few times, and ultimately wasn’t a huge deal, but it’s a pretty huge offense of the aforementioned etiquette rule. I don’t care how tired you are (which he demonstrated by leaning both elbows and head on the top horizontal rail, letting the rest of his body flap around like a marionette); keep track of your body or you might get woken up very, very quickly with my elbow next time.
Photo by WHAT I’M SEEING from the Muni Photos Flickr pool
Because 3/4 ain’t half-bad 03.03.09
The Chronicle (yes, still alive) reports on Muni’s improved on-time rate of 72.7 percent.
Congrats, Muni. But this is no time to celebrate. That’s still more than one of every four vehicles that is late. Tisk, tisk.
Photo by Whole Wheat Toast from the Muni Photos Flickr pool
What’s On Your Muni Wish List? 03.03.09
Photo by Troy Holden
If you had a few million dollars to spend on Muni, what would be on your wish list?
I can name a couple of things that we often talk about on Muni Diaries: on-time buses, safer drivers, and an improved Nextbus system. But that only scratches the surface of issues for Muni riders.
I know there is a significant segment of the transit-riding community that this blog will probably never reach because these riders have no computer access at home. They don’t have the luxury of sitting down to browse around the internet.
I was prompted this morning by the KALW radio program Your Call. Today’s show asks what should be done with the $495 million federal stimulus funding allocated for Bay Area transit agencies and road projects.
3 Things I Love About My Morning Commute 03.01.09
1. The Wave-Hello Guy. If you walk to BART on 16th Street around 8:30 a.m., you’re likely to pass him. He’s always smiling wide and waving hello to everyone who crosses his path. I assume he is going to Creativity Explored, but really I have no idea. He’s a white guy, probably in his late thirties, balding with a black backpack. He gets really happy if you say hello and wave back. It’s a great feeling. Today when I waved back, he gestured for a high five, and I gave him one. Maybe it was silly, but I couldn’t help smiling as I walked on.
2. The silence. I love being surrounded by people who are all in the same quiet state. There’s a sense of togetherness and peace. (Yoga might be getting to me). But really, as long as it’s not crazy-crowded like getting on a train at Church and Market, it’s nice to sit among strangers and just be quiet for little bit before the bustling of the day starts. It’s a moment of pause. Some people read, others think and daydream, and some even dose off — which to me is also a sign of feeling safe in your surroundings.
Ride Muni like a boss. Our Fast Pass Clipper card holders and Muni Diaries T-shirts are all on sale 
