30-Stockton and 45-Union/Stockton Reroute to Last Four Years 12.22.11
Photo by Jamison Wieser
Muni Diaries has learned that the 30-Stockton and 45-Union/Stockton will be rerouted in the Union Square area beginning next month due to Central Subway construction. The reroutes will last “approximately four years.” A temporary shuttle will be implemented for the 8 routes.
From the SFMTA:
[A]s of Jan. 21 the 30 Stockton and 45 Union-Stockton Muni routes will be rerouted from Stockton and 4th streets to Mason and 5th streets for the duration of Central Subway construction around Union Square, approximately four years. A temporary 8 Shuttle route will be in place between Broadway and Kearny Street and SoMa to ensure sufficient downtown capacity on the 8X Bayshore bus routes.
The 30 and 45 routes use trolley buses that require an overhead catenary wire system to power the vehicles. As construction advances for the Central Subway Union Square utility relocation and station construction, these routes must be modified to accommodate the construction activity along Stockton Street. More flexible motor buses are used for the 8X routes and will be used for the 8 Shuttle that will continue to operate down Stockton Street during peak service hours until later in the construction schedule.
Central Subway Transit Impacts
30 Stockton and 45 Union-Stockton Reroute
Southbound buses travelling to 3rd and Townsend streets will be rerouted onto Sutter Street, then south on Mason Street, east on Market Street and south on 5th Street.
Northbound buses will remain on their regular route.8 Shuttle Service
The 8 Shuttle will operate seven days a week from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
The shuttle route will begin at Kearny and Pacific then left on Broadway, left onto Stockton Street, cross Market Street onto 4th Street, turn left onto Folsom Street and left on 3rd Street.
The terminal for the Chinatown Shuttle will be at Kearny and Pacific.
The 8X/8AX/8BX Bayshore buses will maintain their current routes, according to the agency. The lines “will be rerouted at a later date to accommodate additional construction activity.”
Examiner: Muni runs over cyclist’s arm, drives off 09.22.11
Photo by Frank Farm
Last week near the intersection of Columbus and Broadway, a cyclist moved to avoid a double-parked car. She was then struck by a Muni bus and knocked down. The cyclist and her attorney told the Examiner that the bus then ran over her arm, and drove away.
According to the SF Examiner:
[Laila] Brenner’s bike crashed to the ground, and the back right tire of the bus rolled over and crushed her arm, her attorney Doug Saeltzer said. While Brenner lay injured, the 8X-Bayshore Express then sped off.
SFMTA claims that the driver might not have realized that the bus had run over the woman’s arm because it was an articulated bus, and the impact to the rear section might not have been felt in front.
SFPD and SFMTA are investigating the incident.
Read more at SF Examiner.
Violated on Muni 09.21.11
Photo by julesreyes
“I was sitting on the single seats on the 8X and a man got on the bus and held the pole next to my seat…the bus makes a small turn and the man leans toward me and brushes my arm with his hand. I mean this might be understandable if it was a wide turn and if we were going pretty fast, but the bus was not. The 8X is typically a crowded bus and as a non-confrontational person, I didn’t accuse him of anything just yet. So after that I turned my head in his direction and he was staring down at me.
He was a middle age bald man with a big gut wearing a blue polo shirt. He didn’t touch me again till the next small turn. He was clearly exaggerating the impact of the turn. I was fed up with this pervert. You may think I am over-reacting to this someone touching my arm on the bus, well this is not the worst I’ve experience or seen.
I’ve talked to people about this happening and they tell me not to start anything with the guy for my own safety in case he has a weapon or might follow me home. This infuriates me that I can’t do anything about it.”
Personal spaces might be tighter on the bus but that’s no excuse if this man is brushing against Stella on purpose.
Over the weekend I was on a fairly empty 49-Van Ness and a guy decided to sit next to me and promptly “fall asleep,” resting his arm on my hips several times. At first I wasn’t completely sure that he was doing this on purpose, but after the fourth time I had enough and got up to get to the next seat. Like Stella, I found it infuriating and frustrating.
I’ve read that in other countries there are women-only passenger cars just to prevent groping. Not that groping is limited to female victims alone.
Ladies (and gents), weigh in: Has this happened to you? If so, how do you deal with it?
Muni Fight Ends In Pepper Spray and a Bare Butt 09.16.11
NSFW!
My apologies in advance for the NSFW nature of this video. I don’t like it any more than you do, but then, it happened on Muni. Via SF Appeal, Dan McMenamin of Bay City News snapped two videos of a fight that broke out on Muni.
McMenamin told SFAppeal that a man and a woman started arguing on the 8X, the man poured some liquid on her, then :
“The woman who got poured on came back on the bus from another door then sprayed the guy with mace…he stumbles around as his pants start falling down. Eventually everyone on the bus had to clear out because the pepper spray spread.”
That’s why you’ll see a bare butt in the above video. Sorry. Come on guys, is this behavior really necessary?
Click over to SF Appeal to see how it all started.
Smoke inside an 8X-Bayshore Express (updates) 08.26.10
Photo by LiveSOMA
Update 10:29 a.m.: LiveSOMA now has photos of the removal of the smoked-out bus (wasn’t that a story at our last live event?).
Update 9:49 a.m.: Eyewitness Brooke has these details:
I was about to walk into Whole Foods on 4th at Harrison when I heard a commotion across the street. I looked over and saw several people running out of long Muni bus, the 8 line. A big purple cloud was coming from the back of the bus. It looked like a very particulate smoke, and people appeared to have some of the smoke powder on them. I stopped to see if I should call 911, if they looked hurt. They were pretty much freaking out and looked scared, but they didn¹t look hurt. Then I saw the driver walking to the back to assess the situation, so I didn¹t think it was necessary to get nvolved. I went into whole foods to buy a couple of things. When I came out of Whole Foods about 5 minutes later, the cloud was gone, but on the sidewalk and street there was a layer of violet-purple stuff on the ground about the length of the back half of the bus. It appeared that several of the people that had been on the bus were still there talking to the bus driver about what had happened.
Original post: @jblebrun reports of smoke inside an 8X:
Whoa.. muni 8x suddenly filled with fine white powder… looked like smoke. Entire bus was covered by white cloud. 4th and Harrison
LiveSOMA has photos and a story:
The bus driver explained how the whole bus filled with white smoke to the point where she couldn’t see and had to stop. Her quick reaction prevented any injuries, although an SFFD Ambulance arrived a few minutes later to double check the situation. Passengers were also asked to fill out ‘comment card’ type sheets that allow Muni to follow up.
Anyone else witness this? Any idea what happened?
Vigilante operator’s assistant on the 8X 08.10.10
Photo by Jaymi Heimbuch
Frequent Muni Diaries contributor and wunderkind Whole Wheat Toast shares this diary:
But instead of the usual “show the driver the pass and go in,” I was greeted by a male, probably the same age as me, maybe older, that said very loudly, “PLEASE MOVE TO THE REAR OF THE BUS!” I thought he could be somebody hired by Muni, but then again, I couldn’t find a Muni badge on him.
As the bus pulled away from the bus stop, he kept yelling repeatedly for people to move behind the yellow line. People kept telling him that there was no room to move.
The bus enters the highway. Shortly after the bus merges onto the freeway, the person catches another guy, telling him, “CAN YOU PLEASE MOVE BACK BECAUSE THE DRIVER NEEDS TO SEE THE MIRROR!” That’s when I noticed he was in front of the yellow line.
But, that’s not all he does. As the bus neared the exit to Silver Avenue, he startled me as he called out the stop. “SILVER! SAN BRUNO AND FELTON!”
Alas, it gets more interesting. As the bus approaches Felton, he heads to the front door. As soon as the driver opened the door, he jumped down the stairs, and stopped everyone who wanted to get on from getting on. “STOP! LET THE PEOPLE OFF!” Everyone that was getting off at the stop got off at the back, and because he blocked off the entrance of the bus, the people that wanted to get on got on through the back.
He eventually got off the next stop, at Bacon. After he got off, a sigh of relief by the passengers on the front of the bus.
Then again, I’m glad this guy was dedicated to doing something the driver was unwilling to do; we need more Muni drivers like him. But then again, I kinda feel sorry for the driver for having to deal with this guy.
Beginner’s luck on the Bayshore Express 07.12.10
Photo by thewronski
The summer of 2007: my first time alone on Muni. A family friend showed me how to take the 9X Bayshore Express (now 8X) to get downtown from her neighborhood. I arrived downtown safe and sound and proceeded to go about with my plans for the day.
After I finished my errands, I went back to Third Street and couldn’t find the bus stop to go back to the Portola District. Third Street and Kearny Street were both one-way, so I gave up and decided that taking the 9X towards Fisherman’s Wharf would surely take me back to my neighborhood eventually.
I rode the 9X all the way to the terminal near Pier 39. I stayed on the bus while the bus driver took his break. Some elderly passengers boarded at the terminal with me and then we were on our way. I felt relief knowing the bus was turning back around as we rode on back downtown through familiar territory and then onto the freeway.
While on the freeway, I pulled the bus cord because I thought my stop was coming up after the freeway. But we passed my exit and I began to panic. A man began yelling curses in Cantonese for no particular reason, which caused my nerves to become further and further frazzled. When we finally got off the freeway, I got off the bus and looked up: the bus had changed to 9BX for rush hour.
I didn’t know where I ended up, but I crossed the street to the adjacent bus shelter hoping I’d get home going this direction. Sure enough, the 9X was going inbound and I was able to recognize my stop this time to get back to my family friend’s house in one piece. It was a minor detour, but it certainly introduced me to Muni in an interesting way.
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