Weekend Photos: Many Munis 05.28.10
Photo by Andrew Van Wart
And just like that, May 2010 winds down. Here’s a recap of the week’s more pertinent Muni news:
- Tentative Labor Agreement May Reverse Muni Service Cuts (Streetsblog SF)
- An Urgent Appeal: Streetsblog San Francsico Needs Your Support
- Even the Homeless Hate Muni (SFist)
- Woman gets arm stuck in Muni door (MD); SF Appeal asked MTA how in the world this could’ve happened; MTA eventually answers
- Market Street Railway Blog introduces the Mayor of the F Line Streetcars
SFMTA traffic alerts for the weekend include:
- Critical MessMass, pretty much all over the damn place thxalot
- Carnaval closes streets beginning tonight at 10 p.m. and lasting through Monday at 2 a.m., affecting the 12-Folsom, 48-Quintara, 33-Stanyan, 14-Mission, 49-Van Ness, 27-Bryant, and 67-Bernal Heights
And don’t forget about these upcoming “Clipper” (TransLink) card giveaways.
Enjoy the photos, and have a wonderful holiday weekend.
Photo by Flickr user digiyesica
Photo by Flickr user adamjackson1984
Photo by Flickr user carwashguy_99
Muni Newbie Orientation 05.28.10
What do Muni newbie riders need to know?
Because most people I know are seasoned transit riders, I tend to forget that Muni gets brand-new riders every day. Rider Melissa has just made the transition from BART to Muni, and told us:
Funny how different the commuter scene is. Lesson for today in Muni Riders vs. BART Riders: Muni Riders just don’t give a fuck! (Excuse my language…but it’s so true.) Doesn’t matter if you’re elderly, handicapped, young…Muni riders are all out for themselves. You just have to be aggressive and don’t take anything personally. Everyone is just trying to go where they need to go. [I'm] slowly learning and transitioning to a daily Muni rider….we’ll see how it goes.
Despite her skepticism, Melissa took a picture of her very first Muni pass to share with us, above.
I’m not sure I totally agree with Melissa’s assessment because I feel that on any Muni line, if you don’t know to step down, the rest of the bus will let you know. And if the back door doesn’t open for you, more than one rider will yell “Back Door” on your behalf. I’ve seen riders organize half the bus to move back for a wheelchair passenger to get on the 22. But maybe there’s something about BART riders that I don’t know?
Whenever I have visitors in town, this is my usual Muni-orientation talk:
- $2, try exact change or 3-day pass.
- Keep your transfer; it’s good for any direction.
- Step down to exit
- Some bus signs are simply painted on telephone poles (I think visitors find this consistently confusing).
Then I just give them a route map and they’re on their way.
What else would you tell a Muni newbie?
Muni Superhero 05.27.10
Photo via Hoodscope
Gene at Hoodscope sent over this photo of his seat mate on the K. Thank goodness for riders like Gene, who, instead of just staring at the Muni Superhero, decide to have a conversation with the man himself.
Pervert on the 47-Van Ness 05.27.10
Photo by coleypauline
Muni rider Annie offers the following tale of … justice?:
I was riding the 47 Van Ness bus one early afternoon. The bus wasn’t very crowded, so I move towards the back of the bus. I decided to sit down on one of the very last row of seats. Sitting on my left was a girl who was blasting rap music. There was also an old guy who was sitting nearby. Due to the noise of the bus, I couldn’t really hear what he was saying. I figured he was probably just talking to himself, and I was reading a book so I didn’t pay much attention.
So it turns out the girl next to me heard what he was saying and called him out for being a creep and a pervert. She begins to shout at him for being an old guy and trying to get with young girls. According to the girl, he had been staring at the three girls who sat directly across from him.
Riding the Muni, I have found that there’s always creeps trying to check out girls and this was no exception. When I get on the bus, I try to notice if there are any weirdos and creeps, but of course as demonstrated, it doesn’t always work. The girl shouts that he’s been trying to get with these girls and saying stuff like “You’re so beautiful” and according to the girl, about to flash his privates on the bus to them.
Once she called him out for being a perv, they began the screaming match. “Bitch, bitch” was thrown back and forth. The old guy tried to defend himself, by saying the girls didn’t say no to him and that it was none of her business. They also threatened to get off the bus and fight each other. The girl stood her ground and said it was her business when he was being a pervert. People started to turn around and stare at him. He decided to get off the bus. Once he did, the girl gets off her seat. She slides open the window and took the cap off her soda cup. Then she aims directly at him and splashes the drink all over him. I grinned when she did this, and saw his astonished and angry face being left behind on the bus.
Once the bus pulls away from the stop, the three girls thank her. They say that they didn’t notice him being a creep, probably because they were just talking amongst themselves. The girl says that she knew what was about to go on and you gotta keep a watch out for perverts.
A few stops later, I get off to get some art supplies. As I walk down the block, I see the pervert and he makes some noise at me. What a creep, I think.
Seen something remarkable on Muni lately? Send it to Muni Diaries!
Muni Bike Rack Protester 05.26.10
Damn, this guy has some balls. According to @johnnytravis’s tweet:
Man defies Muni driver who refuses to open door by stopping to read book on bike rack
Well-played?
Loretta: Muni bus driver, guardian angel 05.26.10
Photo by Thomas Hawk
Last night I fell asleep riding the 49 inbound up Van Ness around 9 p.m. Fell asleep BAD. Like I’m surprised no one checked my pulse to see if I was still alive (well, maybe they did and I just slept through it). When I woke up, I realized I had missed my stop at Jackson by several blocks and raced out the door. Shortly thereafter, I discovered that my phone, which I had been holding when I fell asleep, was no longer with me. I panicked, but there was no way to catch up to the bus.
I got to my friend’s house, and used his phone to call mine. Nobody picked up, and I expected the worst. It was a hat-trick in the worst way: the Giants get shut out by the A’s, I miss the season finale of LOST, and my cell phone is now being kicked around an empty bus. But awhile later we got a call from Loretta, the Nicest Bus Driver on the Planet. She had found my phone, and rather than sending it to lost and found—where she insisted it would have been gone forever—took it with her.
Today I met her on her route and she returned it to me. I tried to give her some cash as a thank you, but she wouldn’t accept it. Anyways, Loretta, you saved the day! Thank you!
Caitlyn
Watch Your Arm on Muni! 05.25.10
Photo by Flickr user Joey.Parsons
Rider Fannie saw a scary incident this morning at Church station:
Around 8:45 a.m. I got on a train that was quite full, after waiting for three full trains to pass by at peak rush hour. Then, this chick got her arm stuck in the door. Like in the sliding track…her left arm and elbow. I watched her scream with hysteria. Originally, she’d been very busy trying to cram on to the very full train, and getting angry. I would have helped her, but there were more than three people already trying to do so.
Somehow, they got her arm out. She had a pretty big bruise on the bone of her elbow…She was distraught (and I would be too).
They made us get off. (As in, empty out the entire two car train)
And some of us filled out information cards (as witnesses).
And then waited for two more trains before getting on.
Lesson learned: Muni vehicles are not worth (almost) losing a limb over.
Yikes. I’ll remember this the next time I try to jam onto a train…
J-Church Disruption 05.25.10
Photo by Flickr user vision63
SFist and 511.org both report that there’s an obstruction on the outbound J-Church line, at San Jose and Baden. All trains are switching back at Glen Park and shuttles are in place. Did you see this happen? Send us pictures and let us know.
‘That One’ Comes to Town 05.24.10
Photo by 邪恶的正太
Despite the fact that Warren G. Harding died here in 1923 (of pneumonia) and Gerald Ford suffered an assassination attempt (Sarah Jane Moore, released from prison in 2007) here in 1975, Barack Obama is pressing his luck and visiting Baghdad by the Bay tomorrow.
Why do we care? Well, not only are we still wearing our Obama T-shirt (hey, it’s almost laundry day!), but this presidential visit will cause some minor Muni disruptions. Street closures from 11 a.m. Tuesday to noon Wednesday include:
· 4th Street from Market Street to Mission Street
· Mission Street from 3rd Street to 4th Street
Affecting service on:
· 8X /AX/BX Bayshore Express
· 14 Mission
· 14 L Mission Limited
· 14 X Mission Express
· 30 Stockton
· 45 Union-Stockton
· 91 Owl
Feel free to line up along the route and ask for a public-transit bailout.
Audio diary: Mel’s early ’90s party bus 05.24.10
Photo by Chipmonkey (^o^)
Stories are stories, and the internet is nice enough to let us listen to them as well as read them. For those of us in too much of a hurry, or simply too lazy to let your eyeballs scan and decipher the words here, that’s a bonus.
Stephanie from NPR’s Snap Judgment captured some of the stories told on-stage at our last Muni Diaries Live event. This one, by Mel, concerns a vivid memory of a cloudy ride on the N-Judah.
Have a listen, and let us know whether you like the audio diary format:
Mel’s party bus
Ride Muni like a boss. Our Fast Pass Clipper card holders and Muni Diaries T-shirts are all on sale 
