Castro Fire Contained, Service Restored
The Chronicle reports that service is back following yesterday afternoon’s fire at the Castro Station.
Fire at Castro Station (UPDATE)
Update: According to a trusted source, the problem is mechanical. Still unsure of where, or what nature. And also, the fire? Can anyone confirm?
Original post: This just in by way of text from roving Muni Diaries field reporter Eugenia Chien:
Fire at Castro Station. K, L, M lines are delayed or not running. They are advising people to take a shuttle on Van Ness. Civic Center Station a mess!
Then:
Now the F is nowhere to be found
Stay tuned for more ….
the good, the bad and the even worse
I use the bus because driving and parking sucks in a city. I complain about using the bus because it’s not as good as it should be in these parts, given the aforementioned facts about driving and parking. Sometimes, I have more complex interactions and thoughts about the bus, where I want to strangle everyone on it, but still come away glad I wasn’t too lazy to stand eye-to-eye with my fellow SF residents.
I had one of those mixed experiences on a 38-Geary recently, and am simultaneously glad, horrified and stupefied about the whole thing.
Muni Not Immune to SF Overtime Fracas
Funny, because I understand making the most of the workforce you have. And it’s understandable that Muni isn’t at full hiring capacity (who in their right minds would want that abuse, really?).
What I don’t get is why, if so many of its drivers are working overtime, there are so many half- and missing routes. Is it really that bad?
Beth Winegarner reports for The Examiner.
Learn, Muni, Learn
You can tell a lot about a system by how it adapts to failure.
I live in SF, I use both BART and Muni regularly. When they work, they’re decent. When things go wrong, it’s an N Judah-flavored apocalypse. If you’ve got an alternate, you take it. If not, you get a cab or walk. It’s a decent bus town, there’s usually a bus a few blocks away. It’ll probably show up within half an hour, and it’ll get you within half a mile, and it’s probably a nice walk anyway. Unless you’re trying to get back to the Sunset, in which case it’s more like a mile and the walk might be foggy. But anyway, there’s half a dozen good noodle places on the way, and you can bitch on your blog later if you swing thataway.
The last week, though, I’ve been staying in Zurich, and using the SVV tram system a lot. Let’s set aside incidentals like perfect adherence to schedule and good coverage and accurate ETA signs. The other day something melted down on the 11 Auzelg/Rehalp line, which runs roughly north/south along the eastern edge of central Zurich. Residential stuff out on the far-northern Auzelg end, shopping and S-Bahn connections a bit closer in, restaurants and bars towards the middle, and gradually more suburban and residential down South towards Rehalp. The nearest analog in SF would probably be the N-Judah or K-Ingleside.
Outside Lands Update: Bike It
Muni hasn’t gotten any better with providing enough transportation for big events. After last night’s Outside Lands show, Muni was jammed. As with Bay to Breakers and any Giants’ game, Muni couldn’t keep up with the crowd overflow. At least three full buses passed me without stopping. Meanwhile, people continued to flock the stops.
Muni promised extra services on the 5, 71, and N lines for the three-day event. To see the full pre- and post-concert travel schedule, including tips for best stops, visit MTA’s Outside Lands page. But there’s really no bother. I ended up walking three miles to get home.
If you’re going to the concert, the best way to travel is by bike.
-Jenny