Author: eugenia

Eugenia Chien has been eavesdropping on the 47, 49, or 1 lines since the mid-90's. She lives by the adage, "Anything can happen on Muni" (and also, "That's not water.")

‘T stands for terrible T line!!!’

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Coming on the heels of Tuesday’s Central Subway groundbreaking ceremony, here’s a gripe about another of MTA’s recent new products, the T-Third. Muni rider Frankie has the following to say:

The T Line may be the worst thing Muni has ever planned. Coming home everyday at 5pm waiting at the Carroll station can be maddening! Eight times out of ten, the train takes half an hour to forty minutes at RUSH hour! Some trains will not even stop at Carroll but will stop at Williams. Or some trains in the other direction (on the way to Bayview) will end their destination at Williams and then return downtown. Wasn’t this line suppose to be serving the Hunter’s Point/ Bayview better? This line is only serving the Bayview/Hunter’s Point symbolically. The 15 line is sorely missed. The T-line was a HUGE waste of money. Not to mention how SLOW these trains are as well. Couldn’t some of the N Judah trains continue to Sunnydale as well? SF Muni has ALWAYS been notoriously unreliable and the T-Line is the perfect example. I’m sure I am not the only one who despises the T-line.

So, T-Third riders, let’s hear it: How has Muni’s newest toy fared for you?

Category: diaries

Share the Sounds of Muni with Street Sounds

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Rider Joanna told us about a website called StreetSounds that chronicles the sound landscape of U.S. cities to a “sound map.” You can upload audio clips from your everyday life and download clips from other users.  Joanna, who does outreach for the site, also happens to be a public transit fan. “Anyone who lives in San Francisco knows that Muni is a big part of the sonic world here,” she says. In fact, one of her first uploads was a clip recorded from the 21 Hayes, she told us.

StreetSounds is an offshoot of The Smalls, an online “curator” of independent films. StreetSounds says that there will be an independent film competition based on the sounds submitted, so stay tuned for that.

I checked out the site and heard clips  of BART swooshing by, a spoon scraping the bottom of a cereal bowl, a sidewalk musician playing keyboard, and boots clicking down Jackson Street. I love the idea of an audio cross-section of the city, sort of like the Muni playlist that we did awhile back. We’ve gotten some great and always unexpected sounds from your daily Muni rides, like a Metallica singalong, mispronounced street names, and a music video incorporating the sound of an articulated 71 bus.

So what are some of your favorite sounds of your life in San Francisco, and aboard Muni? StreetSounds and Muni Diaries want to know!

Category: News Tags:

Sunday FAIL: 22-Fillmore Wheelchair Lift Busts Fire Hydrant

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Sunday’s 22-Fillmore accident is like a really bad Rube Goldberg situation. We’ve got a customer falling out of the wheelchair lift, sustaining unknown injuries, then 20 minutes later the bus lurches forward and the wheelchair lift nails a fire hydrant, lifting it off the sidewalk, hitting a Muni inspector, and flooding the area.

From SFMTA’s official statement:

At approximately 5:45 p.m., a customer exiting a 22 Fillmore electric trolley bus fell from the extended wheelchair lift of the vehicle, which was stopped (pointed southbound) on Fillmore Street at Haight Street (the northwest corner).

The customer was transported to the hospital with unknown injuries.

At approximately 6:05 p.m., the Muni bus moved forward and the wheelchair lift hit a fire hydrant and sheared it from the sidewalk.  The cause of the bus’s movement is under investigation.

The fire hydrant reportedly struck a Muni Inspector who had responded to the incident.  The Inspector was treated at the scene.

Water from the hydrant reportedly caused flooding in at least one nearby building.

The intersection of Haight/Fillmore was closed by the SFPD and Muni buses serving the 6 Parnassus, 71 Haight-Noriega and 22 Fillmore were re-routed around the affected area.

Per normal procedure, the Muni Operator will be placed on non-driving status and tested for drugs and alcohol.

The scene cleared and regular Muni service was restored at 7:35 p.m.

Matt Baume and Eve Batey at SFAppeal put together a great report on the incident, complete with a slideshow (above). Someone from the city was handing out claim forms to people who own buildings or stores in the area, Matt reports.

Category: News Tags: ,

Ladies Waiting for Muni, Be Warned: Pickup Artist Bootcamp this Saturday

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Jim Herd from San Francisco Citizen sent us this warning that “day time dating expert” Jeremy Soul is holding a one-day Pickup Artist Bootcamp this Saturday, when they will go out on the streets and find some hot ladies in the Union Square area. Specifically, the advertisement suggests that the smooth talkers find themselves a hot date on Muni.

Yeah. You read that right. More from Jim:

All right, here’s the elevator pitch for Saturday’s workshop. And, oh yes, “tram” is English English for MUNI.

“Find a HOT Date next time you’re on the Tram! Find out how.

Modern men lead such fast paced urban lifestyles they don’t have time to go out after work and meet women. Through a combination of classroom and in-field training, men can learn the latest skills and techniques to meet, attract and date beautiful women in any setting during the day – all in about 8 hours!

“Meeting women in daytime environments, aka Day Game, is scary to most men. But Jeremy Soul and his elite team of Day Game coaches have spent years learning this skill and can teach it to you.”

(Read more about this on SFCitizen, including a link to Jeremy Soul’s promo video. At your own risk, ok?)

Oh “Pickup Artists.” That is so…2005. According to SF Citizen, the classes are $1500 per person. The classes look like they are only for hetero males (yes, ladies, lucky us). When a reporter joined Jeremy Soul for one of his day time bootcamps, Mr. Soul reportedly charmed a woman on the street by commenting on her “smooth skin.” Creepy!

I wonder what Mr. Soul would say about this pickup line:

“Is your shirt expensive? Because you look so hot in it, I would totally rip it off of you right now, and I would totally replace it, if it’s not too expensive.”

True story. Someone actually used this pickup line on me and I nearly peed my pants in delight thinking about retelling it to my girlfriends. And this Saturday, ladies, you’ll have the same opportunity. If you spot any of the Pickup Artists Bootcampers, be sure to tell us about it. I can hardly wait.

Category: diaries, Funny: Muni LOLs, News

Fare Inspector Holds Passport and Frisks (update with SFMTA comments)

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New Passport
Photo by Flickr user Cold Cream Coffee

While things are looking apocalyptic for Muni, Muni rider Bill sent us a disturbing account of a fare inspection. Here’s what Bill wrote:

At about 6 p.m. tonight (2/1), I listened to a fare inspector on the 8x (bus #6238) ask a rider for his pass. Then the inspector asked him for ID. Once the man produced an Irish passport, the inspector then wanted to know where the man lived in San Francisco and how long he had been in this country. And then, while still holding on to his passport, she headed for the door with instructions that he follow. As the bus pulled away, she had started to pat the guy down.

Can a fare inspector request ID and hold onto it while they question and pat you down? The whole thing just didn’t seem kosher.

This sounds horrible. Positively Draconian. Did anyone else reading this see this go down? Surely a complaint can be lodged, with route, bus number, time of day, description of the POP officer in question. 311. We’ve sent questions to SFMTA for their official word on what fare inspectors can and cannot do, so stay tuned as we update this post.

We got in touch with SFMTA’s public relation officer Kristen Holland, who said that a fare inspector can ask to see your ID “for the purpose of writing a citation.” However, “The transit fare inspectors are not authorized to search Muni customers or their personal belongings.”

Another update from SFMTA: So far they have received no official complaint regarding this incident.

Category: diaries, WTF: Weirdness on Muni Tags:

Missed Connection: Work From Home Muni Girl

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MUNI Note
Photo by Flickr user revger

Photog “revger” snapped this picture on the shelter of a streetcar stop. The anonymous Muni Romeo said:

Work from home Muni Girl,
I should have asked you to join me for tea! Raincheck? (followed by phone number politely blurred by revger)

Yeah, you should have! Hope you got in touch with her, Muni Romeo.

Got another missed opportunity on Muni that you’d like to reclaim? Muni Diaries is here to help.

Category: diaries, Funny: Muni LOLs, Photos
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