Two Sides of Prop. G Face Off 10.20.10
Photo by DavidTakesPics
Elsbernd told the Ocean Beach Bulletin:
Prop. G could potentially deliver millions in funds for riders and operations that currently are spent on Muni drivers’ salaries and work rules. Prop. G eliminates the salary guarantee [in the city charter] that ensures Muni drivers are the second-highest paid in the country. Prop. G also resets Muni driver work rules that contribute to millions of dollars lost in systemwide inefficiencies. Prop. G does not generate new money for Muni from the City, state or federal government, but rather it allows Muni to use the money that it has more wisely, and to the greater benefit of Muni riders.
But TWU-250A disagrees:
Prop G doesn’t actually deal with any specific work rules. Proponents argue that Prop. G will give management an opportunity to bargain away certain work rules, but they flat-out misstate the facts about Muni drivers and the rules they work under. Muni management has a tremendous amount of power to suspend, remove and fire operators for poor performance. In fact, under the existing collective bargaining agreement, management is even required to execute disciplinary proceedings quickly so drivers can either be terminated or get back to doing their jobs. Voters shouldn’t be confused: Prop. G doesn’t require any increased service, altered work rules or increased management accountability. It just punishes drivers.
You can read more about Prop G from Sup. Elsbernd and TWU-250A at Ocean Beach Bulletin. Have you changed your mind about Prop. G?
Photo diary: Sweetness aboard a cable car 10.19.10
Here’s my email to Eugenia asking her if we can post this photo by Justin Beck:
why do i think this is the sweetest photo i’ve seen in about six years?
Her response: “Tick tock, tick tock …”
What’s your favorite F-Market streetcar? 10.19.10
Photo by Thomas Hawk
I don’t know about you, but when I have to take an F-Market, I do my best to relish the experience. That, despite sometimes excruciating wait times, burgeoning wait lines, absurd amounts of tourists …
You probably already have some descriptors for the different types of streetcars out there. But take a look at MSR’s list of all the cars in the fleet, and let us know what your favorite is. There’s: the antique streetcars; the so-called Wheels of the World cars, and the various PCC streetcars. Each has its own unique charm and amenities. The mint green San Diego reminds me of cruising along a beach in an El Camino on a hot sunny day. Or is that just me?
Not even for a pop celebrity? 10.18.10
At the Treasure Island Music Festival last night, during Belle and Sebastian‘s head-lining set, affable frontman Stuart Murdoch asked the audience for fashion tips. It went something like this:
“Should I wear the hat? Well, see, earlier I was on the J-Church and when I got off, I left me hat on board. I tried to knock on the door, but the driver wasn’t having any of it.”
Sound familiar?
Besides being so danceable and amazing, B&S’s set referenced our fair city a couple of times (“Piazza, New York Catcher” and “Sukie in the Graveyard”). He was looking at the rad view of the city from Treasure Island, made even more beautiful by the Giants-orange-lit Coit Tower.
Perhaps one of Murdoch’s thousands of admiring SF fans can urge him to write a song that at least mentions Muni? I can see it, actually. The term “J-Church” rolled off his Scottish lips so easily …
iPhone band jam on NYC Subway 10.15.10
To state the obvious: If only we had some next-level version of live music riding around on our public transportation. Wow.
The band is Atomic Tom. The vehicle is NYC Subway. And no, you don’t need no stinkin’ 3G signal to make those sounds …
Thx: @recraps
Weekend Photos: Muni Blender 10.15.10
Photo by dolanh
- Fewer Muni riders, more fare revenue (SFGate)
- Plan in the works to restore Muni service (SF Public Press)
- Rolanda Jones, Accused of Pepper Spray Attack on Muni, In Court (SF Weekly)
- Muni Service Restoration Task Force Considering Bus Stop Optimization (Streetsblog SF)
- Muni shows off first light-rail vehicle fixed with stimulus cash (SF Examiner)
- Fix Muni Now Prop. G Will Lead to Fewer Pee Breaks, Driver’s Union Claims (SF Weekly)
- Muni Driver Measure Doesn’t End Problems (SF Business Times)
- Coalition pushes for free Muni for kids (SF Examiner)
- 60 Minutes segment ow/1906 footage aboard cable car airs Sunday (Market Street Railway Blog)
Enjoy your weekend and these photos, and don’t forget to send us your Muni stories or bring a story to tell on stage on Oct. 29!
Photo by MarkPritchard
Photo by tonx
Photo by skew-t
Photo by MattyMatt
Photo by stephenlienharrell
Seat Sharing on the 38 — With Dim Sum! 10.15.10
Photo by Adam NFK Smith
Muni rider and semi-regular contributor Rachel of Fog City Notes had an interesting ride the other night …
The man immediately stood up. He gestured that I should take his seat. I was confused.
“Are you sure?” I asked. He nodded.
“Thanks,” I said, still a little baffled. I pointed at the dim sum. “Anything I should be eating right now?” I joked. He didn’t respond.
So I sat in the aisle seat, the dim sum sat in the window seat, and the man stood next to me, holding on to the pole over his head.
When the bus got to his stop, I carefully handed him his bags and he got out. I had a sudden craving for dim sum, but I didn’t act on it.
Wishing Upon a Muni Genie 10.14.10
Photo by stubbornbeauty
The last time we asked you the same question in March last year, you told us that on-time performance, more frequent services, and a fix for backdoor boarding were on the top of your list. This time around, do you have new wishes or solutions that you think should be considered?
For me, after my recent trip to Rome, on the top of my wish list is increased frequency for buses and trains. In my version of nirvana, the funding/operation for that would come from a combination of state and federal funding. Hey, I can dream, can’t I?
So, tell us, what would you wish for if a genie popped out of a bottle you found on Muni?
Two bland phrases and a red wire 10.14.10
Devin describes what he saw aboard a stuck Muni Metro train …
I say “attempts” because the driver (a) was talking far too quietly, (b) had the PA set far too low, (c) was speaking thickly Mandarin- or Cantonese-accented English, and (d) was trying to use standard SFMTA jargon for describing fine technical points of malfunction, in which all the words that have specific or useful meanings are replaced by bland and fault-disclaiming phrases. Normally that jargon runs to phrases like “equipment issue” and “temporary delay,” but given his command of English vocabulary, he was mainly resorting to variations on the phrase “train broken.”
After a while of this, a brusque man strode down the aisle wearing an SFMTA jumpsuit and an air of technical competence incongruous with the rest of the scene. He announced simply, “This train has no air pressure” into his radio, quickly removed the panel covering this huge mass of wiring and quietly ticking relays, and pulled a single patch cable out of his pocket. He shorted two points within the panel, left the cover where it was, and left. The train, its pneumatic safeties presumably thus disabled, crawled slowly into the station. There the driver discovered the use of another phrase, namely “out of service.” Fortunately he also discovered the volume knob on the PA, so the huge crowd of commuters did eventually agree to stay off the train.
Come to think of it, I suspect the competent man in the jumpsuit was talking to the driver, and probably sharing some of the same frustrations as the rest of us.
Tiny new features on Muni Diaries 10.13.10
Photo by Images by John ‘K’
We’ve decided to join the rest of the entire freaking internet and add a new feature, which should be familiar to you by now: The ability to “like” posts and comments on Muni Diaries.
If you’re the type that can’t be bothered to comment on a post, yet you read something that someone else said that you a) agree with, or b) think is funny, you can let us all know, anonymously, by clicking the little red “+1″ at the bottom of that comment. Same goes for sharing your feelings about a post on MD: There’s now a red heart along with “I like this post” near the bottom of every post.
We decided against a voting-down mechanism. You guys can be nasty to each other on the bus or someplace else. Here on Muni Diaries, we encourage … encouragement.
So have fun with these new features, and keep sending us all that amazing Muni content!
Ride Muni like a boss. Our Fast Pass Clipper card holders and Muni Diaries T-shirts are all on sale 
