Weekend Photos: Any time of day 03.12.10
Before we get started, yes, yet another massive meltdown is in progress today. Some sort of total breakdown of communications and wiring (and blood and guts and fecal matter) happened in the underground tunnel somewhere. Outbound N-Judah and J-Church trains were turned back inbound at Church and Duboce. I bet a lot of people are very, very happy about that.
But not all Muni goings-on this week were disastrous and FAIL-infused. Streetsblog SF filled us in on last weekend’s Save Muni summit, and commented on the challenges of organizing Muni riders. This while MTA began another outreach attempt, to notify the public of more budget-balancing decisions facing the agency for the next two fiscal years (you know, because it was such a joy settling this year’s books). One town hall took place on Wednesday, and there’s another one tomorrow at 10 a.m. at MTA headquarters, 1 South Van Ness.
We learned this week that an attempt to have voters approve of removing a wage-floor for Muni operators is moving forward (SFGate), sponsored by Supervisor Sean Elsbernd (we hope it’s just a coincidence that Elsbernd’s parents’ house caught on fire [Examiner] this week also).
Later in the week, we learned (via SF Appeal) that MTA head Nat Ford is defying Mayor (still?) Newsom and putting Sunday parking meters back on the bargaining table as a means for the agency to generate revenue. We’ll just have to see how that one turns out. And Streetsblog SF asked whether transit cuts and fare hikes are causing more and more San Franciscans to ride their bike instead. We’re all for it, but Muni still needs lots of fixing.
The Examiner also reports that Muni’s on-time rate fell for a second-straight quarter, to 72.3. Almost three out of every four buses and LRVs is on-time? That many, eh?
Finally, and perhaps tragically (but definitely puzzling), ABC 7 reported Thursday that Muni is investigating reports that a middle school student fell out of a moving bus. Ouch. Hope the kid’s okay.
We leave you with more beautiful images of times when Muni did work, taken by one of our favorite Flickr photogs, angryf. Have a great weekend!
All photos by angryf
Thank You, Magnificant Muni Drivers 03.12.10
Photo by Flickr user eviloars
Rider Dave Rhodes wrote MTA a letter about two Muni drivers who saved the day when Dave’s wife lost her wallet on the bus.
I’d like to voice my appreciation for two fantastic San Francisco Muni drivers, George and Bernetta. My wife and I had just purchased two Muni passes on March 2nd for the first time, having recently returned to this city after many years. We were on our way home from the Haight district and took the #33 from Haight St. up to Fulton and Stanyon to catch the #5 to Fulton and 25th.
When the #5 came, driven by Bernetta, my wife reached for her wallet to display her pass only to discover that it was gone. Bernetta saw that she was distraught and waved her aboard the bus anyway, stating, “That’s okay sweetie, we’ll work it out.”
We were shown the number to call for assistance and my wife hooked up with a very helpful operator who’s name I don’t know. She was told that the driver of the #33 (George) would be contacted and asked to look for the wallet. While my wife was on a cell phone talking to the operator, Bernetta also called from her bus radio or phone to try and get the other driver to locate the wallet as soon as possible.
We all knew that time was important, given the increasing likelihood that some nefarious character would find it before the driver did and help themselves to it.
After we reached our destination and disembarked, the MTA operator called back to say that the wallet had been located and that we’d be able to claim it from the #33 driver when he came around again. We were given a time to meet him and grabbed another #5 going back to Fulton and Stanyan to wait for him.
When George pulled up he was beaming, and said that he was happy to have found the wallet because so many items are lost or stolen, he was glad to see something have a happy ending. My wife had ID in the wallet so George was careful to make sure it was hers and then he happily handed it over – a check of the contents showed that the newly purchased Muni pass was still in there, along with a number of important documents and credit cards. We vowed then to be more careful and check our wallets and passes before leaving any Muni bus we happen to be on.
A few days later we boarded a #5 bus on Market Street to get back up into our area, and Bernetta was the driver. I didn’t recognize her at first, but she recognized us and said, “Hey, you got your pass back!” She went on to tell us how glad she was it had worked out and that she’d actually been worried about it!
So I’d like to commend two Muni drivers who care – George and Bernetta. To narrow it down because I know there are quite a few drivers, George was driving the #33 route and Bernetta was driving the #5, both on the evening of March 2nd. We’d also like to extend thanks to the phone operator who took our request for assistance that evening, even though we don’t know her name. She was very kind and helpful.
What happens when a nice car backs into the 33-Stanyan (update) 03.11.10
Update (9:14 a.m., Friday morning): Rider Dawn sent us this photo of a legion of 33-Stanyans backed-up after the accident described below.
Original post:
Photo taken by the unstoppable @laurao of @caltraindiaries fame. Taken near Noe and 18th Street.
Photo diary: After school on the 22 03.11.10
One of our favorite SF photogs, posting on our favorite SF photo site, gives us this beauty today. Thanks, Julie!
Click here much for a much bigger, even more gorgeous version of the image.
Muni Metaphors 03.11.10
Photo by Flickr user anitakhart
Within a span of 12 hours, I’ve seen two people on Twitter compare shittiness in some other system to Muni.
(via @troy) i think AT&T & Muni have the same biz model: over promise and under deliver. raise prices, lower SLAs. i hate them both equally.
(via @whole_tost) Damn you firefox, you used to take five minutes to load, now it takes 20! Starting to become the next Muni…
I’m not going to pretend to scratch my head over this phenomenon. Instead, I’m wondering how many other metaphors we can come up with. I’m thinking:
Dude, this elevator is taking as long per storey as Muni does per mile. Ouch.
Or:
The sidewalks on Valencia are all Muni’d these days.
Or something. Got any other Muni metaphors? Let us know in comments please.
Sex and Muni: Odd Bedfellows 03.10.10
The ‘Nowhere in Particular’ marquees 03.10.10
Photo by Thomas Hawk
Muni rider Kristen wrote recently to ask about those old “Nowhere in Particular” signs we used to see every so often on Muni trolleys and streetcars when the vehicles are heading to the garage. Kristen asked:
Kind of bizarre… Does this mean that Muni actually has a sense of humor? I mean, why be so obtuse? I think it probably just pisses most people off who don’t work for Muni…
We actually appreciate the sense of irony in the signs. But we wondered: Where did they go? So we asked MTA, and they told us:
Traditionally, curtain (analog) head signs on the streetcars (JKLMN) included an exposure reading “Nowhere in Particular.” Current staff is not aware of when this reading was supposed to be used.
Historic streetcars (Fs) still have the sign. There was a brief period when the digital signs had this option, but it was deleted from the database several years ago.
Has anyone (besides Thomas Hawk, above) spotted an F with the playful jab on its marquee lately? I think a little sarcasm and irony might actually encourage people to ride the bus. Instead of the staid, “Garage” or “Not in Service” signage. How about, “J-Church, BRB” or “F-Market, Worth The Wait”?
Photo diary: SF through a Muni window 03.09.10
Photo by carolina naftali
I really like this photo. Anyone care to guess/extract where this is? Here’s a link to the original.
Cubbie the Cable Car 03.09.10
Rider Erik alerted us to a preschooler series called “Cubbie the Cable Car,” where the cable car is the star of the show. Erik says this series is home to “the humorous adventures of Cubbie and his friends as they ferrry people up, down and all around 1890 San Francisco.” So, parents, take note: it’s never too early to groom your children to be future transit fans.
Thanks, Erik!
[Warning: TV-Y (All Children -- This program is designed to be appropriate for all children.) The themes and elements in this program are specifically designed for a very young audience, including children from ages 2-6, and may be unsuitable for adult Muni riders. This program is not expected to frighten younger children, but it may frighten young urbanites. We apologize that this program does not contain any of the following: graphic violence (V), explicit sexual activity (S), or crude indecent language (L). For programming containing V, S, or L content categories, please visit Muni Diaries.]
Photo diary: 52-Excelsior mural 03.08.10
Photo by Troy Holden of Caliber SF
I don’t know about you, but I really love it when Muni shows up in street art.
Ride Muni like a boss. Our Fast Pass Clipper card holders and Muni Diaries T-shirts are all on sale 
