The N-Judah Chronicles

While getting caught up on news related to Our Muni, I caught two short stories that warrant a bit of discussion. Both are interesting, to say the least, and both are likely leaving some Supervisors in tears.

The first is a report that claims that fare evasion has taken a hit since last year, as Muni has stepped up fare enforcement. Now, this is a bit tricky in that, as you may recall from a discussion on this issue in 2009, Muni hadn't been keeping the kind of detailed records on fare enforcement vs. costs, leading to that misleading "bounty hunter" meme we still keep having to listen to.

That said, if more people are bothering to pay the fares they should be, instead of stealing, that's better for everyone because it means Muni is getting more of the money that it's actually owed. Now is not the time for the clucking of tongues - it's time to build on the success and expand it to more lines to make people take responsibility for themselves.

The fact that it's doing as well as it has, despite political opposition from so-called "Progressive" Supervisors like David Campos, who successfully stalled the fare enforcement plan to make people "feel better" says a lot. So-Called "Progressives" love to meddle with the SFMTA and Muni, but they never accomplish much, aside from proposals to cut the agency's funding even more than it already is. Doesn't it make more sense to have people simply pay their stupid fares so we can avoid fare increases in the future? Bueller? BUELLER?

Anyway, onwwards to some more news, this time from the San Francisco Police Department. In a report issued on Jan. 23rd, the SFPD noted the closure rate of cases related to Muni crimes (assaults, thefts, etc). and it looks like the record is pretty good. There's always room for improvement when it comes to combating violent crimes on Muni, but again, this is better than other agencies. It is interesting to note, once again, that the areas that had the most crime are represented by Supervisors who've opposed upgrades in law enforcement on Muni. To me, that is insane.

I'd love for someone to tell me how it's a San Francisco Value to allow punk kids to trash our buses and trains, or to assault people on Muni Metro platforms, and be allowed to get away with it. I simply do not understand why people on the T-line should be victims of crime (Remember all those assaults of elderly Asian Americans last year?) just because some politicians think that's acceptable behavior. It's not, and it costs all of us money, and when that happens it is those least able to afford fare and Fast Pass increases who take a bigger hit. How that's "fair" is lost on me.

However, one thing to also keep in mind is that if you must use your smartphone or MP3 player on a bus or train, you really need to be careful about it. After all, that new iPhone or Droid is worth several hundred dollars, and if you're buried in a tough Angry Birds level it's easy to not notice someone ready to take it away from you. It's best to pay attention to your surroundings, especially late at night when you might be one of a few people on a streetcar or bus. Be safe, and always, if you see something going on that shouldn't, call 911 and report it.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

In a weird bit of cosmic, um, whatever, as news spread of the allegedly drunk dude driving his SUV into the main Muni tunnel (causing a massive collective headache for all), the service provider hosting all of my blogs also encountered an unexpected problem. This left me with no way to really post, unless I wanted to use (gasp!) Tumblr, and well, like Muni, the problem sorted itself out.

This also caused my email to go out, so I'm only now reading many, many tales of woe thanks to this idiot, one of several over the years who've said "hey look Maw! A tunnel! Why I'm going to drives through it despite an array of signs saying not to! Derp!" While these stories provide some amusement, here's something that's NOT amusing - unless this bozo gets a DUI charge, whatever penalty he faces is minuscule, and won't cover the costs Muni incurred cleaning up after his mess. Thus, you have a situation where not only was yesterday's Big Fail not at all Muni's fault - now they have to pay the costs, at a time when money isn't exactly growing on trees.

If anyone at the MTA or the City had a clue, they wouldn't let this happen. At the very least, Doofus Driver should be forced to pay the MTA the full cost of his dumb-ass driving - lost fares, overtime, and more - at the very least. If we had judges or DAs that fought crime, I'd have them sentence this guy either to a real jail sentence, or better yet, force him to wear a sandwich board saying "Im the jerk that drove his SUV into the Muni Tunnel" at key N Judah stops where he'd have to face the many, many commuters whose morning he f*cked up with his foolishness. This would be an opportunity for N Judah riders to repay him the favor with civil discourse (preferably involving a tomato or rotten fruits & vegetables) as they pass this doofus by.

What would you suggest the punishment be? Come on, San Francsico! We really can't keep coddling criminals who cause problems and cost us money all the time.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Hello blog friends! I'm back from my vacation to sunny Santa Monica/Venice Beach and I have to say I'm really charged up and ready to go for 2012. This was the first vacation where I did (almost) nothing work related in ages, and let me tell ya, it was just what I needed. I spent most of my time taking photos and posting to Instagram, and will post more to Flickr soon. That will be reserved for a later post, where I'll talk about some amazing acheivements they've made in the land of the car re: transit.

For now, however, I'm soliciting people to endure but a mere email interview regarding what I call an Extreme Commute for a new feature I'd like to do. How do I describe an Extreme Commute? It can be one of many things: maybe you commute from SF via Muni to Places Elsewhere on other transit systems, or perhaps you just have one within SF that requires that ever-so-elusive series of transfers than can either make your day or ruin it. Or something else.

For example, a few years ago I had a client whom I had to be on-site for in Layfayette. It was an excellent gig, but I also had to literally be on the first N inbound every morning, to ensure I made my transfer to BART, and get to the office out there by 7:30. Since there was no bus along the main drag in Lafayette, I had to walk a little over a mile to get to the office. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining (aside from the days that it rained LOL) but it was a bit of a hustle, and it did make for one Muni or BART #FAIL to ruin my morning. (Fortunately that only happened a few times and on days when it didn't matter). The plus side was that I got at least 2 miles a day of walking in, and I had a great client who I enjoyed working for.

That's but one example. I want to tell stories about more. Please contact me via email, and let's share some stories!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 7:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

2012 marks the 100th anniversary of the San Francisco Municipal Railway, something you're sure to hear a lot about in the months ahead as various local history organizations, the City of San Francisco, and the SFMTA mark the occasion in various ways.

It's difficult for some to imagine just how radical a notion it was to create Muni back then. It was the first municipally owned transit system in the United States, with the truly radical notion that a transit system should be dedicated to serving the needs of a city's residents first, and to be a tool with which to enhance the lives of everyone.

Yes, there have been private companies that have come and gone, but their primary mission was to serve stockholders. In the post-quake years, Muni would become not just a form of transportation, but a way to encourage development in parts of the city not yet settled (particularly places like West Portal and the Sunset), and to always put the people first.

It's safe to say, we've come a long way, baby. Not always in a good way, either.

That's why we as the owners and riders of Muni need to make 2012 the year we take it back. We don't need to pitch a tent city downtown to do it, either. It is, however, critical that no matter who's in office or what the economy is like that those of us who live and/or work in San Francisco start to make this the year we did something, instead of just bitching at blogs or going to some "meeting."

For too long, many at the SFMTA, Room 200, and City Hall have been content to kill our system, either through neglect, active mismanagement, or through the endless emotional blabbering that passes for "politics" in the Enlightened City. This has not been working, and it's time for people to actively put it all in the trash.

What does this mean?

It means when you see cheap politicians running for re-election this year, cramming your mailbox with piles of junk mail, that you throw it away in the recycle bin. Instead, challenge the politicians yourself when they come to your neighborhood. Ask them why they supported huge increases in fares, and why they refuse to support reasoned and balanced solutions to Muni's perpetual funding issues. Ask them why they are happen to engage in endless rhetoric, but the sad fact is after four years in office, Muni has become worse under their watch (that is, when some of them weren't off spending your money to run for mayor). It also means you need to tell our Mayor* that while he was content to ignore Muni during his temp term in office and during the campaign, he can't do so now.

It means something else, though. When you're on a bus or streetcar, you be sure to give up a seat in the designated area to those who need it. If some youthful numbskull is too plugged into his MP3 player, remind them to do so. If you have an operator that is doing a good job, tell them so when you leave the bus. (even better, send in a note to the SFMTA for what it's worth). Take your backpack off on a crowded bus so everyone can fit in. Avoid the urge to eat that burrito. Set a good example. While I don't advocate violence (well...) if you see someone behaving badly and can't bonk 'em on the head, use that fancified phone to take a picture or video and shame them online. While it's easy for us to bitch about Muni, we have to start taking it back not just from the politicians and bureaucrats, but also from the public trolls that ruin our city for us and those who choose to visit Our Fair City.

We have a lot to feel good about our 100 year experiment - and a lot that needs to be done better and smarter. For my part, I plan on pointing out the nonsense and relying on a mix of reason, history, and investigation to do my best to help us all stay informed and to look back at the end of this year and be able to say we did something.

Happy 2012 and let's kick some ass.

PS: If you've not yet purchased a copy of the latest Muni history book, I urge you to do so at Market Street Railway Foundation's store. I got a copy for Christmas and it has a lot of interesting historical notes not covered in some of the other books, and the old photos are awesome!

PS2: On an unrelated note: I had a rather kick-ass ride on Muni last night. I was over at Stonestown and wanted to join some friends back home in the Inner Sunset. This meant taking the M to Forest Hill, then catching a bus back home. These kinds of connections can be fraught with crazy, but instead, not only did my M arrive in time for me to catch the 44, the 44 operator was one of those "kick ass" ones that got sh!t done.

She kept things moving, helped the passengers out, and when some jerk-ass double parked on 9th, she used her professional skills to asses the road situation, and passed them so we didn't get stuck at the red. Needless to say, I profusely thanked her and my friends were surprised I got there so quickly.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 5:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)