The N-Judah Chronicles

Seriously. Now, I give Newsom a hard time, but that's primarily because he kinda sold himself as the idea guy and the good manager guy. So when he has done things that are cuckoo bananas, it's more a disappointment that's frustrating when I'm stuck waiting for the N than anything else.

And, while I do enjoy penning a good rant now and then, I've always tried to round up the latest news and try and put things into a more long term view, and offer solutions. Even if they're soundly hated by progressives and others, like my idea to pre-sell in bulk FastPasses to anyone enrolled at any place of higher education*.

So I have no doubt any email I send to Hizzoner will be sent to the Windows Recycle Bin, I figure, why not? All I can promise my fellow Muni owners is that I'd make sure the MTA puts the owners first, and the shenanigans last. That probably ensures I won't get picked, but hey, being on the MTA board would cut into my LOST watching time....

Seriously - go apply! If nothing else, have fun with it. Just email Mr. Mayor at gavin.newsom@sfgov.org!

*This idea was proposed before Translink was widely available, so yeah, I know. But guaranteed bulk sales at just CCSF, UCSF, USF, and SFSU alone would be a large, guaranteed monthly income, and when you do bulk sales, you can do a discount (that's how Wal-Mart does it) and still make some cash.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 4:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So, it seems that folks in Sacramento are patting each other on the back about how they got some bill passed that would restore gas tax money to transit agencies around the state, including Muni.

Now, recall that the state raid on said gas tax money (which voters said should go 80% to roads and 20% to transit) was ruled totally freakin' illegal by the courts. Stealing is usually against the law.

To put it another way - if someone robs you of your iPhone on Muni they're breaking the law and aren't supposed to do that.

No matter, this isn't the theft of an iPhone, this is theft committed by the state so they get away with it.

Anyway.

So sure, Muni got mugged (as did every road and transit agency in the state). But today's news is no real cause for celebration. You see, they're passing a new law to make the state obey the law it broke, and restore a little bit of the eleventy billion dollars they stole already.

Put another way, a new law was passed to make the thief follow that already existing "thou shall not steak f*cking iPhones on Muni" law, and sure, they're returning your iPhone - only after they broke the glass, f*cked up your iTunes music collection, and loaded it up with lame apps.

Feel free to exclaim WTF if you must, but hold on, it gets better.

The Governor isn't sure he'll sign it into law. Because, being the mugger, he's "not sure" it's a good idea.

Even though the State Supreme Court said to not do so is breaking the law he's sworn to uphold

[Insert Stewart-esque Speechless Face in Hands Moment Here]

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Posted by Greg Dewar at 7:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

-$60, if you only wanted to ride the bus, the Metro, the cable car, or an express bus, and

-$70, if you wanted to ride the bus, the Metro, the cable car, an express bus, and BART within the city (the BART fare was previously included in the cost of a Fast Pass).

This "compromise" was designed to give you the illusion that you could "save money" if you didn't think you'd be riding a BART anywhere within city limits. However, several problems came up in the process:

-Many retailers would run out of the $60 passes, so you either had to leave and find another, or pony up the $70, regardless;

-It was recently revealed that Translink users who loaded a Fast Pass on their cards not only were being automatically re-upped at the higher level, but now, many machines downtown (which you must use if you've got a Commuter Card benefit) were not allowing for the $60 option;

-And of course, the inevitable confusion and the hassles at BART gates when people didn't realize what they'd done by picking the $60 pass.

All in all, it was a way to give out the illusion of "opting out" of something you don't use. That really doesn't make any sense, because a transit system is not a buffet which you pick and choose - it's a comprehensive system with different modes of transit that when, properly managed, all work together to create an efficient system.

But then came today's epic FAIL of a vote by an ineffective MTA board led by a former politician from the suburbs. NOW, we have the following system, whereby the cost has been raised to:

-$60, which allows you to only ride the bus, or Metro and;

-$70, which now allows you to ride the bus, the Metro, the cable car, an express bus, and BART within the city, and ride the Express buses. (Otherwise you'll have to pay a $5 premium for the cable car and the Express buses) (source: SFMTA twitter account).

Really? And they're cutting service 10% and making Night Owl service a once an hour joke? REALLY?

The MTA bureaucrats who came up with this plan should be ashamed of themselves. They're essentially raising the price of a useful Muni Pass that used to cost $55 to $70, all the while giving off the illusion that they really only raised the cost of a pass by $5. By removing most of the things we'd been getting (like better service, and being able to use BART and Cable Cars and Express buses), they've made the lower cost pass a useless joke.

The MTA should have been more honest and either raised the cost of the stupid pass to $70 (so they don't have to print multiple kinds of passes and f*ck up Translink) or split the difference and raised it to $65. To do so with these Calvinball like rules, all the while of course subsidizing drivers of private cars, and subsidizing other departments with Muni money that others called shenanigans on, is flat out bullshit.

Don't even get me started on how confusing the tourist options have become. That's a whole other game of Calvinball!

NOTE! Was there a better way to balance the budget without cutting service, and all the other lame-ass ways the MTA chose to go? Yes there was - SPUR took the time the MTA didn't to come up with a better budget which you can read about over here, in PDF format.

Did the MTA even bother to look at it or listen? Hell no! Of course not. That would mean they'd be responsible managers of the Muni system we own. Epic FAIL.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

The irony of this, along with a string of accidents and other big ol' fails, on the eve of a vote Friday where (surprise) the MTA will vote to jack up fares and cut Muni service 10% or more, is not lost on me. Remember all those "hearings" where people poured out their hearts and their ideas to help Muni? Well they were pretty much for show, as I predicted, and the MTA could give two fraks what you or I think.

Obviously, this has many people worried, and Dave Snyder, formerly of SPUR, is organizing a new group to give you, the owner of Muni, a stronger voice. For now, they've got a temporary site at muniriders.org where you can join an email list and find out how you might get involved. I don't know a lot of the details, but as I find them out, I'll pass them on. Remember, we are the owners, but we have to act like owners now, and not just buy in to whatever snake oil interest groups or politicians peddle to us.

Speaking of spin, as we all know, the TWU operators rejected some proposed changes to pension rules and such, but it's also becoming clear that many operators didn't have the proposal explained properly to them. Several that I talked to in an informal poll basically confirmed that, and had many questions that never got answered, and regretted their vote, once they realized the effects of that vote.

To say this is the latest in a string of PR blunders for TWU would be an understatement, and the leadership didn't seem to understand the tense climate they're now operating in. That is, until I heard the news they hired Eric Jaye to provide consulting services for TWU.

Needless to say, this is important - Jaye is one of the better strategists out there, and if there's a campaign battle to be fought, well, he's one of the guys you'd want on your side and not on the others. (Full disclosure - 2 years ago I worked as a contractor for Mr. Jaye's company, but do not do so now, nor will I in the near future I'd imagine. However, having seen his work, all I can say is he's a hell of a lot smarter than I or most in that line of work).

Finally, something fun: the Inner Sunset Facebook Group folks are having one of their famous bar meet ups at Yancy's on Thursday at 8pm. These events are fun and Yancy's is literally right in front of the N outbound stop on Irving and 9th, so why not stop by if you can?

And, if you want to express your solidarity with your fellow Muni owners, why not buy one of our many products this week? Zazzle currently has a 22% discount if you buy 2 items in one order (use code TWOTWENTYTWO when checking out), and will also offer you $5 off your next order if you send in a picture of yourself with your purchased items! Check out the Zazzle.com site for details.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 4:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Starting today, the Department of Public Works will begin work making several improvements to Irving Street, between 4th and 9th Avenues. The intent is to improve pedestrian safety with "bulb-outs" at several points, and build curb ramps in several locations. I've got a call in to DPW to get a bit more of an idea of exactly how this will all look (They kindly returned my call, but I was unavailable, so we're in "phone tag" mode right now), but I'd heard about this idea for some time, and it's designed to make that busy section of Irving better for everyone.

I did find out one thing - the work, which will last about 2 months or so, shouldn't have much of an impact on the N-Judah or traffic like some were thinking. The only real hassle will be the loss of some street parking as the crews work on each intersection.

When I get more information from DPW, I'll update this post accordingly!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 1:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

YIKES!

I turned off The Internet for the evening on Friday to enjoy the beginning of Strong Beer Week at 21st Amendment, and after a few hours looked on Twitter only to find out there's a big sinkhole under the tracks on the N Judah. WTF? Fortunately the SF Appeal was on the case while I took a few hours off from blogging.

This is a particularly bad time for something like this to happen - they're going to have to conduct this repair when they were supposed to be finishing off the L-Taraval upgrades (which were delayed due to rainy weather). And, there is going to be some real pain and suffering on Monday, and for the forseeable future as they round up buses to pick up the slack for the broken train tracks. One can only imagine just how difficult that's going to be, and I don't forsee this getting fixed any time soon.

This all comes right after an announcement that Mun drivers, who have been getting the crap kicked out of them as they've been singled out as The Only Reason Muni Has Problems, are agreeing to some concessions that will reduce service cuts. Hmm.

While I've been no fan of TWU (hey read the archives), the endless amount of driver-baiting (while ignoring the big pay of management and SEIU employees, or the "work orders" and state looting of Muni) isn't exactly helping now that we're going to need more people driving buses on the affected portion of the N for at least 2 weeks. However, I'd suggest this - Muni operators can show San Francisco they're here for us in a time of crisis by knocking off with the "don't show up to work unannounced" BS, and step up and help those living in the affected area get to work at a reasonable time. That action would speak louder than a 1000 words out of a politician or union boss's mouth, and I think we'd all appreciate it.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

What with some pretty major failures every day of the week, with Newsom's "War on Muni" in full effect, and an MTA Board ruthlessly committed to carry out that war on us owners and riders of Muni (with one exception, thank God), this was a week that really shows just what's wrong with the system, and why we need people to change it.

It's clear that the Mayor isn't just indifferent to Muni owner/riders, he and his overpaid political staff are on a jihad to ruin the system as much as possible before he (finally) leaves office next year. The fatwa was issued several times via his shadowy staff and the clerics at the MTA board, with a zeal only a radical could love.

MTA commissioners have been bullied into not even considering revoking all the freebies cars get in the City, and absolutely refuses to consider real revenue replacements for the Sacramento mugging committed by the Governor. Instead they want to drive this system into the ground and make you pay the penalties in time and money. One has to begin to wonder if Newsom gets some sort of personal gratification for this policy of destruction, the kind you can only correct through years of psychotherapy or at kink.com

But all was not lost. The heroes at MuniFail.com gave us a new tool to express our will, although the Mayor's expensive political spokesman basically said "FU" in the Chronicle this morning. Never mind - at least now we can quantify how much the Mayor hates Muni owner riders!

There were a few bright spots. We had a possible chance to end a foolish waste of federal dollars, but in the end, despite the heroics of Chris Daly (!) the project passed, for now. There's still a chance this will end in ether money for all Bay area transit operators or just plain tears, but I give credit to Daly and the others at the MTC who voted "no" for sticking by their beliefs, despite union and politician bullying.

Other bright spots included a new app to catalog your day in Muni, and a break from all that rainy weather. Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi took over this week as SFCTA chair, and we got to see some historical photos of what the place known as the Blackthorn today from back in 1950.

I'm taking the rest of the day off, but I'll be posting some new business reviews, and some new features this weekend. Until then, I'm on Twitter at @njudah and the N Judah Chronicles has a Facebook "Fan Page" (!) also. Many times as breaking news comes from multiple sources (be they the Twitteratti of San Francisco, or our friends at SF Appeal, SF Weekly, Streetsblog, and the myriad of transit bloggers out there), I will first break it on Twitter, and write a post later. Have a great weekend!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

The application is the work of Aaron Tait, a programmer living in West Portal. I have been trying out the application and it's simple, but an easy way to jot down notes in a Muni-specific fashion. I've often used the iPhone's Notepad for short notes but this one is kinda cool.

Plus, I see how one could extend this application, and connect it to other apps some day, etc. If nothing else it's fun to use.

I did a quick email interview with Aaron this afternoon, and asked him a few questions about his latest work, after the jump:

Continue reading "Need to Document Muni Fails, Fights, Wins or Fun? There's An App for That: Muni Diary!" »

Posted by Greg Dewar at 4:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

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Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Given how much is going on these days, what with a disastrous N and J Muni FAIL yesterday, the accident this morning, Supervisor Sean Elsbernd's recent proposals on Charter amendments, and Sup. Mirkarimi's appointment to chair the SFCTA (on which Mr. Elsbernd also serves), as well as the myriad of topics facing our area, there should be plenty to discuss.

The event is sponsored by the Inner Sunset Park Neighbors, and meet your neighbors. Should be interesting!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

UPDATE: For more posts relating to this subject, check out this roundup at Living in the O, and tell the MTC you'd like to see those federal dollars spent better. Given that BART's about to announce more cuts, this is a chance to "un-screwup" transit in the Bay Area for once.

Hey! All this week you can get 15% off T-shirts and other items at any Zazzle store or at the N Judah Chronicles store using the code ZAZZLEFORYOU. Offer ends Feb. 3rd!

Over the weekend I got an email from Rebecca at Living in the O about a situation (also reported by Eric at Transbay Blog) about a rather odd situation developing regarding $70 million in federal funds floating around the Bay, and how there may be a chance to rescue said federal cash from a rather useless, expensive project, and distribute it to cash strapped agencies to pay for much needed maintenance.

Basically, the much maligned BART Oakland Airport Connector, a $70 million "bridge to nowhere" style project hasn't been meeting certain federal guidelines to be able to accept the federal cash. If BART doesn't get its act together and have said report signed, sealed and delivered by March 5th, said $70 million leaves the Bay Area for elsewhere. Normally, citizens would be in the position of taking federal cash (and the jobs it might provide) for a bad project, or seeing said cash go to some other state or region.

However, there's a silver lining. The Metropolitian Transportation Commission can vote this week to have the cash re-allocated to maintenance projects for Muni, BART, AC Transit and other looted transit agencies. Under the rules, this money cannot be used for big pay for anyone, only actual maintenance projects.

This would be a good thing in a time of budget crapola. Personally, I think that if we're going to see the feds spend money, the least they can do is spend it on something that might actually be of use, instead of blowing out the deficit for something that doesn't help.

If you're interested in this issue and would like to see a minimizing of budget silliness in the Bay Area, you can email the MTC and let them know what you think, or if you can attend the meeting on Wednesday, January 27th, you can do that or listen in via the MTC website. (As always these things are during the day which makes it very difficult for people to attend in person). Incidentally, Sup. Chris Daly serves on the MTC Board, so you could always email him if you so choose.

This isn't a cure-all, but it'd be nice to see more Muni trains in working order, and see things like tracks being repaired and buses in operation, versus seeing some Disney-esque, expensive, goofball project hog all the money.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 5:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

There's quite a lot going on these days, what with all sorts of Muni mayhem, crime this and that, and plenty more going on. Now, you have a chance to have your concerns addressed in person by Supervisor Sean Elsbernd. Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, and SFPD Chief George Gascon at a town hall meeting on January 21st, just one week from today.

The event is sponsored by the Inner Sunset Park Neighbors, and you'll have chance to talk about current events and your views on what's going on in Our Fair City. In the past, these kinds of events have actually turned out to be quite informative so try and stop by if there's something you'd like the electeds or our police chief to hear about. You can even RSVP via Facebook if you prefer.

The meeting starts at 7pm and will be held at the SF County Fair Building, just inside the park at 9th and Lincoln. Sounds like it'll be fun!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 4:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

Note: I got a guest spot at the SF Weekly blog, The Snitch this week! Check it out! It addresses some of the silly stuff the Board of Supervisors is considering.

If you're not already aware of the iminent trashing of Muni by its own board of directors, you might want to read some of the detailed coverage so you can at least be prepared if they go through to just expect crappy, expensive service. SF Streetsblog has done a good job researching the dirty detailis, and other blogs have neatly summarized the proposal as well.

I'll simply add this - the cynicism of this Mayor truly knows no bounds. He made a point of not mentioning anything Muni related in his lastet "State of the City" speech, saying at the time that his political aides from his failed gubernatorial run told him "not to." Then they release these cuts to service late on Friday so no one would notice it. BraVO, "Mayor" Newsom. BraVO.

More importantly, the MTA board (appointed by Mayor Football Bat) apparently has a mental block on considering anything BUT service cuts and fare increases. The Mayor refuses to make auto owners pay their fair share for using the roads, and the MTA board refuses to consider any other sources of money. We cannot make up the giant hole created by the state with more parking fines, beating on Muni drivers, and cutting service and jacking up costs. This new proposal will pretty much ensure that smug green San Francisco will have a worse transit system than that in most Third World nations.

If you can make it to the meeting tomorrow, show up and let the MTA board know that you, as one of the hundreds of thousands of owners of Muni that you're not satisfied with their performance, and you're tired of their mismanagement costing you time and money.

If you can't (because they insist on holding this during business hours when most of us are at work), write a lot of emails or letters to everyone: Supervisors, the "Mayor," the MTA Board, and even the dead tree papers. Whether it will help or not remains to be seen, but even if the fools at City Hall are intent on making Muni even worse, we can at least give them a hard time about it.

As for me, an idea I'd thought about last month is starting to take on a new life. In 2010, we're going to have a lot of folks running for office, all of whom will be stuffing your mailbox with a lot of junk mail saying how great they are. I've decided to create a "candidate questionnaire," with the results posted here for everyone to see. We'll find out who knows and who doesn't know about getting around town these days, and we'll have something besides pretty pictures and empty rhetoric to judge them by.

UPDATE: If you want to see just how far out of touch the MTA leadership is, go read this piece by Nathaniel Ford and Tom Nolan. The sheer amount of doublespeak they use in this thing boggles the mind. They basically say "every thing is fine, don't worry, and oh yeah I guess we might have a problem, but oh well what can you do we're still doing great."

Remember that when we have one of our weekly downtown tunnel failwhale regattas. More importantly, if you ever wanted evidence that MTA Board members lie, this is an example. Tom Nolan admitted to SF Streetsblog that they pretty much do whatever the Mayor says, and if the Mayor says "loot Muni and screw Muni owners" then they do it. So which is it, Mr. Nolan?

UPDATE 2: The Market Street Railway people write a very informative letter going over the history of the F-Market Line, and point out how this won't be the cash jackpot the MTA's boneheaded staff think it will be, and how Muni is essentially contradicting the Transit Effectiveness Project's report, and every statement they've said about the F Market Line in the first place. This was a point made in yesterday's SF Weekly too.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Unlike other city departments, Muni's operators don't negotiate pay every few years - they have a formula that sets their compensation. Essentially it ensures they get paid some of the highest salaries in the nation, while also ensuring that Muni drivers can never go on strike. The idea was to ensure labor peace, as opposed to the risk of strikes, like we saw last year at BART. This was done at a time when no one could forsee just how crap-tacular our economy and government would tank, so it seemed like a good idea.

It is very easy to put all the blame on Muni's financial problems soley on drivers since they're the ones people see every day. Why, we even have politicians, who in the past never gave a damn about Muni, coming up with Yet More Ballot Measures to grab headlines, but who are the same ones who supported the looting of Muni in the first place.

However, these grandstanding moves don't address the whole picture. Muni had a big hole punched in its revenue stream by the state of California's illegal shell game budgets, and no one locally has a plan to replace that with a reliable local revenue source. Instead, the plan has been to drive up fares, and drastically cut service. Yesterday's blog post had a few links to some great summaries of how we really got here, and are worth keeping in mind. Let's not forget there's the little discussed detail about how lavishly management and SEIU members are paid at Muni - but since we don't see them every day, no one talks about that...hmm.

What TWU doesn't seem to appreciate, though, is that the lack of public support for them right now isn't because the public is made up of hateful people who want to force drivers to slave away for 10 bucks an hour with no benefits and regular beatings. They've brought on the pain they're experiencing all on their own. Let's make a quick list:

- Arbitrarily turning the N at 19th or Sunset , stranding Outer Sunset passengers;

-Going to court to prevent the public from knowing who the "worst of the worst" are;

- Coming on my blog and telling owner/riders to "get a damn car" after being criticized for an illegal labor action that screwed the morning commute;

-Rampant absenteeism that screws over schedules, drives up costs, and even fellow bus drivers;

- Using the PA system to attack people,

- Never giving any help to the truly GOOD men and women who actually care about their job well.

(You can find more examples in the NJC Archives for added fun.)

Like so many people at all levels of City government, Muni, the MTA and many people who work there seem to have forgotten that we're the true owners of Muni, not them. We are the ones they are supposed to be the beneficiaries of the system they've been entrusted to manage and operate. We are weary of recession, unemployment, barely-employment, and the constant threat of job losses no matter how hard we work.

We're constantly asked to pay more for less service, and we are always the ones taking it in the pocketbook, while we see high pay for executives and a Mayor who steals money from safety inspectors to pay for expensive political hacks. When we've had another day delayed to incompetence or cuts, and get treated like crap by the people who work for us, we're not going to be very sympathetic to them as a group, no matter what the facts are.

They just know that they're asked to pay more and get less at a time when they can't afford it. If the do-nothings around town sucking down big pay at our expense don't wake up soon, people will find a way to ensure they do, and it won't be pleasant. It might not result in the best policy, possible, but people will find a way to at least feel that the pain is being spread around a bit more evenly.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

So I guess the thing all the "cool" hipster blogs are doing to discuss the impending Muni Permanent Embedded FAIL that starts tomorrow is to write these f*cking "eulogies" for various bus lines. Oh, how cute.

Me, I'm not having any of it. I think our friend Akit has the right idea, pointing out that we're on the eve of a major meltdown on Monday, and it isn't going to be pretty. This isn't the time for mushy nostalgia pieces best saved for the school paper - this is time to get organized.

We have a Mayor and an MTA boss who celebrate these deep cuts as "efficiencies" with doublespeak that would make Airstrip One's MiniTru blush. We have a compliant press who has mis-represented what's happening tomorrow by repeating said truisms. We have a Board of Supervisors who celebrate big big increases in Fast Pass costs for most of us as "keeping fares low" (thanks for nothing, Sup. Avalos and your so-called "progressive" pals!) that boggle the mind.

And we have a laughable attempt by the head of the Muni driver's union to show solidarity with us owners, only to find he's just as full of shit as he's always been. (Hey buddy, check out how your rampant random absenteeism screwed riders of the 71, mmkay?)

I don't have an exact plan or answer about what to do, but I do know this - rampant bitching on blogs here and elsewhere will only get us so far. It boggles the mind that the bike people pretty much get whatever they want, including city funding for the monthly Critical Mass ride, but those of us who own Muni and rely on it to get around town and do what we want to do are ignored. Mayor Football Bat sucks up and subsidizes car travel and talks big about bikes, but hasn't missed a chance to screw Muni riders since he took office. So-called "progressives" talk mushy mouthed happy talk about green this or that, but have proven rather useless as they always always capitulate to power in a tough fight. (Lookin' at you, Mr. Chiu.)

At some point, I think we're all going to have to take a little responsibility and find a way to retake the power away from the bumbling idiots at City Hall and find a better way to run Muni. I have no idea what form that would take, but then again, I'm just a FastPass payin' owner, not someone being paid 300,000 a year plus lifetime benefits, either. All I know is that this half-assed way the MTA is run is NOT WORKING, and anyone defending it needs their head examined.

In the meantime I'm setting up a post for Monday that will be where you can report any and all massive FAILs for the morning commute...

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Well if you haven't heard on The Twitter or elsewhere, word via SF Appeal is that the stabbing suspect from yesterday was captured on the N Judah today. The Examiner has also confirmed the story and SFist has more links to coverage also.

Let's be glad no one was stabbed on the N Judah, and that yesterday's victim also makes a full recovery, as well as anyone who's been injured due to Muni crime. We've got a long way to go before this problem goes away, so let's keep the employees accountable.

And those who make jokes about Muni safety (aka "Football Bat" Daly) need to STFU.

UPDATE: Speaking of "Football Bats," Mayor Newsom just issued a press release. Whee.

Hey, Gavin, maybe if you'd cared about this, no one woulda been stabbed in the first place!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

So today was the Big Day for that Board of Supervisors hearing on Muni Crime. Predictably, mainstream outlets focused primarily on the individual incidents people spoke to in public comment, while Streetsblog put more of a focus on what the SFPD and the MTA were promising, and other outlets provided their take on the proceedings. You can also watch the show at the SFGOV TV website.

Between these, and others, you can get a good idea of what was discussed at the meeting, and you can download the SFPD presentation and read for yourself some rather interesting statistics about the most crime ridden lines and some proposed ways to more effectively deal with Muni safety. Some of it is really interesting!

Now, let's note a couple of things - the Deputy Police Chief who's tasked with things like Muni safety has only been in office about a week so to be fair, he's new (having been appointed by Chief Gascon). Also, reading at least of these solutions fall in to the "No Duh" category. (Really? Putting a real police presence on Muni deters crime? Don't wave around your iPod or iPhone in public? Who told?).

It's at least promising that someone decided to take a look at statistics and determine where best to put police in the pilot program in the Ingleside police station's part of town to better use resources. Although, as a friend of mine pointed out, as more and more SFPD officers no longer live in SF itself, there are fewer off duty officers riding the bus home who used to be able to respond to incidents too. Interesting.

However, we can read all these Big Plans, and we can have the Board of Supervisors use their (limited) role in pressuring the MTA, Muni and the SFPD to do some actual fighting of crime and ensuring of safety, we have to remember how we got here in the first place. Remember, "Mayor" Newsom was looting the MTA budget for the SFPD, and yet somehow crime was going up on Muni, and down citywide.

During that futile fight over the MTA budget, when it was revealed how much money was going to the SFPD(and other departments), with no agreement between the MTA and the SFPD about how this was going to work. People started to take a second look at this massive transfer of cash, and try and get some accountability so at least the MTA would get something for its money. Fair enough

Due to the byzantine way we run the MTA (you can vote on your neighbor's marriage rights but not for anyone directly in charge of the MTA besides our "Mayor"), it's not easy for any elected officials to intervene to try and do something.

So while yesterday's hearing was helpful in illustrating the challenges we the owners face when we use Our Muni, and it did make the SFPD disclose what they say they're going to do, the hearing was not an end in itself, but instead a first step. Frankly, it'll be up to us to keep an eye out and if things don't improve, it'll be up to us (as owners) to tell our employees (elected officials, the MTA, the SFPD) to shape up. At least now we'll have something we can hold them to, whereas before we had nothing.

And, now a note about the hearing that every news outlet, except the Examiner, missed. Reporter Mike Aldax noted the other day that during the hearing one of the committee members was not participating. Instead that member was conducting partisan political attacks on the taxpayer's dime...on Facebook. That Supervisor was of course, Chris Daly, someone we once actually liked and defended back in the day.

I think you need no better example of a dereliction of duty than this latest outrage. He lies in his Facebook updates (the SFCTA cannot run Muni directly and can only administer specific plans with Prop. K sales tax money). He was more interested in throwing an online temper tantrum than actually being productive on an issue that affects everyone, even people in his own district. Some "champion of the people." Naturally, he has nothing to say, despite being on the SFCTA board and Board of Supervisors longer than Sup. Dufty. Naturally, he has never done anything, as Supervisor or a SFCTA board member to enhance Muni, and offers nothing now, despite the evidence this is a problem. Big Surprise.

But why act like such a goofus? That's because he wanted to be SFCTA chair, but one of his own progressive allies voted for Dufty, ensuring Daly lost. That pretty much says it all. Rather than one-up Dufty with a better way to fix Muni, he'd rather lazily post crap on Facebook.

News Flash, "Supervisor" Daly, and "Mayor" Newsom - the two of you are about as useful as a football bat right now, and yet both of you have plenty of time left in office. The people of SF would be willing to forget all of your political shenanigans if you spend the remaining time in office doing something that makes a positive difference in our daily lives, instead of governing by press release and public temper tantrum. If you really don't feel like doing the job, then please quit, tend to your out-of-town interests, and let the adults take over. We'll all be better off.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 7:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

That's not to make light of such incidents - why just the other night a Friend of the N Judah Chronicles was minding her own business on a bus, when a fight broke out and it spilled over, resulting in her getting an injury to her hand. That sucks, and we hope she makes a full recovery ASAP.

However, it's time to get past the press/blog freakout about the Latest Incident, and start getting something done about this in a more systemic way.

Fortunately, I had the chance to speak to my friend Boe Hayward, who works for Supervisor (and mayoral candidate) Dufty. He told me about Sup. Dufty's hearing on Monday, November 23rd on Muni crime. The hearing will begin at 11am and is in Room 250 at City Hall.

What makes this hearing stand out is that they're actively asking any Muni rider who's either been the victim of, or witness to, any form of crime to speak out. If you can attend, you can email Boe and let him know you'll be attending. They're putting the public comments at the beginning of the hearing, so you don't have to sit through the entire meeting to have your say.

Remember, the SFPD insisted Muni pay a lot in "work orders," claiming they did all sorts of work on Muni. However, as overall crime has gone down in San Francisco, Muni crime has actually gone up. The point of the hearing will be to give the public a chance to speak out, and for Supervisors and others to ask the SFPD about their plans to increase patrols on buses, and so on.

Also, I'd like to add this - I know that Sup. Dufty is running for Mayor, and I know that there are the cynical types that will simply say he's "using" the Muni issue as a hook to run for mayor and blow off this kind of hearing as meaningless theater.

I'd like to suggest otherwise. First of all, anyone staking a political future on anything Muni related is taking a Hell of a risk, and it's not like running around saying "care not cash" which was infinitely easier to "accomplish." More importantly, Dufty is willing to do something with his time in office to at least try and make things better. I can't say the same for the current Mayor, most of the MTA board, and many so-called Supervisors.

Is he the magician that can make it all better? No. But before anyone starts getting their SF-Style judgement on, let's try and work with him, and anyone who is willing to try, instead of just bitch on blogs and comment sections at the Gate. And, let's hold him and others accountable too. We win in the end.

In the end, we own Muni, and as owners, we need to demand better. These folks work for us, not vice versa!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

You have got to be kidding me.

I put off turning on the machine for an hour or so, and suddenly on Twitter I read up on a derailment at West Portal (again) and a J-Church/car collision this morning. Reports from our friends indicate the bus replacements for the KLM are insufficient, and that owner/riders are being told that the KLM lines are ending at Van Ness.

Twitter friend @wirelesschunk posted this picture of the chaos at West Portal, and this one as well. Twitterer @albertpoon got a shot of one of the (few) replacement buses.

This isn't the only report we're getting, Twitter friends @tangobaby reported problems with the N this morning and @soleilune reports the N was terminating at Hillway (!) for some unknown reason.

Wow.

Right about now is when I'd insert a "wouldn't it be great if we had a Mayor" wisecrack, but we all know Mayor Newsom has checked out. The problem is, NO ONE is in charge, and NO ONE is paying attention, and the result is you are going to see your Fast Passes and fares go up, and see not only service cut back, but see this kind of disaster on a weekly basis. To which I can only say WTF?

I'll be keeping an eye on Twitter, you can always send me a message at @njudah or email any on the scene pics to gregdewar@gmail.com .

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)

Yesterday I got this email from Reader C (who wishes to remain anonymous) about a rather troubling incident on the N that raises some serious questions about what a driver can and cannot do.

Dear NJC:

I was walking down Filmore just by the N Judah, when I witnessed an assult on a girl, she was punched pretty hard; I latter saw her face - it was not a nice sight. My cell phone was at home charging and the first person I saw was an N Judah driver getting into his car; he had a blue tooth headset so I knew he had a phone. I asked him to call 911 and he told me it was not his job, I was horrified, and I said you got to be kidding me, we got into a small argument and his supervisor came over. They both repeated it is not part of their job, I said words to the effect of "we live in a society and you have a moral obligation". To which they laughed at me; I left as the couple that hit the girl were getting further away, as it happens I found the police at Safeway and they arrested the pair.

I understand that MUNI have a hard job but am I wrong in thinking that there is a duty to call 911 when some one asks? What sort of people are they?

Anway as this happened 20 minutes ago I am still a little upset and so thought NJudah Chronicles would be the best people to email, was this a good representation of the drivers who take us to and from work everyday?

In a follow up email, he mentioned that the driver in question refused to give their number to him, although he noted the date and time, etc. He also noted that he's a 20 year owner/rider of Muni, and generally likes the service, but is rightfully annoyed when this kind of thing happens. (Muni, this is someone who's a longtime fan and this is how you treat 'em? Brilliant).

This kind of "not my job" attitude, in a situation where a 911 call would not have caused the driver any harm, just pisses people off, and rightfully so. If the driver was being assaulted or robbed, and asked one of us owner/riders to call 911, should we simply say "hey, not my job?"

I don't think so. In this case, it seems the police were able to handle it anyway, but again, would it have killed anyone to make a simple call.

Muni drivers need to take note - yes we understand you have a tough job, and yes we understand you're not all jerks. But so long as you generally treat the owner/riders (we are not customers, dammit) with this kind of disdain, watch what happens when upcoming budget cuts threaten your livelihood.

Those people you show such contempt for might return the favor. And no one wins in the end.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 7:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

By now most people know about the upcoming weekends of whimsy on the N Judah Bus, and by now, most people know about the upcoming Really Big Cuts to Service that start in December. All as you pay more, of course. Whee.

However, few are aware of just how much worse 2010 is going to be if someone(s) don't step in and figure out a way to stop the death spiral that Muni started a while back, and continued during a year of crashes, and other mishaps. That's all common knowledge - what is not is that Muni is in far worse shape than anyone knows, and all the "cuts" in the world will not save it at all. (Insert "to save the village we had to burn it" citation here).

This is important for you, the owner/rider to know, because if you rely on Muni, your MTA board and Mayor are doing absolutely nothing to stop this at all. The MTA Board is incapable of making any decisions, and the Mayor has been AWOL for some time and isn't returning to work anytime soon (at least not for us).

First, you're going to pay more for Muni passes, A LOT more if you want to use BART within the city as you do now. If you're wondering why you've only heard it at Akit's blog, here, and maybe a few blogs, well join the club.

At best the MTA and Muni look sneaky, at worst, unaware of their own price increases. Some of the blame can be cast upon inexperienced Sups. Chiu and Avalos, who supported this increase and labeled it "keeping passes cheap for seniors." (Insert George Orwell citation here).

Second, and more importantly, the Muni budget is worse off than they are willing to admit publicly.

We are way past the point of cutting a few jobs or a few routes - after years of illegal looting by the Governor (and Legislature), and semi-ilegal looting by the Mayor, Muni has a revenue hole that you could drive an N-Judah through. This means that despite big cuts and big fare increases, they're still in a death spiral, which means, as always, you and I lose. And they're even taking federal money meant to save Muni's crumbling infrastructure and using it for a one-time budget hole fill.

All is not hopeless. San Francisco could take the lead in re-asserting local control over its own problems. Perhaps if the Mayor and the Board decided to put the same amount of time and energy they currently devote to issues that localities have no control over, and instead did something to show how a "world class city" could develop a decent transit system in a city that's only 49 square miles, maybe, just maybe, people wouldn't shake their heads every time they hear about the latest pronouncement from City Hall.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 1:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This one came in the form of a fanciful, vaguely thought out notion that we're going to ban all traffic, including the many Muni lines that commute from the neighborhoods to the downtown, in favor of some sort of fanciful thruway dedicated to bikes, "pedestrians," and I suppose all the magical creatures that would thrive in this new Nirvana By the Sea.

Now, nevermind that there's no real study of such an idea, or that a vague line like "move it all to Mission," created by some speechwriter, not a planner or engineer is not serious transit policy. And the fact this would kill off the popular F-Line and the MSR, among many other consequences are to be considered, but nevermind that just now.

As always, this is not a serious idea (think back to the days when the "Mayor" and the Supervisors wanted to de-fund Muni with this vague idea about making Muni "free"), and never will be. It's just a "feel good" blast of the day that distracts you from all the Muni FAILs we've had lately, or the fact that riding the N and getting to work in less than an hour is as much of a myth as this one.

Instead, let's take this, and all fanciful ideas our more psychedelic neighbors can come up with and take it to the next level. Forget banning Muni along Market Street - why not ban it entirely? Ban cars too, since they are Satan's Vehicle of Choice. And bikes too - remember they are forged out of metals in the industrial fires of Hell, fueled by cute puppies and coal. (Shocking but true - bicycles are not all made of hemp).

Instead, I think we should fulfill all these fantasies by going to a unicorn/pony/rainbow/flying carpet system. Muni will no longer be short for Municipal Railway - it'll be short for the Municipal Unicorn Transit System. You won't wait for a mere tram to take you about - you'll simply imagine a unicorn that will take to your destination, stress free.

If unicorns aren't your fancy, there'll be magic carpets for those who are going to a drum circle in the park with friends. Rainbows will be expressways to and from across town. And you'll pay not a dime, because the City will impose taxes on leprechaun gold, wizard's potions, and the legal marijuana that's coming in 2010. There'll be no more angst, I'll change the name of this blog to the "Magical Man from Happyland" and I'll report on the goings on at the newly renamed Gumdrop Lane.

If all of this sounds rather ridiculous, it should. But remember - dumb ideas created by speechwriters don't always go away like silly blog posts. Bad political rhetoric in the 90s gave us the billion dollar boondoggle as the Central Subway. So beware of what you let your politicians wish for!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Yikes!

Ok, we all knew the state of repair of Muni's cameras was bad, between anectdotal comments on many blogs and recent events involving crime on muni. But reading the records revealed by the ABC7 "ITeam" today about just how badly in need these cameras are of repair or replacements is rather sobering. (Update: the SF Appeal also had a story about this too).

I'm glad the ITeam is willing to go through the legal hassles to get Muni (or any agency) to disclose to the public, um, what it's supposed to disclose to the public via records requests. The more complicated answer is "Why?"

Now, I'm sure blogville can come up with about a million suppositions (mine being that it would seem if you keep cutting Muni's budgets by 100s of millions of dollars, at least some of those cuts will come from maintenance), but I don't want any more of that.

If no one at the MTA, the MTA Board, the "Mayor's" Office or the Board can either come up with the "why" this is happening or a "how" we might fix it, then they all need to be banished to The Village and we need some people who will start taking a "can-do" attitude.

As it stands, the price we're paying for crappy cameras is way too high.

UPDATE: After I posted this I was talking about this with a neighbor, and they made a bigger point - we just had a Big News Conference about safety, where all the Big Jay Journalists were there (mostly asking about that F*CKING YouTube video), and this information was apparently available, but not revealed.

This, in the wake of (as the Appeal points out) a Big News Conference with our "Mayor" about gov't data tranparency.

Cue "Curb Your Enthusiasm" theme music.....

Posted by Greg Dewar at 1:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I'm getting caught up with blogging today because I was busy all weekend (including a detour to LitQuake where I attended the super-entertaining panel hosted by SFist and SF Appeal) and the next two weeks are going to be really busy for me. However, as I read The Twitter, the newspapers and so on, it's clear we're going to have an authentic Made-In-San Francisco crapstorm coming this week, and well, hey that's what fuels blogs, right?

In this case, we have two pieces of news that don't really have as much to do with each other as spinners and the like would have us believe. However, because the human mind likes to pick out patterns even when one might not exist, we're going to have one of those unproductive debates where shrillness and cleverness beat out the facts. (Remember David Chiu's silly-willy "accounting" about fare inspectors?)

As part of the "deal" crafted by "Mayor" Newsom and the Board of Supervisors over the MTA budget, a study on parking meter hours was preparedTuesday on parking meter hours was prepared. The point was in part to share the budget pain amongst everyone, instead of just Muni owner/riders, and to encourage 21st century parking management as well. There's plenty for people to like or dislike, and the misinformation pumped out by political types and the "Green Mayor" have helped fuel irrational speculation. The irony is of course, once again, "Green Gavin" has stabbed Muni owner/riders in the back, and talked a good game on climate change, but of course goes back on his word. (Insert blogger snark/sarcasm here)

Now, I'm not a car abolitionist, and I absolutely hate relying on fines as a permanent operating fund source. That's in part because for several years I owned a car and racked up a sh*t-ton of tickets which I very much disliked paying and cost me a lot of money! And no one likes fishing for quarters or finding out they don't have any at the wrong time, my primary cause for getting a ticket, if I recall...

Continue reading "Let's All Have a Freak Out - Why the Debate on Parking Meters and The "News" About Fare Stealing Jerks Aren't Totally Related" »

Posted by Greg Dewar at 1:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

So today, it was reported that a dead body was found on a 5-Fulton, apparently having been on the bus in the bus yard long after the bus was done for the day.

Fine, that's the news so far. But it is also very unclear if this is a situation where a) someone died on a bus, and no one noticed, even after an inspection (required after every shift) should have happened or b) if someone broke into the yard, got in the bus, and then died.

These kinds of stories set off a firestorm of theories, ranging from the mundane to the bizarre, or a rosary-like repeating of whatever mantra people want to repeat to make themselves feel good ("Muni sucks," "frak the unions," "San Francisco sucks," blah blah blah). I'd rather find out about this after some more facts are known. Until then I honestly don't care about random speculation, and I don't think anyone else should until we have more facts and less guesswork. In most of these cases, the facts never match up with the wild speculation found on SFGate and blog comments, and don't even rate a level of drama akin to an episode of "Law and Order."

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:47 PM | Permalink

Anyway, there's quite a lot going on because of Fleet Week. Before all the whining starts about "the noise" and whatnot, bear in mind that the F-Market line and the 47 will be running free all day Saturday and Sunday to accommodate the crowds wishing to view the event. So everyone wins!

But wait, there's more. The SF Appeal is now compiling all the SFMTA Muni Alerts into one page, so you can find out just what's up with Muni and various events, including the Italian Heritage Parade on Sunday, Oracle World next week, and some Burning Man thing.

And now some more fun: Way back when I got two tickets to the Nightlife at the Academy thing on Thursday nights. Now, this should have been a cool thing since I live so close to the Academy, and so on, but every time I've tried to use them, something terrible happens.

Either something keeps me working late, or in at least two verified cases, the person I was going to attend with was either rushed to the ER with an injury (they were hit by a car!) and another was taken ill with the flu (ironically after getting a flu shot). I'm convinced that these tickets are cursed (for me) so I'm going to give them away since they expire soon. I figure someone else might as well enjoy them.

So, since trivia contests don't work online thanks to Google, I'm instead going to do an essay contest, 21st Century style. Instead of an essay, I'm asking for short blog posts of no more than 150 words, describing why you should win the passes, and who you would take if you won them. The person you can take can be someone you know, someone from history, a celebrity, etc. Do not submit them to the comments below - instead email me your submission.

Points are awarded for originality, good writing, a sense of humor that's cool or witty, and points are taken off for bullsh!t. Keep it somewhat clean and friendly, folks, and have fun with it!

Later today I'll be posting some news recently announced about some attempts to make boarding the Muni trains a bit safer. We've had discussions on this in the past, so it'll be interesting to see what exactly they're announcing today. If it means you can de-board the N without nearly getting killed all the time, well that would be awesome.

Photo courtesy of the Blue Angels/US Navy

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Muni, BART, and transit agencies around the state got some "good news/bad news" the other day - it seems that a lawsuit challenging the illegal looting of transit funds has succeeded, now that the final appeal to the California Supreme Court by the administration has failed.

That's great in the sense that in the future, the Legislature will no longer be able to play accounting games to make their budgets look good - they're going to have to you know, do their jobs once in a while. Unfortunately the looted money (which mostly went to pay for what? bond debt? better services elsewhere? anything?) isn't likely to return anytime soon.

Chalk this one up to a situation where even when you're right and have the law on your side, if you don't have ethical people in charge, they can pretty much screw you up as much as they want. Remember this when the Muni cuts start this month.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Apparently someone at the Newsom for Governor campaign decided that it was time for a press conference to talk big about crime on Muni, especially after the reports of children being stabbed and so on. The Examiner reports that we've got some Big Talk from the "Mayor," and as always these reports fail to take into account recent history.

After all, it was Newsom who looted Muni's budget time and again for other departments (and for his own office) to suit his own political needs. As a result, maintenance has been taking a hit and whoops! Suddenly you have a lot of inoperable cameras that ensure there's no way for the police to catch the bad people.

If the Mayor and his MTA board had perhaps paid more attention to Muni during the entire time he was in office, maybe things could be a little better. That would assume, of course that the "Mayor" wanted to do his job, instead of goofing off at work and running for higher office. Let's hope that in the future, people in SF will look past "name ID" and maybe take a little more time picking out a chief executive.

There's only one declared candidate so far, and while I'm still waiting to hear more, it is unusual to see a candidate actually stake their reputation on making Muni better. I mean, talk about taking a risk! Hopefully this might lead to a whole bunch of people running who will all try to outdo each other in making our city better.

Ok perhaps that's wishful thinking. But hey, a guy can dream can't he?

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Every day I get an email bulletin from SFPD Captain Paul Chignell of the Taraval Station, which details major incidents of crime around the neighborhood. Most of it tends to be people driving on 19th with expired tags who turn out to be drug dealers posessing large quanities of drugs, car thefts, and burglaries. However, there are some other times when there's some really disturbing incidents, such as the one here that details how a 14 year old kid was assaulted and robbed at the N Judah stop at 9th and Judah. Read here for the details:

09/16/09 6:45 pm 9th Avenue and Judah

A 14 year old boy was waiting for a streetcar and had in his possession a saxaphone inside a black case. A suspect walked up to the boy, kicked him in the groin thereby knocking the victim to the pavement, grabbed his saxaphone and fled the area on foot.

Officer Christopher Smith arrived to take the police report. While he was taking the report a person called the victim's father as the name and address and phone number of the victim was on the black case. The person said that he had the saxaphone and would need $250.00 to return it to the victim.

Officers Rex Calaunan and Rolando Escobar, Taraval Station officers working in plainclothes, took over the investigation and contacted a Tactical robbery abatement team. The officers made contact with the suspect and arranged a meeting at the Walgreen's store at Lombard and Divisadero. When the suspect approached Officer Calaunan, who was posing as the victim, the suspect was advised he was being detained.

The suspect tried to escape but was arrested. The stolen saxaphone was found nearby. The suspect, who lives in the Western Addition, was arrested for an illegal dagger, receiving stolen property, resisting arrest and a probation violation. The investigation continues as to the identity of the robber. Case #090957245. This was excellent and thorough police work.

I have to say I'm finding it a bit disturbing that kids seem to be an increasing target for crime now, since it's presumed they won't fight back or something. Whatever the reason, it's really f*cked up and I really hope that this guy gets thrown in jail. I know that is at odds with the policy downtown, but so be it.

Also, the SF Appeal reports of more stolen smartphone incidents. It's very easy to be so absorbed in whatever it is you're doing on your iPhone, Blackberry, etc. that you become unaware of your surroundings. Always be aware you're in public with an expensive piece of fence-able product, and change your headphones to something NOT the iPhone/iPod white ones to be safe.

UPDATE: In Friday's SF Weekly blog, word on the street is that 40 undercover cops are going to be working some of the more problematic lines on Muni. This is good news. FINALLY someone is at least doing SOMETHING....

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Today's not been a good day for Muni. This morning we had a car wreck at 6th and Irving on the N. Then later, a big truck jacknifed at 19th and Judah. Then, it seemed things were ok, but now, we're in the middle of a meltdown once again. UPDATE: Theoretically all is well now. Fingers crossed and wood knocked.

This is one of those Fridays where if you can take your time getting home, do so. Go see a friend for a coffee or a cocktail. Maybe check out some store or park you'd been meaning to. Just don't expect anything to get fixed anytime soon.

As always, I'm retweeting updates at Twitter, when I can. Feel free to tweet or text or email any craziness you see out there, or post away in the comments. Either way, take a breath, relax, and just accept this is the reality of Muni these days....

Posted by Greg Dewar at 4:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Ok, so I had this great post about this thing with the 11 year old kid stabbed by some homeless mental patient asshat all written up, despite my 2 blogging rules: 1-don't blog when you're mad and 2-don't blog after happy hour and 3 beers with friends, especially when said topic pisses you off bigtime.

Then, of course Movable Type found a way to crash and kill what was an actually well written post. So now we're about to violate rule 3 which is "don't post when your crummy CMS killed your post and you can't recover it from auto-save." And frankly, the topic at hand is such that I can't let it go, and I don't need someone judging me for having a few beers after work. What's being said still matters so spare me the judgment.

All I'll say for now is this: it is inherently f*cked that we have a DA who won't prosecute a case unless it's a slam dunk, lest her "record" not reflect a perfection not attainable in the real world. This allows the habitual misdemeanor criminal to blossom into the felon of today.

It's also inherently f*cked we have a Mayor who could give 2 shits about any of us, but worse, was too busy raising money for negative TV spots to pay attention to his own City. It's a major fail when those stupid cameras, the ONE TIME THEY NEEDED TO WORK ON A BUS, failed in this instance. Why? Because douchebags like our Governor and the Democrats have been killing transit funding for years. Blood is on your hands, Arnold! And the collaborator Democrats, including those from OUR OWN CITY. (Sorry, kids, you don't get a pass anymore).

And it's double f*cked that Muni got looted by the SFPD, and yet, apparently can't police Muni like they say they did (Thanks for nothing, Progressive Supervisors Chiu and Avalos) and in the end, after all the bullshit posturing, a kid almost died on Muni. Oh and hey, thanks for nothing coalition of Reagan and the liberals, who decided that people shouldn't get treatment for a medical illness and instead, we should let the streets be the "hospital."

That is unacceptable and I'm not willing to chalk that up to "shit happens." NO. We are the United States of America, we are San Francisco, we are a civilized society, and I'll be God-damned if kids getting stabbed on Muni, or illegal immigrant gang members killing familes is EVER CONSIDERED AN ACCEPTABLE RISK OF LIVING HERE.

Not cool, and now, I need to cool off. But I dare one person to say the kid had it coming. Because that is mega-f*cked. A lot of people in City Hall are On Notice. And not in the funny snarky way, but in the "you're a pack of jerks and someone got hurt, and this should never have happened" way.

Update: Folks, I owe a bit of an apology to y'all as my poorly worded rant is being taken the wrong way. When I brought up the illegal immigrant issue, it was meant only to say that City Hall is spending a lot of time and money worrying about the "rights" of criminal illegals, instead of worrying about us, the taxpaying law abiding residents (regardless of status). I'm not some right wing douche who believes in deporting everyone with a non-European name. But I AM upset that we have a lot of resources devoted to protecting a few criminals, when we really should be protecting all crime victims in our city, regardless of who they are.

Again, I'm sorry about that, and upon reflection I shouldn't have reacted so negatively. I never wanted this blog to become 100% negative, and yet, I let it happen. So again, I apologize.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 6:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (28)

Now, the iPhone user can choose whatever app they think is best, in a truly competitive spirit. The story, and its aftermath, say a lot about MUNI, San Francisco, local media, and how some people can be good and some can be real jerks.

First, if you haven't already done so, go read the story at the San Francisco Appeal, which has the details on how data owned by MUNI is really MUNI's, people who are unecessary middlemen (and charlatans) can't extort money from people anymore, and those who did pay the extortion got nada as a result. (To quote Nelson, "Ha HA!") MUNI's new contract with The Real Next Bus makes sure that the MTA, and only the MTA owns the data generated by the taxpayer/rider funded Municipal Railway. Yay!

When this all broke (when the maker of Routesy made a routine update to the application, and the chaos ensued) I was finding out a lot of intel on the situation. Unfortunately, at the time, I couldn't take the days off of work I would have needed to write a complete story, with the level of detailed research one has to do to get this kind of story done right.

I wasn't comfortable just posting some quickie snarky post, because I didn't want to do a half-assed study of a complex subject, and post something that would be confusing or just plain wrong. But I also didn't want to let it fall by the wayside, a victim of budget cuts at newspapers or considered "unimportant" by deep thinking scribes who have better things to write about than San Francisco day-to-day issues.

That's why I contacted my friend Eve at the SF Appeal, which began covering this in June. I knew they'd do the story right, and I also knew they'd even bother to consider it as a potential story - most other local news entities wouldn't be interested, or wouldn't have the time. I was able to pass on the raw intel I'd collected, connect folks with them, and then let them figure out the details, whatever they ended up being (I just wanted to know what was up, and I didn't have a dog in the fight, so to say). They did a great job, and it's nice to se this thing called "actual reporting of news," regardless of whether the medium is a piece of paper or my web browser. (Check into that, old media.)

You can go there and read the June and August reports, and you'll quickly see that a poorly worded contract between the MTA and The Real Next Bus vendor led to this confusion in the first place - wording that has since been cleaned up. You'll also notice how incredibly f*cked the Apple iTunes store can be to developers - this is nothing new. Although there was a little help from the City Attorney's office, in the end, it took a pro bono lawyer helping out a guy who wouldn't get pushed around by a bunch of legalistic bullies at Fake Next Bus to get things done. In the end, we all won because the right of the public to freely access data generated by publicly funded entities was re-asserted.

Now that we've tipped hats to those worthy of tipping, it's time to wag the finger too. When this whole situation blew up, there was some help from the City Attorney's office. However, if City Attorney Dennis Herrera had used his office and clout to get behind this early on, it probably would have been solved sooner, and the public would have a win, and Herrera could have something he could tout in a future mayoral bid. Besides, his spokesman Matt Dorsey is cool, and it would have been totally boss if he was out there going medieval on our behalf (he's really good at that!).

Likewise, Mayor Newsom had another showboaty press conference about open access to public data, but on the one controversy that concerned this topic, he was oddly silent. That's either because he's completely clueless about the situation, or he just doesn't care about MUNI (like you have to guess which one it is?).

Either way, while he was off playing mayor/gubernatorial candidate for a few hours, when it mattered most, when a Mayor simply could have used the PR megaphone we're paying for, to you know, do something for us, he was off Twittering about Facebook friends or raising money for attack ads. Sigh.

With true competition amongst application developers, be they on iPhone, Android, Palm, or Blackberry, we win when people compete and the best product wins. The worst thing that happened though, was to see how quickly some people capitulated to Fake Next Bus's demands, either by killing off a cool product, or paying the extortion fee to get a monopoly for their product (albeit briefly).

Fortunately for us, this is all behind us, and anyone who wants to build a better app can do so, free of bullying legalistic threats. It's good to know that in a bad situation, some good people are willing to step up, and we all win in the end. Yay good people!

Finally, I'm bringing back an oldie but a goodie. Enjoy:

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Well it looks like we're going to have a BART strike to ruin our summer...I have to say neither labor or management have behaved like adults - instead resorting to a lot of macho chest-beating rhetoric, and not finding a way to work through state-imposed cuts, and a health care system that's an expensive pain in the ass.

I'd been gathering notes for a post that I hoped I'd never have to write - it kept sounding like they'd hug it out - but since we're in apocalypse mode now I'll post something later.

For now, I'd just like to say F*CK YOU to both BART management and labor for finding a new way to make bad times worse. Seriously, both sides really do suck right now.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 4:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)

In light of the recent dramatic accidents on MUNI, we have not one, but two Supervisors holding "hearings" of some sort this morning at City Hall and the press has been getting all fired up about it.

The question I ask is simply...is this a Big Deal, or is this "meh, big deal?"

Of the two Supervisors, I give Sup. Dufty credit for being more on top of MUNI issues than some of his colleagues. He rides the N-Judah sometimes. Whenever I've called Supervisors asking a question, more often than not, it's been his office that gets back to me first with where to go for information. As chair of the functional SFCTA, he's been involved with projects that directly affect transit reliability. And recently he's been out there on the scene of some of the more recent accidents too.

Now, the cynics can get all antsy about the fact he's running for Mayor, and perhaps is looking to use the MUNI issue to ride into office. But let's be real - if you're running for mayor would you really want to stake your future on MUNI reliability, in an era of cuts and work orders? I wouldn't, but the fact he's at least willing to stick his neck out, says a lot.

Sup. Elsbernd, however, doesn't get the benefit of the doubt. It's no secret that he's been a rubber stamp for the mayor since getting appointed a while back, and he's never shown any real interest in making MUNI more reliable (hey he has a car and lives in a big house - why should he?) When we had an attempt to reject the MTA's poorly constructed budget, not only did he vote with the Mayor and the Mayoral-appointed board, he rejected any input from his constituents about sending it back to the MTA for a re-do. He's never shown any interest up until now - it seems unfortunate it took a horrible accident in his district for him to finally take notice that something's wrong over at MUNI. Ouch.

I guess it's nice he's talking tough on some issues now, but if he, and frankly most of his colleagues, had bothered to pay attention once in a while about the years of work order looting, the cuts to training and maintenance, the use of MUNI safety funds to pay for political aides in Room 200, and so on, maybe we wouldn't be in as big a mess as we are now.

So while the mainstream press will cover all of this like it's some Big Deal, I'll wait and see what happens after the cameras are turned off. If we get some changes that make our day run smoother, great. If not, I won't be terribly surprised. At this point, I'm just glad if I don't get stranded at night coming home from work or when I'm out on the weekend for too long.

UPDATE: Reader Jamison has been Twittering the meeting, and noted that Sup. Chris Daly, in his inimitable classy style made jokes about MUNI safety, then attacked Dufty for "not fixing MUNI." Let's be clear - the Supervisor from D-6 (or is it Fairfield?) has never been an advocate for MUNI, has not been able to use his alleged experience on the board to fix it, and does not care about you, the owner/rider of MUNI at all. And, while Sup. Dufty is asking some rather intense, detailed questions, Daly left to get some coffee and perhaps make more jokes at the expense of you, the owner/rider of MUNI.

Class-SEE, Daly. Class-SEE.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 8:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Good grief...I knew something was up when on Twitter I started getting messages about a fleet of helicopters hovering over Market Street, and the first reports of yesterday's big crash. Thanks to on scene pics from Violet Blue, Reader Jamison, the SF Appeal, and many more, we were able to see MUNI's latest disaster.

Fortunately no one is dead (thank God), but it was a bit much to hear Mayor Newsom and Muni Chief Nate Ford plead the case that MUNI is safe when in both cases, it's clear that people who were operating trains and buses perhaps should not have been doing so. And while you can always show statistics that indicate MUNI is "safe", combining these wrecks with a rising criminal element, and you start to realize, no, it's not. One has to wonder if we're going to pay more in settlements than we ever saved with our "cuts." Seriously, you can't take a wrecking ball to the budget, fail to reform work rules that don't allow the bad employees to be fired, and somehow expect everything to run just groovy.

But Mayor Newsom, and his handpicked MTA don't seem to get that, nor do they care. Which is understandable - heck I find myself avoiding commute-time mayhem as much as possible these days, after being stranded downtown waiting for an N that never seems to show up on time.

Which leads me to this email from Reader X, who lives out by the Caltrain station, and reports what many of you have relayed to me on Twitter - the frustration of trying to get an N or a K/T from 4th and King inbound. I know for myself, whenever I'm returning from Palo Alto, inevitably I've got a long ride if I choose the N (which is why I often now take a bus up to Market and switch to the 71.) While I'm lucky personally to be able to choose from 3 bus lines and 1 Metro line to get home, not everyone is as fortunate, so having enough N trains is one of those 'good ideas' that get thrown in the circular file at MUNI hq.

Hi Greg,

Here's one for ya!

The 2nd/King platform is about 500 feet away from the building where I live; as I approached it last night, a downtown-bound T/K was pulling in and I declined to run, opting to wait for the next train; I arrived at the overhead LED at 6:40 PM, with 18 minutes until the next downtown-bound T/K and 9 minutes until the next downtown-bound N-Judah, the latter of which never arrived.

In the 18 minutes until the arrival of the next train, the T/K, which I boarded at approximatly 6:55 PM, there were no less than six 2-car N-Judah trains headed for the CalTrain Depot, NONE of which turned around to conduct service in the opposite direction. The overhead LED kept changing the arrival time of the downtown-bound N-Judah, but it never arrived, making me wonder just how many N-Judah trains can be accommodated at the turnaround under I-280.

While underground on the outbound T/K, I noticed that the platforms were DANGEROUSLY crowded, presumably because many of those passengers were waiting on N-Judah trains.

I arrived at my destination (Church/Market Sts) at 7:15 PM, 15 minutes late for a dinner date, and after an unacceptable 35 minutes of "platform-to-platform" travel time. I sent a complaint to MUNI via their website, but I don't hold out for any explanation; this was the same night that an SUV became sandwiched between two F-line streetcars on Market St because of an allegedly distracted driver, a much more serious problem.

I've actually known a few Loyal Readers who relied on an N or K/T connection to Caltrain that have given up and now drive or actually move, either somewhere else in the City or leave altogether. It's particularly frustrating if you work late way down south and come home, only to find yourself waiting around or taking forever to get home.

Well that's all for now. I'm taking advantage of the sun for a few hours and then going back to work here in the Inner Sunset. Later on, I'll be posting about a whirlwind of free events available this weekend...

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Jim Herd at the San Francisco Citizen was kind enough to pass along this notice of a meeting tonight at the Sunset Community Center with the SF County Transit Authority (aka the only functional agency in San Francisco run by people elected by citizens) that's being held tonight. If you're so inclined stop by and tell them what you think!

San Francisco County Transportation Authority - Open House When: July 20, 2009 - Monday 6 to 8 p.m. Where: Sunset Recreation Center, 2201 Lawton Street, San Francisco What: Get input on proposed projects to be funded by Prop K, the half-cent sales tax for transportation This includes resurfacing, transit enhancements, traffic calming and pedestrian and bicycle safety.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 5:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I just got back in the apartment from doing laundry, and courtesy of vigilant Twitter users and AlertSF, I found out about a rather serious accident at West Portal station that is leading to significant delays on the KLM lines and so on.

This looks to be very serious, as reports are coming in that the trains collided resulting in injuries. I'll keep an eye on Twitter and the news and if anything big happens, I'll update via re-tweets on Twitter and so on.

If you happen to be in the area and can post pictures, please do, and post links in the comments. If you're looking to get around between Forest Hill and West Portal, shuttles will be operating but be aware there will be delays. Contact 511 for help with your route, or NextMUNI to plan an alternate route to get around this afternoon and evening while emergency crews are at work.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (22)

So I was reading the SF Appeal on this sunny day and came across this article, where it seems the City is handing out goodies to Levis to keep them from leaving their own building. Now, how the City can afford to hand out goodies to the well off in times of alleged budget crisis is a mystery best left aside - today's Record Scratch WTF moment was the part, noted by the Appeal, that there's some deal to adjust MUNI schedules to better "accommodate" a few workers at Levi's headquarters.

Eve said it best (i.e. why not fix it for everyone's schedules?) but I'll take it a bit further - maybe we should get UCSF to threaten to move unless they fix the N Judah and 6 Parnassus and the 71. I mean, more people work and use UCSF than Levi's corporate HQ, and I'm sure they'd all love it if the stupid buses ran on time too.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

First off, this weekend marks the 4th anniversary of this site. We had a small event last night at the Blackthorn, which went well. However, I only found out at the last minute that a good portion of my E-vites were marked as spam, and many people never saw the invite, which was infinitely frustrating. I couldn't afford to open it up as a big wide event for tons of people as I don't make a fortune off of the site's T shirt and ad revenues just yet.

So if you missed this event, trust me when I say a) we weren't trying to be lame, and b) we'll be doing more events this summer and fall, formal and informal, that will be wide open to the public so you can hang out and meet your fellow MUNI riders and so on.

This weekend we have a lot going on. Today, of course is Critical Mass Day, which will have added fun as the preparations for the SF Pride Parade are already up around Civic Center. Obviously, this weekend will see a large influx of folks from around the world and on Parade Day itself, you can expect delays getting around town. So, plan accordingly for or around both.

Next up, a shout out to the SF Appeal, for their actual reporting of news regarding the bizarro case of Routesy, caught in a bureaucratic snare. SF Weekly also did some digging and deserve a shout out as well. This is the kind of thing I wanted to research myself, but didn't have the time to do, so I handed it off to the Appeal to do it right. It's nice to see more than one journalistic entity take on a difficult issue with larger concerns for the public and print up something worth reading, esp. since there was no way I could take a few days off work to do it myself!

Continue reading "Friday, Friday, Friday Roundup - Pride Week Detours, Critical Mass, Videos, iPhone App News, a 4th Anniversary, and More!" »

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Just when you thought nothing could ruin this great weather, or a Fourth of July on an actual Saturday (yay!), there's word that BART may go on strike July 1st, due to acrimonious labor negotiations brought on by a crappy economy (and the fallout from less sales taxes and the Green Governor's elimination of transit funding.) I've only been reading about this for a few months, but there are signs that we very well may have a strike next week. Worse, this will happen at the same time MUNI will be jacking up fares and making service cuts. This is an epic transit FAIL in the making.

There's really no way to plan ahead for the strike if you rely on BART (although you can try), since without knowing if it's going to actually happen or not, you really don't know what your options are, beyond driving. If you rely on BART within San Francisco (which is not what most people do) you can bypass it and hop on a crowded MUNI bus.

But if you're like many people who commute to the Peninsula or the East Bay (as I often do), your options are a lot more limited, and will pretty much ensure you're either going to spend a lot more time waiting and commuting, be it on SamTrans or AC Transit, or in a car. Add to this the fact that more cars will be on the road means any "time savings" are negated by being stuck in traffic, idling away and burning all that $3/gallon gas.

Add to all of this the fact that this will hurt tourism, especially when we've got Fourth of July coming up, as well as Giants games, A's games, and so on, and the shockwaves of a strike begin to take shape.

For myself, this is going to be a royal pain in the ass, as I've recently taken on a client in South SF, which while accessible by CalTrain, isn't nearly as good as taking BART as the Caltrain doesn't always stop at South SF, and the station location is not nearly as easy to get to and from the office. More troubling though is that if I have anything to do in the East Bay, there's no great option.

It would be nice if in these difficult times everyone (labor, management, elected officials, us) could try working together to make it through a crap-tacular economy, instead of this zero-sum "everyone for themselves and screw everyone else" mentality that has taken hold, locally and elsewhere. Militant talk makes people "feel" better, but realistically, workers can't be expected to work for free, and public entities are not Santa Claus and can't hand out every goodie out there for free, either.

No one is going to win in a strike, the loss of fares will make BART's budget worse, and the lack of faith that the public will have in all sides will be the biggest loss of all.

BART, unions, electeds, owner/riders? Get your sh*t together. We have enough crap to deal with already, and we don't need our holiday week ruined by your childish bullsh*t.

PS: Fun fact: If BART wasn't forced into the business of buying overpriced health "insurance," and we had say, a single payer system, over half of its projected deficit would vanish. Why employers are even in the business of providing benefits is something for another blog post (on another blog) but it really shows how parasitical health "insurance" really is as a business

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Tom, the bartender at the Blackthorn, sent us the accompanying image for this post. If all of this sounds familiar, well the very same thing happened 5 weeks ago at the very same spot.

Sigh.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Until I read more of the actual proposal, I'm not going to discuss this too much because it's easy for the discussion to veer off into the hyper-theoretical, which has nothing to do with what the SFMTA board may consider. Hopefully later this week I can do a post and solicit your comments on where you see a chance to consolidate stops (or why they shouldn't) along the N or any of your favorite routes.

Everyone's favorite subject, "Bus Rapid Transit," is back, this time with an appeal from the SFCTA for a citizen member to join the Citizen's Advisory Committee for this project. If this is of interest, you can apply now. Details are below:

Join the Van Ness Avenue Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Citizens Advisory Committee!

The San Francisco County Transportation Authority is currently preparing an environmental impact analysis of BRT on Van Ness Avenue. The Van Ness BRT Citizens Advisory Committee (VN CAC) has been meeting quarterly since September, 2007, to advise Authority staff throughout the environmental study process.

One vacancy only – apply now! For an application, go to http://www.sfcta.org/vanness, or call 415.522.4800 , or email rachel.hiatt@sfcta.org. Applications are due July 15, 2009.

BRT on Van Ness Avenue would close a key gap in San Francisco’s rapid transit network through bus-only lanes, transit signal priority, high quality bus stops, and pedestrian improvements, all designed to reduce transit travel times and increase comfort and convenience for transit riders.

PS: Can anyone name the entity or publication I paid homage to in today's title? Anyone? It's rather obscure, but I'm sure someone out there can pick it out...

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Other things: This weekend, of course is the Inner Sunset Farmer's Market. Yay! Read about how it all got started in today's Examiner.

So, to keep things light on (not so) Fun Friday, I figured I'd open up a thread for people to post about today's commute, which seemed to be full of weird MUNI FAIL. Boo FAIL!

And finally, in the "let's plug something my friends did" department, I wanted to post a link to my friend's book, Colin Powell: American Power and Intervention From Vietnam to Iraq, which you can now get at Amazon.com.

Dr. O'Sullivan has been a friend of mine for over 20 years, and has traveled the world on diplomatic missions and so on. He teaches at USF, and his textbook on the United Nations can be found in college bookstores all over the place. So, I figured I'd give him a little promo since he's a friend of mine.

Have a great weekend! Maybe the weather'll give us a break and at least not be so bleary and New Caprica-like for a change!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

This isn't the first time that some weirdo has pulled this on the N, for sure, but it's one that has really rattled a lot of folks. Just the other day someone I was talking to at the N stop relayed her horror story. I really don't care what this clown's "problems" are, this kind of behavior is crap, and it needs to stop.

You'd think with the millions and millions of dollars MUNI has handed over to the SFPD via the Mayor's office, we'd have some police presence on MUNI to deter some of this, or at least be around so when some Concerned Citizens corner this guy and get ready to kick his ass, they can show up. But this is San Francisco, and we all know what'll happen if we wait around for someone to show up - our Precious Dear will run away and do it again and again and again.

Maybe we need to bring back the Committe of Vigilance or something to enforce some behavoir modification on MUNI. After all, when you see douchebags like this on the bus, and no one's around to enforce the law, maybe some citizen-administered punishment would get 'em to stop harassing us when we're out and about on MUNI.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia.org

Posted by Greg Dewar at 6:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

The rebellion against the MTA budget continues, and as this drama gets extended over time, we begin to enter the "circle the drain" cycle of City Hall shenanigans. Sadly, while the student council that run City Hall has its time in the spotlight, it's you, the owner & rider of MUNI who will lose in the end.

There's going to be another hearing today at noon (!), and there are earnest efforts by people who mean well to try and at least un-screw up some parts of the budget. But with no real leadership on any one side, we're devolving into piecemeal policy, which means that in the end, what we'll end up is something that serves the politicians and the MTA, but not you.

It's interesting to note that recently the MTA announced some service increases on certain lines (even in this time of "no money no money"), but upon further inspection, it turned out it was one line in each Supervisorial district. And people say the current MTA doesn't use politics in its decisions? Ha! Of course, there's no dent in those phony baloney work orders the Mayor's Office used to raid MUNI with.

Likewise, Supervisor Avalos has been trying to fight the good fight, complete with dramatic marches to the MTA offices with a band of ticked off people. But when you look at his proposals, you find plenty to like if you're poor, or a senior citizen, which is fine. What you do not see are any serious revenue proposals to make up for the tens of millions of dollars in cuts issued by Gov. Schwarzenegger and the Democratic Legislature. Remember, 66% of the big MUNI budget hole was caused when the Gov. and his Democratic allies nuked all funding for transit statewide via the Transit Assistance Fund.

Any proposal to save MUNI has to address this massive gap in funding that MUNI was not expecting. To instead make up these "fiddle with the margins" proposals, such as the MTA and Sup. Avalos have proposed, do not address the real issue. And that lack of funding means no money for maintenance (ensuring your N trails parts if it makes it past 19th) and the kinds of things that a system needs to work properly. Likewise, we have to at least be glad the "cut MUNI funding" faction on the board has been reduced by at least one, so far.

And today, there's more proposals to change how the MTA is governed. Every time this has come up, there's a flurry of activity to "change" the MTA, but by election time, proponents raise no money and don't talk to voters, the Mayor's allies downtown drop some junk mail, and it goes down. Personally I always thought it odd I was trusted to vote on "Gay Marriage," the state budget, judges, Supervisors, Mayors, Presidents, BART, and Comptrollers, but not anyone associated with MUNI. Hmm.

At this point, the governance of the MTA has been reduced to a pissing match between Acting Mayor Nathan Ballard, and whoever at the Board is on the phone that day. That's fine for political theatrics, but it does nothing for you, or making your daily life any better.

I've often said that the prism of MUNI policy is a great way to look at how San Francisco really operates, in the past and today. The fact that much of what I wrote a year ago still applies today says a lot. We have plenty of people who love to play games at City Hall. We do not have many people that want to go to work. There was nothing stopping us from heading off the worst of this some time ago. But instead, folks chose to goof off, and sadly, we pay the price.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Later that night I heard my cell phone beeping with SMS messages from Twitter. Tommy, the bartender there took the N home as he always does and reported that apparently 2 women drove a car INTO the downtown tunnel and that all traffic on the Metro lines was backed up. So I re-tweeted his post to whomever in Twitterville might be up at midnight to read such things. He also took a quick photo with his iPhone so I could twit-pic it as well.

Now, this alone would make for an interesting story. However, after the dust had settled a bit from this incident, he sent me a text message. And this is the twist to the story that makes it cool. You see, it seems a MUNI driver, one of those Good Ones I keep insisting exist, made sure he and others got downtown to their connecting buses on time via the J Church. He didn't get a driver number, only that his name was John, that he was an SF native, and was a genuinely Good Guy late at night. So naturally, I wanted to Twitter the heck out of that.

This isn't the first time we've had correspondents relay N Judah related information via SMS and Twitter. A few weeks ago, when a cable snapped at Duboce and Church, various Loyal Readers and Twitteratti relayed real-time updates of the situation, which I re-tweeted (as I was not at home and could not write it all up fast enough on the site). You can follow me at via Twitter if you like, for occasional updates, or just follow along in the Twitter window to the right. Many times when I'm away from the computer it provides an easy way to do updates that aren't always worth a whole blog post.

Anyway, it made for an interesting late night at the very least. And kudos to the MUNI driver who was super awesome to the owner/riders. Can we please get rid of the bad apples and give more recognition to the Good Ones, MUNI? Please?

Posted by Greg Dewar at 8:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

This was in the news earlier in the week but it was only today I saw (via Facebook) the video of "President Roosevelt" and "President Obama" arriving in San Francisco.

Hey, it's kinda fun.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 5:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

If you're a westside resident, and not already subscribed to the Taraval Station's daily crime report, emailed out by Captain Paul Chignell, well, I'll once again recommend it to you. It's a great way to keep tabs on what's going on around your home, and occaisionally provides some really eye-opening information. It also provides information on local events in the community as well.

Today I'm going to highlight two incidents: one of the "OMG crime on MUNI can be really bad" variety, and the other in the "Wow, criminals are stupid" category.

First, our Scary MUNI indicident. All I can say is that I'm glad in this case, when unruly teenagers threatened passenger safety, the police were on hand to administer some justice. Anyway, here's the incident from May 14th.

05/14/09 4:48 pm Holloway and Beverly

Officers Juan Gala, Duane Elzey and Jose Guardado were flagged down by a bus driver who had a large group of unruly teenagers on the bus and who kept opening the emergency windows. One of the suspects then stole a wheel block that the driver had placed against a wheel when he had to park the bus to deal with the suspects. The officers located the suspect with the wheel block walking up the street. The suspect resisted arrest and had to be taken to the ground to be controlled. Eventually, that suspect, who lives on the 1800 block of Great Highway, was cited for malicious mischief, theft and resisting arrest. Two other suspects, who live on Ridge Court and the 700 block of London, were cited for terrorist threats. Case #090502367

I'm glad the SFPD were on the scene here, but this is a more common occurance than one might think, and I would hope with the millions in work orders MUNI pays out, we could see more lawbreakers who threaten harm to passengers and drivers arrested for committing crimes.

This next one is a situation where you really just want to walk up to the person, shake them and say "What the HELL were you thinking???". Read on (emphasis added):

05/16/09 2:45 pm 1300 block of 46th Avenue

Officers Jennifer Fiorello. Scott Biggs and Chris Oshita were inside a 7-11 store when they observed a man take a beverage from a cooler, put it in his pocket and walk past the uniformed officers and out of the store without paying for the merchandise. The officers stopped the man and arrested the resident of the 500 block of 36th Avenue for theft. He was charged with felony theft due to having prior convictions. Case #090509573

So many criminals are caught in this area because they seem to think it's a good idea to speed on neighborhood streets with expired tags, and keep large amounts of drugs in plain sight in their car, or drive under the influence. Which is fine with me, but it's still a bit unnerving.

To subscribe, simply send an email to Captain Chignell and indicate you want to be on the list!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Tomorrow, an assortment of elected officials, advocates and so on will be holding a "Transit Justice" rally over at City Hall at 3pm. Sup. John Avalos has been working with an assortment of folks concerned about the MTA budget, and who want to craft some sort of charter amendment. An assortment of sources inside indicate that this isn't some flaky thing, that Serious People are getting involved to try and come up with a better budget in bad times. For that, Sup, Avalos and the folks involved deserve some praise for their efforts. (UPDATE: You can read about some of the ideas at BeyondChron this morning before the rally).

I, however, won't be there. Aside from the obvious reason (i.e. I have a day job that requires my attention, esp. now as we're on the verge of a cascade failure of that special election thing Tuesday), I'm a bit leery of putting my name forth on anything without reading the details or knowing what exactly is being proposed.

I don't expect to be consulted by every human at City Hall on all things MUNI (God help us all if that happens), but I also never intended this blog to be a Big Political Blog, nor do I want it identified as being solely a part of any one faction either. The whole point is to bring to light the point of view of that of the ordinary owner/rider from a common sense POV. I'm simply someone who wants to get around town with a minimum of drama. That's all.

Continue reading "Why You Might Want to Attend a "Transit Justice" Rally at City Hall May 18 - and Why I'm Not Going To Be There" »

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tonight ABC7's roving reporter Dan Noyes will be taking a look at crime on MUNI. For this story, one of the producers at ABC7 stopped by the neighborhood and asked me some questions, so I may or may not be on the news tonight. If you see some dude in a suit talking about MUNI crime it may or may not be me.

However, before the segment airs, I wanted to make a few things clear that you, the home viewer may not be aware of. In this story, they will be referring to a series of MUNI tapes from last fall (no doubt at the same time this article appeared in the Examiner,) with some specific incidents.

I was asked to comment on these incidents without the benefit of actually seeing them, but instead hearing a quick summary of "what happened."

As you can imagine, it's a bit hard to comment on a specific video without seeing it, so I was actually being asked to comment on a summary of what sounded like a "generic" what if scenario. As such it made it difficult for me to make comments that would be of direct relevance to said clips. Essentially, I was being asked questions as a hypothetical, when in fact they were about a specific incident. I don't think this was some sort of intentional thing on KGO's part - more like trying to produce a major segment in a short amount of time - so I don't want people to think that. But I do think it's important viewers know I couldn't see what was being discussed.

Moreover, even if I'd seen them, it is still difficult to armchair quarterback what a driver should or should not do during an incident, since a driver is in charge of moving vehicle, etc. and isn't armed to protect themselves from violent offenders.

So I tried my best to carefully parse my words so that I could communicate a) crime sucks b)crime sucks when it happens on MUNI c) the drivers have to do what they can to ensure passenger safety d) police officers should be available to bust bad guys and e) the bad people should be prosecuted because they're breaking the law. Whether that comes out after editing is unclear.

On a related note, if you read the latest issue of the Sunset Beacon, you can read a first hand report of a woman whose iPhone was stolen by violent thugs, and how she felt about it. This crime was first reported by the Taraval Station's daily report a while back.

All I want you, the reader/viewer to know is that I tried my best to comment on the general situation in an even-handed manner (i.e. crime is bad, boo crime on MUNI, hey some drivers have it tough, hey cops we like you please throw bad guys in jail) but had to do so without the benefit of seeing the video you the home viewer will see tonight.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Well all the hoopla was fun while it lasted, but it seems that efforts to veto the Newsom-created MTA budget fell apart when it was annouced Sup. Dufty decided to switch his vote in favor of the Mayor's plan. This leaves Sup. Sophie Maxwell as the only "undecided" vote, and it's no secret the Mayor's team is pressuring her like crazy to avoid being shown up by the Board of Supervisors. So I think this idea, while nice, is pretty much dead. If our system didn't require such an "all or nothing " approach and a compromise could have been reached, things would be better, but that's not the system we have now.

In the last few days the Mayor has made statements that range from outlandish, to just plain false. He claims he's been "working on the budget the last five days" but where the heck was he months ago when we could have come up with a better plan? (Answer, running for Governor).

And he is being simply dishonest when he doesn't explain one big reason the City's budget is so out of whack - his personal decision to arbitrarily grant huge pay raises in 2007 to boost his re-election campaign. Now, he tools around the state in a hybrid Monster Truck, presenting himself as California's Green Savior.

Whatever. All I know is that if the MTA had been willing to listen and do some better work, we could have had a better budget in these crummy economic times. Everyone has to be willing to compromise, but when you have a Mayor who insists on sticking it to the MTA and MUNI every chance he gets, and who is willing to tell lies so big you need climbing gear to get over them, there's really not a chance for the owner/riders of MUNI to get a plan that can survive tough economic times so our City can remain livable now and in the future.

For now, I'm going to leave this issue alone for a while and focus on some other things, like some new local businesses that have opened up on Irving Street, a comparison of two iPhone applications I've been trying out, and post some other ideas I've had but not had the time to write about.

Also, I'm still looking for guest bloggers as well. Since this proved to be popular when I was out of town last month, I've decided to revive this as a feature for Wednesdays, since that's the day I have to work in an office all day and can't be blogging as much. If you're interested, email me and tell me a little about yourself, why you would want to write for the site, and what kinds of subjects interest you.

I'm especially interested in people willing to write about neighborhoods along the N, local or MUNI history, or anything that's entertaining. Photos are welcome as well. Thanks!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Reading all the coverage from this week's brouhaha between the Board and the Mayor and the MTA over their "budget" has been interesting, to say the least. It's clear that the Mayor and the MTA ignored Sup. Chiu, Sup. Dufty, and the Board at their own peril, all the while as legitimate questions were being asked about how (ir)responsibly MUNI spends our money.

However, there's one point that is getting repeated over and over again, be it in the Examiner, Beyond Chron, or elsewhere, on the issue of Proof of Payment. Over and over we hear the soundbite "$8 million spent to bring in $300,000" and it "sounds" right. Unfortunately, in this case, both Sup. Chiu (who coined this term to much applause at the meeting) and MUNI and MUNI Boss Nathaniel Ford, are both making mistakes.

That's because the point of the proof of payment system is not to collect its weight in fines - to do so would mean that they'd have to issue over 130,000+ fines at $60 a piece to make that much money (aka 365 tickets per day). Are there over 100,000 scofflaws on MUNI? Probably. Is it physically possible to issue that many, with the person-power we have now?

Probably not (especially in a town like San Francisco where you have people ready to protest at any moment, people who lie to fare inspectors about their identity, and fare inspectors more interested in hassling law abiding photographers than doing their job).

More to the point, as I've said before, the point of issuing fare evasion tickets is to get people to pay their fares in the future. Otherwise, by the logic of the "bounty hunter" model, MUNI shouldn't be issuing any fast passes or tickets, and instead have citizens dodge the inspectors on their way to school, work, etc. Fines should never be seen as an area for revenue stability and growth - they should be used (as with parking tickets and other fines) to first and foremost enforce the law and discourage unsafe behavior.

However, MUNI and the $315,000 Man, Nathaniel Ford, showed their side of this classic MTA/MUNI bumble when no one could tell Sup. Chiu how much more in fares the system was receiving as a result of the program. To spend $8 million on a Proof of Payment system with the idea that one would reap more fares as a result, and have no real data to explain to concerned Supervisors and the public why their spending plan makes sense isn't going to hold water with a skeptical public. Especially when you consider this tooting of horns earlier this year indicating a rise in fare collection. WTH?

Sup. Chiu is to be applauded for providing leadership at City Hall where it was lacking on the issues of mass transit, global warming, and budget priorities. I would simply suggest that if we're going to ask the MTA and MUNI to refigure their budgets to something a bit more sensible, we focus on everything and make sure we're measuring properly, to get the best results possible. MUNI and the MTA need to be better at explaining themselves, and it's a bit worrisome when we have the bureaucratic fallacy of "one hand not knowing what the other is doing."

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)

At 1:30 today the Board of Supervisors' Budget and Finance Committee Meeting will be held, and Sup. Chiu's move to veto the SFMTA budget and ask them to come up with a more realistic plan will be up for discussion. If you haven't already done so, email your Supervisor and ask them to support this measure, and if you can make it to the meeting, show up and give 'em a dose of reality. I would love to attend, but I have a day job that doesn't allow me to go to City Hall today, unfortunately.

Today's Chronicle had some new political shenanigans being tossed around by absentee Mayor Newsom, though. Even as the MTA released new statistics showing on-time performance is improving (!), the Mayor was out there defending a budget plan that will ensure these gains are lost, and that will balance the budget in such a way that creates long-term problems we'll pay for years to come.

It's clear Newsom has been caught off guard by this situation. You can hear his beleagurement when he says things like "We're at the point now where we can't get down to zero (deficit) without tough decisions," Newsom said. "I hate the idea of raising fares. I don't want to cut Muni service. But I ask (critics), 'What ideas do you have that do not eviscerate public safety and health and human services?' ""

Well, sir, people offered plenty of ways to do so. They asked you to stop using Muni as a cash machine for other departments, looting all the money Prop. A allocated to Muni and use it for fat overtime paychecks at other agencies. The MTA staff made recommendations for more revenue, but you and your allies on the Board of Supervisors pressured the allegedly politics-free MTA to back off of them. And finally, when discussions were being held, you were out of town raising money for your race for governor, so you didn't lift a finger or do a thing (besides re-allocate Muni money to pay for staffers in your expensive office) to live up to all those green platitudes you speak of outside of San Francisco.

Because of the arcane structure of the MTA, vetoing it and forcing a do-over is the only thing we can do to make true "tough decisions." Perhaps if the Mayor actually made some and showed some leadership, he might know what that is.

Until then, it's up to the rest of us to show some leadership instead. It's no way to run a railroad, for sure, but until we fix how the MTA is governed, we'll have no other option but the nuclear one to effect change and force all those well paid "staff" to put in a day's work for a change. No one is delusional enough to think that something isn't gonna give, but the budget "as is" is a joke at our expense.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

There's no denying that in general, our economy is in the can, and life's pretty difficult for everyone. That said, when making decisions in these times, one has to sometimes look beyond the short term and figure out decisions that will make the most sense now, and in the future. Since this kind of nuanced thinking wasn't a part of the discussions at the SFMTA, we're now in the position of having to lobby our Board of Supervisors to veto the entire thing, just to get some attention over there.

I've always been realistic about what can and can't be done, but I also know that starting the "cut service jack up fares" death spiral SPUR so eloquently described in its studies on MUNI isn't going to serve anyone in the long run. Likewise, this idea that we pay people to simply not bother to show up to work, and somehow still keep their jobs is a bit mystifying. And so on. It's not like any of this is news, though - the SFMTA was warned about this years ago (before the looting of MUNI by assorted elected folks) and yet, it seemed to have fallen on deaf ears.

All this talk is essentially ignored by the SFMTA's mayor-appointed board, so it's time to use the language they have to listen to - a nice big VETO of the budget by 7 Supervisors. The first hurdle will be on May 6th at 1:30 at City Hall, where Board President Chiu's proposal will be presented. If you can attend the meeting, do so and make your voice heard in person. If you can't, be sure to email or snail mail your Supervisor before the meeting. Even if you're a big ol' cynic, do it anyway. Brute force is the only thing anyone seems to understand at City Hall these days, so do your part to give 'em a dose of reality down there.

Also, I've started up a Facebook Group which you're free to join as well. In the end, what's most important isn't the number of people on a Facebook group - it's the number of people willing to send a message to City Hall that the SFMTA can do better - and has to in these tough times.

I'm sending my letter off to my Supervisor, Ross Mirkarimi, and CC'ing Board President Chiu as well. Don't let the spinners and nay sayers get you down - doing nothing ensures nothing happens. Doing something means that no matter what, you can at least say you tried.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This is not really "news" in the sense that it's not like we didn't know this was coming, but the service cuts and jacked up fares are coming soon thanks to the budget passed by the Mayor-appointed MTA Board today. (Kudos, by the way to Streetsblog for their live coverage via Twitter today, and their article today) BeyondChron also has a good piece this morning as well.

Now, we've had a lot of talk over the past few months about how we got here. We've talked about the gutting of state funding for MUNI and BART, we've talked about the Mayor's looting of MUNI, and so on. It may seem like there's not a lot we can do but once again accept inferior service at a higher cost. However, all is not lost and we have some allies you may not be aware of.

When I spoke with Supervisor David Chiu last weekend at the California Democratic Convention, we talked quite a bit about MUNI issues. He made a good point - that MUNI was finally starting to see the light on some progress towards more reliable service, and to start once again the "death spiral" of constantly cutting service and raising fares would kill MUNI in the long run. He also made the point that he's probably one of the few (if not the only) Supervisors who relies on MUNI to get to work on time and conduct his job as Supervisor.

Which is why what he's proposed - getting a supermajority of Supervisors to veto the MTA Budget in its entirety, and force the MTA to figure out a better way to manage in a time of economic hardship - is worth fighting for. It's an extreme step, but one that I think it's time to consider to force the MTA "leadership" to do a better job identifying stabler sources of funding and thinking about the long term effects of their actions. It's not like they're going to get that leadership from the Mayor who appointed them - he's busy with other things, so it's time for the Board of Supervisors to pay attention, read the directions, and do something proactive for their constituents.

That's why I think it's time every one of us lobbied our Supervisor to vote down the MTA budget and force the MTA to get creative and minimize the damage. Now's the time we start putting more things on the table - such as cutting costs in all aspects of MUNI, and to force those people who choose not to do their jobs to get the hell out of the way and stop using MUNI like an ATM machine for lazy bums. I'm far more willing to accept a $60+ Fast Pass if I know that the people at MUNI actually want to do a good job and provide the best service they can in these crummy economic times.

So take a few minutes to fire up your e-mail, or print out a letter, or whatever communication method you prefer, and send a note to your Supervisor (find out yours here at the SFGov website) and CC a copy to Board President Chiu.

It's a longshot, to be sure, but at the same time if you do nothing, you get nothing. If you do something, you might get something better. And if the cost is just a few minutes of your time to contact your Supervisor and get them to stay focused on the real priorities of the City of San Francisco, wouldn't you say that's a good thing for everyone?

If you have other suggestions, or want to post a CC of your letter, please do so in the comments! Also, I started up a Facebook Group for fun - join up and let's see what we can do in the few weeks we have here.

PS: Transportation for America has a new campaign to ask Congress for some cash to help agencies in the short term. I'm not sure this is the best idea, but it can't hurt. Given that they blew all that cash on auto companies that are unable to build cars people want, and to banks that gave out bonuses to people who failed at their jobs, it seems like a few pennies for some buses couldnt' hurt.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)

There's word on The Twitter this morning that the 3 day grace period for Fast Passes is no more, and that if you're without one come May 1st and don't pay up the fare, you're gonna get a nice big ticket.

Which is interesting because I hadn't seen or heard any information at all on this subject, beyond today's TwitterRumor. I've put in an email to the MTA's Judson True to find out what's going on and will post here and on Twitter when I find out. But realistically, if someone like me doesn't know, how do they expect others to know?

That said, if MUNI and the MTA are going to make that big of a change, you think they'd do a better job of informing the public, than a casual tweet on the 29th of April. Otherwise one could argue they were hoping people didn't know so they could nail them with a nice big fine.

UPDATE: Word is that despite the fact the passes no longer have the wording, 311, and the MTA indicate that in fact, your 3 day period is still in place. However, as some have pointed out, don't be surprised if at some point a change is announced to close that budget gap.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)

I was perusing the Twitter this morning and noticed a lot of folks were posting links to this story about how some cuts by DPW, saving $1 million, will end up "costing" Muni/MTA $3 million in lost revenue from parking tickets. Predictably the comments section of the Chronicle and Bloggerville has the usual "wtf?" reaction. However, I think this budget incident has a lot to teach us all about How Dumb Things Are Getting.

First, as I've always said, relying on parking tickets as a revenue source is at best unstable, and at worst, takes what should be a traffic and safety enforcement system and turns it into a tax system via the courts. Either way, it's a poor way to plan ahead, since if people start obeying the law and avoid parking where they can get a ticket, the system "loses" money. Ironically the City becomes put in the position of wanting more people to park illegally just so they get "free money" from tickets. That's never a good policy, any way you look at it.

Second, when the public reads this story, inevitably someone asks "gosh, why didn't someone 'run the numbers' to see if cutting DPW street cleaning would really save any money?" And the answer is "and which someone would that be?" Muni/MTA do not run the streetcleaning service - that's the job of the Department of Public Works. That agency had a mandated "across the board" cut to its budget, and they complied with that request. No one at DPW "ran the numbers" because it's not their job - they aren't in charge of the parking ticket program or Muni/MTA's budget. Likewise, while Muni/MTA could bitch all they wanted about "losing money," it's not like too many people were listening.

Finally, this, like many issues, shows that leadership at the mayor-appointed MTA and City Hall has been lacking. If we had a cheif executive who didn't spend so much time away from California and thinking about his next job, perhaps one of the many well-paid people could have figured this out, instead of planning to spend over $1 million for 50 bikes and use them for a press conference. We're finally seeing some hope with Supervisors Chiu and Dufty taking the time to do their jobs (instead of playground antics like some of the other Board members), which is a start.

Let's hope that as we go through Budget Hell, people don't make decisions like these that don't benefit anyone in the long run. And maybe in the chaos, someone will emerge to take control of the situation and find the best fix possible, if the chief executive is no longer interested in doing so. Now THAT would be something worth writing about!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

This Earth Day, there's a bit of news in Ye Olde Chronicle about The MUNI...most interesting has been the splashback on the SFPD's money grab from MUNI, which is resulting MUNI having way more direct control over the traffic division of the SFPD than expected.

Already the SFPD had to back off of $2 million they wanted from MUNI - but now, because of the grab, 80 of their officers are now going to be taking orders from MUNI boss Nate Ford. The Mayor's office is claiming credit for this move, but as always, if they hadn't authorized the looting of MUNI in the first place, this never would have happened. I can't imagine the SFPD is happy to see their traffic division under the control of the MTA/MUNI, and one wonders if perhaps we had better budgeting this all could have been resolved better.

The Examiner reports on the ongoing Budget FAIL at local agencies, caused primarily by local and state leaders. Remember, folks, President Obama and the Feds can dole out "Stimulus Dollars" for capital projects, but they can NOT dole out cash to plug budget holes for operating expenses. Which means you will see that train get fixed or those ticket machines built, but you may not see anyone able to service them. Or fix them. Or you'll see them idled because there's no cash to make 'em work. Sigh.

And finally, if you want to see some transit pr0n, MUNI daily service reports are now available online. This is something that should have happened long ago, but bureaucratic obfuscation kept it offline and whatnot. Anyway, go check it out and then go bug the Supervisors, the MTA, and the Mayor about it.

Finally, we hear that the mayor of Berkeley, the infamous Tom Bates has done away with his car and is now either getting a ride from his spouse (State Seantor Loni Hancock) in a Prius, or taking AC Transit. Naturally, San Francisco's mayor tools around in a pricey, gas guzzling faux-hybrid, but talks big talk about carbon this and offset that. You know things are tough when the mayor of Granolaville is outclassing you on that whole "walk the talk" thing....

UPDATE: An aide to Supervisor Dufty sent us a dispatch from the Mayor's office with more details....word is that Supervisor Dufty (who has emerged as an elected official who actually cares about MUNI) pushed for some changes after that Big Hearing last week where he and Supervisor Chiu (who also seems to like MUNI) raised the issue about the Looting of MUNI.

Because of some behind-the-scenes work by the Supervisor, the whole "pay for transfers" idea (which was silly since it is counter to every piece of advice transit agencies get) is off the table, and now DPT will be handling late night parking issues and 311 won't be looting so much money. Read about it here and make sure the next time you see Supervisor Dufty, tell him "thanks" for trying to help MUNI out.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Yesterday was BloggerDay, I think. First, I attended a blogger call with Assemblymember Fiona Ma (with the Examiner's Melissa Griffin and others), then later on attended an event at SPUR which focused on local blogging. Panelists were Burrito Justice, Mission Local, What I'm Seeing and Streetsblog, and I got to meet in person many awesome people, including folks from MUNI Diaries, SF Appeal, SFist, MissionMission my neighbors Julie and Megan, and more!

Little did I know, that while we were listening to speakers discuss blogging and local life, some real-life drama was happening on the N. Reader Jeremy sent me this note which I got last night:

Hi,

I'm not sure who to report this to or how frequent events like this happen, but this evening at about 8pm we had a close call on the N-Judah at Van Ness station when a blind man exited the train and proceeded to fall in the not insignificant space between the 2 cars, and onto the tracks.

I was a passenger at the front of the second car, and was standing on the train near the door. Someone on the platform saw the man fall, and went to try to help rescue him before the train began moving. I hadn't seen the man fall and all I could see was the helper person standing above the space between the 2 cars. I stood in the doorway of the train to prevent the door from closing.

There was a bit of confusion inside the train as one man told me to get out of the doorway (of course he didn't know what was going on). As we began to figure out that someone had fallen, another man radioed up to the conductor. A woman on the platform apparently ran up to the front of the train and banged on the window of the conductor. People on the platform managed to pull the blind man up to the platform.

Eventually the conductor came over, asked the man if he was okay, and then the conductor jumped down between the trains to recover the blind man's walking stick.

Obviously a happy ending, but a close call. Who knows what would have happened if things went a little differently?

I think at a time when the news has been full of the delinquents and criminals and overall Bad People amongst us, it is nice to hear a story of our fellow citizens who are the good people, doing something positive to help out. Bravo to the N riders and MUNI personnel who helped out and prevented a tragedy.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Ah, internets. Finally up and running at the new place, and once again it took one smart CWA worker just a few minutes to use his expertise to solve the problem (and I mean that I'm not being snarky). AT&T's stumblebum management and customer service (outsourced to God Knows Where) of course had to drag this drama out 20+ days, but hey, we're back online and I can finally catch up with work, etc.

Which brings me to this piece of news, courtesy of the San Francisco Appeal, our City's newest news outlet. By doing this thing called "actual reporting of news" they found out that if you call 311 with a MUNI related question (in most cases a "when is the next bus showing up" one) MUNI gets billed $1.96 per call. Or put another way, $6.2 million a year.

Yeah. $1.96. So some operator can go on NextMUNI and tell you what you could find out for yourself on the site.

The sad part is if you call 511, MUNI doesn't get stuck for $1.96 in charges. Or, you could use your cell phone to dial up www.nextmuni.com. More to the point, if you call 511, you're likely to get better information anyway, and if you really just wanna know when the next bus is showing up, most phones can use mobile web sites.

Or if you're really desperate, call a friend with a computer and have them look it up. They'll be doing the same thing as a 311 operator - but faster and cheaper.

Once again, these "Gavin On The Toilet" ideas, like the Culture Bus, and so on, all made for wonderful press opportunities, but ended up costing too much and providing too little. But, as BeyondChron reports that seems to be S.O.P. for our City Executive.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (15)

I'm back! After a whirlwind tour of Washington DC, New York City (by way of bullet train) and some of the finest layover airports in America, I'm back. While I was able to sort of keep up on The Twitter with many of you and all, consistent Internet access was a hassle, and I wasn't able to post like I wanted. But thanks to the awesome guest bloggers, the site did not go stale. (BTW, there will be plenty of opportunities to guest blog for the site soon so feel free to apply now for a future gig).

Because AT&T fouled up my new home's internet connection, I'm writing this quick post now at a Starbuck's on Irving, mostly to do a quick hit on the impending MUNI budget FAIL we're facing right now.

I've been reading some of the proposals, and they all seem to fall into the "evil or stupid" categories. It's very clear that the SFMTA really doesn't have a clear idea of what they're doing, and are just running the numbers without really thinking about how to maintain the system in a time of economic troubles. Getting rid of N Judah service on weekends to the waterfront? WTF? It was a disaster when they tried it before - who in their right mind would think this is a good idea, especially now that it's baseball season? Ugh.

Nowhere have they even bothered to come up with new, stable revenue sources. Nor do they seem to have any real plan to improve collecting the money they're already owed. They're getting federal stimulus money to build ticket machines, for example, but aren't going to have the people to service them. And there's no talk of giving up the billion-dollar Subway To Nowhere either, or its pricey contract steered to ex-MUNI employees.

And again, we don't see anyone holding Mayor Gavin Newsom (who authorized the illegal looting of the 2007 Measure A money to fill the pockets of city bureaucrats), Green Governor Arnie, and Democrats in the Legislature (who voted to kill MUNI funding every year for 5 years, and cut all transit funding entirely from the bloated state budget) accountable for their role in crippling MUNI - all while wearing green ties and talking happy green talk to a willing audience on the road (usually via SUV).

I'm working on a more detailed article that I'll post once the dust settles from my (busy) trip out east. For now, I wanted to post a link to Jaime Whitaker's blog post at the Examiner, which has the times, dates and places for tomorrow's Armageddon meeting, and other meetings as well. Posted by Greg Dewar at 4:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

So by now you may or may not have read about all that wonderful federal "stimulus" money that's coming to MUNI. It's good news, and they're going to fund some much-needed repairs and (gasp!) ticket machines to collect money better. Yay!

Which is all fine and good, but despite the feds dropping almost 70,000,00 into MUNI, it does nothing to remedy the fact that MUNI's year-to-year funding is pretty much devastated by the State of California, after Governor "Green Arnie" and Green Legislature gutted all transit funding. Nor does it stop "Green Gavin's" authorized looting of MUNI by city departments either.

So tomorrow, on St. Patrick's Day, the MTA will be meeting to confront the budget armageddon, and try and come up with ways to fill the budget holes. Tom Prete did a great job on his site posting a piece on a proposal to tack on extra fares for express buses as well as a copy of the MTA 2010 budget proposal and related links.

There's no denying that all government agencies are going to be experiencing troubled times right now, as their revenues are pegged to sources that fluctuate wildly based on how the economy is doing. That said, politicians have been looting transit for many years now to avoid making tough choices, both locally and at the state level, and the cumulative effect of that, on top of today's tough times, makes for a MUNI that's going to raise prices and cut back service - pay more, and get less, basically. This at a time when more people than ever want to use mass transit. Ugh.

So remember all of this when you see Green Gavin or Green Arnie running around talking Big Ideas about the environment, and remember that when it mattered, both would rather wreck MUNI and mass transit than do anything to save it.

For you and I , who rely on MUNI to get around, I'm afraid that poor service is going to become the norm, not the exception, and that MUNI failwhales are going to be in season shortly. It's unfortunate, but until someone presses the "reset" button on state and local government to run better, this is our lot and we're going to have to learn to live with it. Sucks, but it's not like we have a Mayor or other elected officials who seem to want to lead on these issues.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

After yesterday's drama, I thought it'd be good to do a Fun Friday post, and hopefully push away any bad luck associated with "Friday the 13th." So first, a joke from Mason Powell, who, upon hearing the news that Roche will be purchasing Genentech, asked "Does this mean the Genenbus will be renamed the Roche Coach?"

Thank you! We'll be here all week!

And now for some events...as you all know, St. Patrick's Day is next week, which means that it's really St. Patrick's Next-Few-Days as we have tonight, the big St. Patrick's Day Parade tomorrow, and then Sunday, and Monday and...well you get the idea.

But tomorrow is not just the big parade....the famous Brides of March will be convening at the Tunnel Top at 2:30 tomorrow for their annual day out and about. You may recall we ran into them last year, along with St. Patrick's Day fans, zombies and Flickr people about a year ago at this time.

Locally, we have a few events worth noting. The always fun Inner Sunset Facebook Group, which has been holding some fun meetups locally, is going to be doing a walking tour of the neighborhood. Go to their Facebook event page, and RSVP for what looks to be an interesting tour of our neighborhood.

Also, Java Beach cafe will be hosting a family-friendly "Green Fest Block Party" in conjunction with the United Irish Cultural Center from 11am-4pm over by their new coffee shop at 2650 Sloat (at 45th). I always like Java Beach at the end of the N Judah line (where I've met many characters including this little bird), and now, they have another location at the end of the L-Taraval line.

I've also been reminded that tomorrow is Pi Day, where people celebrate that little number from geometry class. Go to the Exploratorium's site for a list of activities, and note where you are at 1:59pm tomorrow (get it? 3/14 1:59...)

Also starting up today is the annual SF Asian American Film Festival which always has some really interesting films to check out. I will be making sure to check out You Don't Know Jack, a short documentary about comic actor Jack Soo made by...Public Defender Jeff Adachi. Yes, that Jeff Adachi, who's been making some waves at City Hall because he, unlike some elected officials, seems to take his job seriously, and actually shows up to do it.

This is Mr. Adachi's second documentary - he made one a few years ago about Asian American male actors. It seems we have a Renaissance Man in the PD's office after all! Go Jeff!

Finally, for my fellow nerds out there, while you're watching the first piece of the very last episode of Battlestar Galactica tonight, why not check out this upcoming film series at the SFMOMA of dystopian futures from the past? I forgot to post this earlier, so they already had Logan's Run on last night. But more are coming along so make some plans. (Yes I know that these technically aren't happening this exact weekend, but I wanted to post a link ASAP).

That's all! Remember, if you have an event you'd like to tell others about, feel free to email me or send me a message on The Twitter (@njudah) and I'll try and include it in a future post!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Thanks to Twitter, I've been getting reports of a pretty major MUNI Metro FAIL in progress...@agentnano retweeted a report from @jonsnyder about a stuck N Judah train about 30 minutes ago. Loyal reader @rowenoftc also posted this twitpic of the failwhale bus as well.

So far, there's been nothing throughout this interruption on the official MUNI "TroubleAlert" as yet, and no news aside from what the Twitteratti are reporting. If you're out there and see something, either today, or any day, that might be worth re-tweeting, find me on Twitter at @njudah !

UPDATE: The TroubleAlert just chimed in with some basic info...just expect a lot of delays today. Eric from Transbay Blog just twittered a delay he encountered as well.

Hey, if you're stuck on MUNI and have Twitter, why not twitter your tale of woe, and then direct message one to @gavinnewsom too? Maybe he can help?

UPDATE 2: The SF Appeal did some follow up to the drama that's worth checking out.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

While nothing appeared on MUNI's official "TroubleAlert" RSS feed just yet, a Loyal Reader Twittered this first-hand account of some rather odd delays about 30 minutes ago...if you've got a first hand account, @ me a message on Twitter.

I managed to avoid said ruckus because I'm lucky enough to be working at home this morning, but unlucky in that I have to take more time off of work to go apartment hunting in the Sunset. As always, there's a small reward for anyone who connects me successfully with a new apartment in the Inner Sunset...email me if you know of an opening out there!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you've not already checked out the SF Appeal, San Francisco's newest online news source, you really should. It's a great new resource for local news, and I'm really rooting for them in these turbulent times for local news. They just started up last week, and already have some interesting news worth reading.

The Central Subway - a project that's been beset with problems since it was conceived - is experiencing some rather dramatic cost overruns as the contract to manage the project has ballooned. And oddly enough this outsourced project is going to a former MUNI boss. Hmm.

The Central Subway project continues to roll along, despite its many problems, because the MTA is accepting federal money for the project, and once a project starts to go through the federal process, you can't change it without returning the money (which hasn't been completely secured, by the way).

As it stands, the Central Subway will continue to consume more and more resources, and eventually cripple the MUNI Metro system, without really helping anyone. And any talk of it "going to North Beach" is just talk - the chance the Catholic Church and the "build nothing" crowd in that part of town would allow a massive turnound bored under the church by Washington Square Park is fairly remote.

There are other ideas to help move people more effectively in Chinatown and downtown (do recall that the Stockton Tunnel was originally built for a streetcar line that served the area), but they're essentially moot since any changes would mean starting from scratch with the federal government - and that's not likely to happen either.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Although I managed to get a short post out before I headed off to a seminar I was running for the day job, I couldn't do any follow up, as the many Twitter DMs, emails and reactions piled up to yesterdays unauthorized labor action by MUNI employee Kavai Muao-Harris, who decided it would be awesome to screw everyone's commute in the morning by throwing a temper tantrum and blocking the buses from leaving.

From my own observations, as well as that of those attending our seminar, there was a definite ripple effect for a good part of yesterday with delayed and crowded buses, and so on. Reading the news coverage of this little escapade, however, is something that easily gets ones blood to boil.

First, the reason for this chidish act was over some stupid assignment for the day's work. Now, if this person had blocked the buses because they were rolling deathtraps, unsafe for passengers, that would have been ok since that would have been protecting the safety of people who use MUNI.

However, for someone who's job is not only to work for us, the owners and riders of MUNI, but also to act as a union negotiator, to pull a stunt like this over something this small is bullsh*t. In the end it was not MUNI management who got screwed - it was anyone who has to be at work on time in the morning (i.e. the owners and riders of MUNI).

I can't stress this enough. I am tired of being told we are "customers." We are not. We own the system, it is ours, and yes it has problems and sometimes the management needs a kick in the backside to get things right. That does not change the fact that the ultimate responibslity of everyone at MUNI is to work for our benefit, not their own. That's the definition of working in the "public sector."

I guess what's most galling is that of course, this person wasn't fired. Now, imagine if you, at your job, did something equally as dangerous to your company's operations over something equally as trivial. Would you get paid adminstrative leave and a long investigation that may or may not involve some sort of punishment? No, you'd get fired in a minute.

Likewise, in this economy, being late to work is a great way to get fired. If anyone lost their job because of this action taken, frankly, they oughta sue this person for lost wages. I sure would.

Finally, there's this gem from Irwin Lum. You remember him as the guy who fought in court to make sure the public didn't know who the few rotten MUNI drivers were. He's the guy that runs the union that never seems to celebrate the awesome drivers who make our day and make the system run right.

“We are still investigating the situation as to what led to this incident,” Lum said. “We would like to apologize to the public for any inconvenience that they may have incurred.”

"May" have ocurred? Are you frakking kidding me? This is as hollow an apology as one could offer. News flash, Irwin: if you want us to take your side in your disputes with MUNI management, why don't you start by trying to show us why we should? Why instead do you keep on defending bad apples like Kavai Muao Harris and a few bad drivers, and instead try and get MUNI to reward the good ones?

Then of course, in the Chron article he did offer a bit more insight:

(Lum) said there is growing frustration among the ranks of Muni employees that goes way beyond the beef over seniority. Not only are employees feeling that management's treating them with a lack of respect and dignity, he said, but morale is plummeting due to the agency's budget constraints, with funding hits coming from the state and a raid of Muni coffers by other city departments.

Well, duh. We've been talking about these issues for years. Helpful hint: why doesn't your union join with Everyone Else Pissed Off at Green Gavin and Green Arnie who've been sticking it to MUNI and MUNI's owners (us) all this time?

Maybe when Green Gavin asks you to endorse his campaign for governor you say "no"? Or maybe, just maybe, why don't you stop looking at all of us as your adversaries and realize we have more in common than we don't. Better yet, kick people who endanger the system for petty disputes to the curb. None of us needs 'em and the bad will they generate across town.

I'm not holding my breath. I think as the economy and governments circle down the drain, no one really cares about anyone else these days. So, the next time these clowns cry wolf, I won't be rushing to help 'em out, even if a "wolf" is really there that time.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)

We all hear about the "bad apples" at MUNI on the news, and elsewhere. However, when was the last time you heard about the many awesome MUNI drivers who take pride in their work and are doing the job right?

Exactly.

So, in the spirit of President's Day, I wanted to pass along a story of my own, as well as two I found around the Internets reminding us that there are some folks who do a good job, and they deserve a little recognition, for a change.

First off, my own experience on the N Judah inbound last week. I was headed to a party downtown on Wednesday night for Barnes Mosher Whitehurst & Lauter.

Anyway, the N Judah was doing its usual weirdness around the tunnel, but the MUNI operator was super cool. She made sure we knew WHAT was going on, and clearly announced all the transfer points along the way. When we pulled up to UCSF, where there were a lot of people getting ready to go home on a chilly night, she made sure to alert people over the speakers to the fact that if they were paying for a fare in cash, they could get off, and walk to the half empty train in back, thus making the front car less crowded, and did so also at Carl and Cole.

Finally, when we were in the tunnel she made sure to alert anyone who might need to know that the Powell elevator isn't working, and that if anyone needed it to get out early and find another way there.

That last piece of info is important. Sure, the constant rider would "know" this, but what of the tourist who just came in from out of town who would have no idea about said closure? I have talked to people who work with the disabled and this has been a point of contention for some time. So it was nice to see someone doing what they're supposed to. I hastily twittered this, and later called 311 with a compliment as well.

The good folks at SF Citizen also caught a moment of MUNI awesome when they noted that the driver of this bus did their best to avoid splashing the pedestrian with a tsunami, which, if you've ever had this happen know it is no fun.

And finally, we have this interview with a great MUNI veteran (who sadly has been consigned to the empty Culture Bus) who has a great attitude about the job and MUNI in general.

It's easy to be cynical about MUNI employees sometimes, but it is important we recognize those who are doing a good job too. Now if only the City would do more for them, and spend less time protecting the ones that don't care - then we'd be making some progress!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

The good folks at Streetsblog do a pretty good job of rounding up transit news links, so it's a nice way to keep up with things every day. Today was no exception - they had a link to this story in the New York Times detailing a conflict between LA MTA and Breda, the makers of the streetcars on the N-Judah line.

Breda has never had a particularly great reputation - the cars for MUNI had many problems when introduced, and Breda cars in Boston have been problematic as well (ironically in part because they were calibrated for MUNI and not for the unique needs of Boston). So it isn't surprising the LA might want to consider its options and make sure they're buying the right rail cars for their system.

Also, here's a few links worth checking out: the Transbay Blog has an easy-to-read summary of the "stimulus" package for transit, and BeyondChron.org has some questions about the "stimulus" package too.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

As some of you may or may not know, there was an accident involving the N near 2nd and King Street. However, until this morning, as I was going through my mail, did I know who the person was or how they were doing.

Both Reader Allan (he of the awesome Mission Mission blog) and Reader Brian sent in this link and this one indicating that the person injured was in fact Bill Brand, a well known reporter for the Tribune and now a popular writer on beer-related issues with his column "What's on Tap" and wrote for the BottomsUp blog. Word is he's in critical condition.

I can't even imagine how horrific this must have been, and we should all send prayers and good energy his way so he makes it through this. These kinds of stories are just sad.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is someone who runs around talking about how frakking "green" he is, gets on magazine covers and praised by So-Called Liberal San Francisco as a Captain of the "green movement," but when push comes to shove on things that might actually do something about the things he claims to care about, lets loose the dogs to MUNI, and gives them shady lawyer's tricks to help out in the brutalization.

Now, in and of itself, budget shenanigans aren't enough to call out Gavin the Green on his nonsense. Everyone's doing it - the birds, the bugs and the state is doing it (let's call it f*cked!)*** - and the Obama "stimulus package" has been a bitter fight for anything not more subsidies for cars and nonsense.

What makes this worse is that this Mayor, who clearly does not want to spend time in San Francisco, doing the job he was elected to do, who has stolen MUNI money in the past to pay political staffers' salaries in his office, and blew money we did not have on plasma TVs and pricey office goodies all in the name of "getting good ideas to run San Francisco" dares to call himself a Captain of "green" thinking, asking his flock to his Facebook page. Remind me how this is better than having a C-Student take us to war in Iraq and bankrupt the country? Hmm?

News flash, Mayor (and his team of boys running things): why don't you spend more time in the city you were elected to run, not in high priced mansions for your fundraisers? Try talking your silly during rush hour when those of us who work for a living are late because your overpaid Smart Kids (who apparently are up for a big job in Los Angeles!) couldn't run a two-car parade, much less a simple transit system in a city of less than 800,000 people.

This is a Mayor, who, during an election year, jacked up salaries arbitrarily for key city employee groups for his own benefit, blowing out the deficit. Had it not been for the bumbling alliterative talents of the so-called "progressives" in illustrating this fact, perhaps we might have avoided some of the budget pain we have, now that times are not so flush with taxpayer cash. D'oh!

You'll have to pardon me if I'm sounding harsh, but I'm sick and tired of being "punished" for the fact I don't drive my old, gas-guzzling, big, annoying Lexus (yes, really, I had a Lexus) and opted out of a car-dependent lifestyle when a crash offered me a way out.

More importantly, I am getting very sick and tired of hearing political platitudes from a Mayor/Captain who claims to be "green" while driving a gas-sucking 20 mpg SUV, and demanding we lay roses at his feet for his oh-so-pious-green silliness.

However, I'm not someone to simply post blog rants and run. Oh no. If city departments can loot MUNI based on spurious claims, well then, it's time for MUNI to issue a little payback.

The police are now billing MUNI for doing traffic duty(!) whenever a bus shows up. Well, then I propose MUNI bill the SFPD for every stolen fare the SFPD fails to capture because they don't patrol MUNI for crime. And for every person harassed by a criminal (think that criminal who beat up people on MUNI, only to later kill a family in SF), well, another bill. And for every drunk driver, or heck, every fool driver who causes MUNI delays that surely the SFPD could have prevented, another bill.

But why stop there? Let's get crazy. Let's bill the library system for every person who didn't read a MUNI map and thus, delayed the buses when someone asked directions. Let's think up all kinds of crazy stuff, and start a war of attrition, where lawyers and bureaucrats and accountants bill overtime, and everyone who pays taxes and lives by the rules, gets screwed. Hey, I hear that if you read, you should bill MUNI! Bill 'em!

Sound like a bad idea? It is. It's time for a clean slate. Time for us to stop the nonsense. And we start by not electing pretty boys and girls who make us feel good, but don't have a record of doing something that actually benefits the people of Our Fair City.

***50 points if you can guess what I'm spoofing here. Hey, we gotta have some fun in a time of crisis, right?

Posted by Greg Dewar at 7:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

I just got an email from the office of Assemblymember Tom Ammiano that he'll be hosting an open house at his office downtown and listen to people's concerns about the budget. Assemblymember Ammiano is of course one of the few elected officials who's actually had to rely on MUNI, failwhales and all, in his day to day life in office.

So if you have the time, why not stop by and talk to him about all things budget and MUNI related and tell them the N Judah Chronicles sent you! Here's the information:

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I was wondering why the N outbound was indicating such a long delay, and now I just heard the news helicopters and got several messages..it seems that there's been a serious accident on the N Judah line on 10th and Judah...I am about to leave for an event but will take some pics...follow me on Twitter for updates...hopefully no one was hurt.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 5:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

No, really, I promise. This isn't going to become the MUNI Budget Blog. But at least for this month, it kinda has to be, because right now is when plans are being made outside of SF that will directly affect everyone in town, be they a MUNI rider or not. So now's the time to speak up, so we can at least not have a totally miserable day on MUNI all the time.

Today we read the latest Big Bad Budget Blues story in the Chronicle. As I was reading it, I remembered something and did a little digging in my notes. Eureka!

Now, I sometimes give Now State Senator Mark Leno a hard time, not because he's a bad guy, but because he was part of some budget votes that used bond (borrowed) money for daily expenditures, and cut transit funding. And yes, I understand that sometimes Good People have to vote for Bad Budgets and all, but still. We're the City That Knows How, remember?

Anyway, back in mid 2007 I remember going to a "blogger meetup" with his campaign at Martuni's and I politely asked what ideas he had on stabilizing MUNI funding, and I remember jotting down some notes on one that was actually pretty good - allowing counties to go to the people and take a vote to repeal the vehicle license fee cuts Arnie signed into law when he was installed as Governor.

If you think about it, it has some merit. After all, if Orange and Kern Counties want to be bastions of the "No We Can't" crowd, fine! Let 'em. If San Francisco would like to do something different, they'd have the option to put it to the people and let them decide.

Now, passing something like this a) in the Legislature and then b) locally would take some Herculean efforts. However, if Sacramento is going to keep jerking us around, we need the means to declare independence and do what's right for our city & county. If other counties don't want to do this, fine, but they should butt out of our affairs.

I for one, do not want to see streets become a parking lot full of traffic jammed cars where no one can get to work or school. I also don't see anything changing if we leave it up to someone else. It's time for San Francisco to put aside the rhetoric and apply some of that know-how to really do something. I really don't care who it is, but the persons that do will get rewarded because they did something instead of just talk about it.

If you don't think this is a good idea, fine. Then come up with an idea of your own and share it here or elsewhere. I'm not a "toss money at a problem" kind of person, but I do know that if you can't depend on stable revenue, you can never make a realistic budget plan, ever. So, come on San Franciscans! We've got plenty of smart people living here....

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today I had a business lunch downtown, and got to finally wait in line and try out Taylor's Automatic Refresher at the Ferry Building. I'd always wanted to go there, but never relished waiting in line, so it was nice to finally try it out. Sure you pay like, 12 dollars for a burger (and no fries). But it's a pretty good burger, all said. (Besides, I never finish the fries anyway so I didn't order any).

As my iPhone (aka iPhail, aka iLemon) has been driving me nuts with its horrific number of dead signals and whatnots, I finally called up Apple to find out if perhaps it was a hardware issue, and they set up a time for me to go to the Stonestown Apple Store to get it fixed. (Sure, I could have gone to the crazy one downtown, but the Stonestown store is a bit calmer). So I got on what I thought was an M-Ocean View at Embarcadero and headed out.

Now, there'd been a bunch of trains rushing throug the station and I was thoroughly engrossed in all things Twitter, so I wasn't paying attention when I got on and was in fact on an N. No worries - I was able to get on the intended M at Church St. Station since it wasn't too far behind, and all.

Besides, had I not boarded the N, I would not have seen that rarest of urban sightings - well behaved children on public transit. A group of little preschoolers boarded and you could tell in the faces of some of the riders they were worried they were in for a loud, sugar fueled festival of whimsy.

Absolutely not the case. These kids were polite, said "please" and "excuse me" and sat down quietly and talked amongst themselves. They listened to the teacher and you could tell everyone was just blown away by how orderly and friendly these little ones were.

I don't mean to case on kids or anything, but if you've ever been on the bus with say, a pack of unruly teens who keep pulling the "Stop Requested" cable for EVERY SINGLE STOP, you know what I mean.

Anyway, this was all well and good until I realized I was on the wrong train. But I managed to walk to Church and actually catch the M that was a few minutes behind anyway. I made it to Stonestown where the good people at Apple determined that in fact, I did have a totally frakked iPhone. 10 minutes later I had a brand new one, and since I backed it up before I left the house, all would be well once I got home. Add in a quick visit to Trader Joe's and the PO Box on the way back via the 44, and all was pretty good after all.

Also, thanks to all of you who called Speaker Pelosi's office...I'll be finding out how things went in the House today, but no matter what, it's better to find something one can do to help out a little, since in the end we own MUNI.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 5:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

The vigilant people at SF Streetsblog alerted everyone to an important amendment in the House that might help transit around the country get less screwed, but it's going to need all the Loyal Readers to take a few minutes out of their day to call Our Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, and demand some action out of her office.

The amendment to speak out for is the Transbay Blog reports the amendment went through. It's not as great as the one sponsored by Rep. DeFazio of Oregon, but hey, it is better than nothing.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

To paraphrase Bart Simpson, I always knew someone would finally come out and say this, I just wasn't expecting it here....while Green Gavin is far away in France, oohing and aahing over high speed rail, and demanding billions for a mile's worth of track in a feud with Judge Quentin Kopp, the Overhead Wire points out Green Gavin's impending MUNI FAIL.

High speed rail can be a great thing, and if the bonds approved by voters ever actually get sold, will one day be a boon to the economy, et al. The problem is that Green Gavin, like so many local politicians (and those sent to Sacramento) are perfectly happy to ooh and ahh over sparkly technology far away, but do nothing to make the day to day ride on MUNI one bit better. It's especially troublesome to see the Mayor globetrotting and campaigning out of town at a time when a huge fiscal crisis is hitting the City.

Don't forget, when we voted on a charter amendment in 2007 to amend MUNI, Green Gavin flip flopped in favor of parking spots for cars, before ultimately doing nothing. And now, when the Transit Effectiveness Project is likely to go the way of the dinosaur, where's Gavin? Lobbying the Obama Administration for some real help for MUNI? Asking our City's legislators to not sell transit down the line?

Nope. He's off in France. Or somewhere. Lucky him - at least he doesn't have to wait 45 minutes for the bus like the rest of us!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

As we all know, stable funding of MUNI has led to many of its problems today. By relying on income sources that vary wildly from year to year, MUNI ends up having too much when it doesn't need it and not enough when it does.

Worse, we've had a state Legislature dedicated to cutting transit funding (despite voters wishes to dedicate stable funding for transit) every year. Now, when things are bad, Democrats in the Legislature and the Green Governor want to kill all transit funding, even though you pay taxes that are supposed to pay for that. Ah, genius.

But all is not lost. If you're not already checking out Streetsblog SF, you really should, because between them and the Overhead Wire, they've been keeping a close eye on the Obama Administration's so-called "stimulus plan," which many have critiqued so far.

Today, they had some excellent links to the miserable state of transit in the US and offer ways you, the citizen can bug Congress, give 'em a dose of reality, and reduce the pain somewhat for our beleagured MUNI and BART.

Too often when these issues are reported, the armchair analysts simply assume there's "too much spending" and that "spending needs to be cut." Stupid at best, ignorant and dangerous at worst. We have been cutting MUNI's budgets for decades now, using parlor tricks and gimmicks to keep the system running, and you've seen the effects.

We've cut training for drivers way back (hence accidents and rude drivers.) We've cut back on maintenance (which is why your N Judah trails parts on the way to Ocean Beach or 19th Avenue). And we've always relied on gimmicks like "parking tickets" as a revenue source, something they were never intended to be. Finally, we've been sending a lot of our tax dollars to Sacramento, and Sacramento is sucking them up, using the money to pay for things like debt service on bonds instead of what the law requires (because voters love to vote for "free money" for their pet projects).

It's time to restore a bit of sanity. Yes, MUNI can be run better, and no, it won't happen overnight. We are starting to read more about what it truly costs to run the system properly - now it's time to find solid ways to pay for it.

Put it another way - if it takes 5 gallons of gas to get you to where you're going, and you only have 3, you can play with the tire gauge, lighten the load, try to drive down as many hills as possible and so on, but in the end, if you don't have enough gas, you won't get where you're going. All the gimmicks in the world won't change the fact you're out of gas. Same goes for MUNI.

UPDATE: To be clear, this is nothing unique - the LA Times writes about mass transit misery around the country.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The good folks at Zazzle.com have just announced a new discount code in honor of Inauguration Day - $4.40 off any shirt in the Zazzle store! All you need to do is go to our Zazzle store, pick out any shirt for sale (you'll find both N Judah and Adama for President items there), and enter the code 440SHIRTSALE for your discount. (FYI, Zazzle.com is located right here in the Bay Area, so if you're a local, you're ordering from a local business!)

And, while you're buying your shirt, why not send President Elect Obama a note the next time you get hit up for a donation asking him to give transit infrastructure help with that bazillion dollar "stimulus" package, instead of letting his transit secretary shovel it all to his campaign contributors?

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

God Bless the LA Times. Even in their crippled state, the victim of bad business decisions and a slowing economy, they still manage to publish succinct editorials that say what needs to be said in just a few words. Their recent editorial on the abysmal cuts the Democrats and the Governor are making to mass transit which will result in permanently taking away money voters wanted to go to roads and transit, and instead spend them on whatever. Our friends at the Overhead Wire made some good points on this today, too.

It is especially embarssing when represenatives from the City That Knows How, the City that proudly proclaims its "greener than thou" status, vote for these budgets. I've heard the excuses but in the end, consistently cutting money away from MUNI and BART in good years has done a lot of damage. Now that times are bad, the situation just gets worse.

Today's Chronicle reports on the "higher fares/less service" drainpipe BART is about to spiral down with, but Loyal Readers know this is nothing new to us, as we've been talking about this for a while now.

That said, I think we have an opportunity as citizens and MUNI riders to try and minimize some of the damage. Now, I'm not suggesting we just wait while the Federal Government magically comes in to save us from all our woes (because they can't), but I think it's time we asked our legislators in Sacramento to be a little more creative in finding ways to fund transit with stable revenue sources. If San Francisco's legislators can't show the way to our fellow citizens on basic issues like this, then maybe it's time San Francisco stop telling the rest of the state how to live.

I for one, would like to think that our legislators have some good ideas, and just need some encouragement to try them out. Here's a wild one - if the State is going to take tax money for transit away from transit, can we all get a discount on our state taxes and instead direct the money locally to our own MUNI?

Crazy idea, but I'm waiting to hear of a better one. In the meantime, why not take note of our Legislator's websites and contact them with your concerns about the budget? Let's give them the benefit of the doubt for now that they're willing to consider something besides killing MUNI, BART, and local government, and are willing to go out on a limb with some new ideas. Here's links to their web pages - next time MUNI has a failwhale, give 'em a ring:

Senator Mark Leno

Senator Leland Yee (who represents the N! Yay!)

Assemblymember Tom Ammiano

Assemblymember Fiona Ma

UPDATE 1/19Don't hold your breath waiting for Washington DC to help out much. It seems that transit aid in the stimulus package has taken a major cut, in favor of cars and roads. According to the article, both the Speaker and the Senate Majority Leader, as well as the Obama team, had a role in cutting down transit help that would fund the kinds of infrastructure repairs agencies like MUNI struggle with in an age of cutbacks.

Maybe you should send a note to the Speaker and ask her when the last time she rode MUNI was....

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The MUNI TroubleAlert and SFist report that there is a demonstration planned for 5pm today at the Civic Center Station. It is not clear what the nature of the demonstration will be (i.e. peaceful protest, or riot), but you can expect delays coming home through the downtown tunnel, and well , just about anywhere near Market Street.

This may or may not turn ugly, but your best bet is to try and keep up with the news, and if it starts to turn violent and dangerous, stay away and take another route home. While it is unclear if the intent of the protest is to turn violent or not, this posting, which describes rioting and hurting people as a "party" would indicate some people seem to be glad a person is dead, since it now justifies hurting people, trashing businesses and publicly owned buildings, and making death threats against bloggers. Sigh.

Anyway, if you see anything, or take any pictures, post a link in the comments...

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The MUNI TroubleAlert is throwing up warning flags galore about Saturday, January 10th about possible disruptions due to "demonstrations" but as usual doesn't really make it clear what those demonstrations are about, and if they're likely to be violent etc.

I don't think MUNI is referring to the No Pants Subway ride, so whatever is going on , just be careful!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you're not already familiar with Improv Everywhere and its local affiliate here in San Francisco you're missing out on some rather entertaining events people can participate in. (One of my all time favorites was this musical, staged at a Southern California food court mall last year.) They also had an event at Dolores Park last fall that was really cool too.

Anyway, this Saturday on BART and MUNI they'll be organizing the 2nd annual "No Pants Subway Ride".

In times like these, it is kind of cool to see some folks willing to do something kinda silly, kinda funny, and provide a little bit of participatory entertainment in an otherwise boring day. I just hope the weather warms up for 'em a little - I can't imagine being without several layers of clothing when it is this cold.

If you happen to run into the event, take a picture and post a link in the comments!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There's been no shortage of news, good and bad, these last few months. The economy is spiraling downward, and state and local governments are following down the drain as well. MUNI continues to provide plenty of drama for daily commuters, and that sense that no one is at City Hall minding the store continues.

That all said, 2009 might not be so bad for those of us who rely on MUNI, and those of us who need to be able to get around, be it by car, bike, or walking. That's because despite all the doom and gloom, there are some opportunities for us to take an active role in making things work for us for a change. None of it will happen, however, unless folks are willing to own the problem and start demanding real solutions.

There's a new President coming on board in a few weeks, and there's lots of talk about "investing" and "projects" and the like. Our Speaker, who happens to hail from Our Fair City, no longer has the excuse of a presidential veto to keep her from playing a real role in making things better. That said, neither the Obama Administration, or the Congress will do anything different unless we start sending a strong message that blowing tax money on make-work projects won't help the country.

Only by investing wisely in projects that will have a long term benefit and move this country forward will we see any change. More federal money, spent wisely, could take a lot of the cost of infrastructure off of MUNI's shoulders. This will only happen if people put a lot of pressure on Obama and Pelosi to do the right thing. Streetsblog SF and the the Overhead Wire have been doing some great work covering these issues in the media - start there, and then let the emails and phone calls fly.

The same cannot be said for the State of California, which has elevated looting to an art form. The Legislature (including two of San Francisco's legislators) have consistently voted for huge cuts to MUNI, taking money voters wanted spent on transit and roads, and repurposing it elsewhere. Now, when times are really bad, more cuts are on the way. And those bonds you voted for? They're not getting issued - the economic crisis is making sure of that.

Doom and gloom. But wait, there's hope! Incoming Assemblyman Tom Ammiano has been one of the few politicians who literally walks the talk on mass transit, having been a Fast Pass holder for years and who relies on transit in his daily life, much as the rest of us do.

Assemblyman Ammiano can't singlehandedly change the legislature in one term, but it may be an opportunity to have someone in Sacramento that can explain to the geniuses up there why their half-assed budgeting has been so harmful. And again, people need to stop accepting the nonsense these folks pump out, and ask them to do their jobs, not just spend time running for office.

Most importantly though, we live in San Francisco, which has a lot of faults, but in the end it's a nice little city to live in. Sure, our Mayor may be absent as he seeks greener pastures, and yes, the Board of Supervisors and the MTA might drive us nuts once in a while, but in the end it's our city, not theirs.

Every day we have the chance to help make this city just a little bit nicer, be it from simple politeness on the bus, refraining from using the 1-finger salute in traffic, or finding a better way to air our differences. It's not easy when times are frustrating, but I've realized lately sometimes dialing down the noise, and trying to replace it with even the smallest gesture of goodwill can reap real results.

Finally, we are lucky to live in a city where we have a veritable life in San Francisco.

It says a lot about a city like SF that so many people are interested in contributing in their own way via blogs and elsewhere, and in the end that's why I prefer to stay and fight instead of giving up and moving elsewhere. Happy 2009!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posting from now through the end of the year is going to be light because I need a bit of a break, and I need to do some work to upgrade the system that runs the blog, so I can also update the look and mechanics of the site as well. However, when there's breaking news or reader mail, we'll be sure to post.

First, don't forget our local shopping guide for any last minute gifts you may need. And, don't forget you can still order our "N is Near" and "80th Anniversary of the N" shirts from Zazzle.com at any time. Since they're located in Redwood City, shipping to most places in California is rather speedy.

Next, many people have asked me what I think of President Elect Obama's choice of Rep. Ray LaHood as Transportation Secretary. He never appeared on any of the "short lists" for who President-Elect Obama might appoint, and frankly I barely heard of him before myself, so to be honest, the answer is "we'll see." (And what is up with all this bicycle stuff and LaHood? I mean, yeah, bikes are great, but we will never see the streets filled with bikes, a la Beijing circa 1978, despite the dearest of hopes of bike advocates.)

True, he isn't part of the "anything not a car is Satan's doing" caucus in Congress, but beyond that, it seems as if they had to appoint someone with an "R" next to their name to the Cabinet, and just as President Bush appointed Democratic Congressman Norm Mineta, it seems Obama's continuing this new tradition. The good people at Streetsblog have a roundup of reactions as well.

And now, for some Reader Mail. Reader Karena writes this morning with some interesting news:

Hi Greg, I was taking the N to work yesterday morning and noticed that a MUNI employee was selling transfers. It was probably the quickest boarding at that stop I'd ever witnessed. My train was packed this morning and I couldn't look out the window to see if he was there again. Is someone at MUNI finally listening?

I think they are. Not everyone who rides MUNI is going to buy a pass or have a Translink card handy - there are plenty of people who are only casual users of MUNI and try as we might, there will always be someone paying cash. MUNI's Nate Ford noted at the meeting a few weeks ago that he'd personally observed just how crowded Carl/Cole can get with people trying to pay a fare during the day.

Carl / Cole and UCSF and Irving / 9th get a lot of casual riders, and that's where inevitably you get a bit of a wait. UCSF has patients and visitors whose number of visits don't warrant a pass (or are coming from out of town), and Irving and 9th is getting a lot more people due to the Academy and the park's events. Since we're not going to be able to fund a comprehensive solution and/or make people buy Translink under penalty of death, this is probably the best solution we'll get in the near future.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

By now, plenty have weighed in on this morning's Chronicle article, detailing the derailing of the much-vaunted Transit Effectiveness Project by bad economic times, and the resulting shockwaves in government budgets. None of this is really new to us at the N Judah Chronicles...we've been talking for a while about the long term effects of the Governor and the Democratic Legislature's almost mythic devotion to cutting transit funds for the last few years, and about bad budgeting in the past on the local level. All of these are made much worse, since now, when times are really bad, we're looking at a catastrophic situation for MUNI.

Even worse, jacking up fares won't even come close to fixing these cuts, particularly those made by the State, who took taxpayer money that was designated for transit and road projects only and decided to spend it on something else. And despite 7 1/2 hours of policy talk, including this super happy rah rah piece on The YouTube, the Mayor never once even acknowledges the myriad of cuts, or talks about how he plans on funding any of this.

To be fair, if the Governor and the Democratic legislature decide to gut all transit funding, the Mayor can't stop 'em. But he and his friends at the Board and the MTA are going to have to figure out a new, more stable way to pay for the costs of the system, independent of the state's whims. It's unfortunate that Sacramento feels a need to take our money, then not even bother to spend it the way they promised, all so they can feel good about themselves.

It is difficult to not be cynical when we read about expensive SUV's for the Mayor, a fleet of expensive new cars for lawmakers right when we can least afford it. It's lovely that some Greenpeace types held some 60s esque rally to 'save the planet', but wouldn't be nice if we could get 300 people to do something more constructive to clean up our act here at home, instead of telling everyone else what to do all the time?

The whole thing is just depressing, especially after attending last week's MUNI Town Hall Meeting, where people took the time to express concerns to MUNI, and MUNI's leadership, to their credit, tried to listen. All of the great ideas in the world mean squat, however, if in the end we aren't allowed to control our own destiny locally and be able to figure out a way to pay for an efficient, well-run way to get around town.

There simply is not enough room, not enough roads, and not enough parking for every single San Francisco resident to drive alone (not to mention all the people who need to come to San Francisco from outside our city limits). It would be nice if that were possible, but laws of physics say otherwise. A well-run MUNI benefits those who require a car or truck, as they can get around easier, while those that do not can go about their business, sans MUNI drama.

For now, I'm hoping that perhaps something might game-change the situation, but if things get to the point where we become a city that tut-tuts the rest of the world on All Things Green, yet can't seem to figure out how to pay for and run a real transit system, count me out. Buzzword laden rhetoric makes everyone feel good, but it doesn't help us live our lives any better one bit.

I did a little bit of research following the MUNI Town Hall Meeting, and will post something tomorrow on that event, sorry for the delay, but the Day Job has to take priority if push comes to shove here!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This week has been quite a week for all things transit talk. First, we had Our Mayor go all Fidel Castro on us with a 7 1/2 hour speech on YouTube, which included this 41 minute piece on transportation issues. At the suggestion of a reporter from the Examiner, I watched it and it was kinda boring, with the usual "yeah things are not perfect but yeah things are great" spin you get out of City Hall.

What was most glaring, however, was absolutely no mention of the tens of millions of dollars in cuts MUNI has been getting clobbered with year after year from the State of California, and how we're ever going to pay for all these wonderful things Our Mayor talks about in his speech. Still, if you've got the time, check it out.

Also, tonight, Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi is hosting another MUNI town hall meeting at 7pm over at the SF County Fair Building, conveniently located at 9th and Lincoln.

Given all that's going on, from changes to MUNI courtesy of the Transit Effectiveness Project, to budget cuts, to anything else you might have on your mind, it's worth attending. Mirkarimi's past MUNI meetings have actually been somewhat effective - allowing as many questions to be asked "live" with the rest being answered in writing last time around was a nice touch. So if you can, stop by and make your voice heard.

The SF County Building is conveniently located near many bus and train lines, including the N Judah, the 71, the 44, and the 6 and 43 (2 blocks over on Judah Street.).

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Showboat!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 7:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Normally I like Friday posts to be funny or interesting little items of note for you, the Loyal Readers to enjoy. Sadly, this week some very bad things are about to happen to our hapless MUNI, so bad it warrants a good old fashioned, double-barrelled WTF post, aimed squarely at City Hall, Sacramento, MUNI, and well, ourselves.

Anyway, what sparked this post was a conversation with Mike Aldax over at the Examiner last night, who was curious to hear my reaction to the news that MUNI will be taking another $40 million in cuts this year, in addition to the $37 million it's already taken.

The Big Kids at City Hall (i.e. the Mayor, the Board of Supervisors, the MTA) and their pals in Sacramento are going to need to put aside their penchant for shell games and politics, and put the city first if we're going to survive this and still have a MUNI worth using. A tall order, especially after a bitter, nasty election season.

But rather than just rant on the latest injustice, instead I want to rehash some recent history as it related to MUNI funding. Too often, we all talk about the latest hit, and forget how we got here in the first place.

It's rather distressing to see the State cut more from transit around the state after our so-called liberal legislators from San Francisco voted in lock-step with the governor for millions more in cuts earlier this year, as they do pretty much every year. Then they plead poverty, want to raise your taxes even more, and then cut transit (and everthing else) a lot more too. That's fair (not).

"Progressive" Board members have shown a slavish devotion to kill MUNI funding in the past as well - remember the silly "youth fare" idea that got played with? Even better, remember how they arbitrarily threw a good portion of their aggreived people under the bus, and of course refused to listen to any other ideas that might have been a win win (i.e. help MUNI and help the Youth of The City).

Neither side comes off as particularly brilliant when one of the few options local governments have to raise money (crummy as they are) are vetoed based on political pressure.

Continue reading "There Will Be Blood: More MUNI Budget Cuts = Even Worse Service, While SF Politicians Commute in Hybrid SUVs..." »

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The rain has left us, and today is a bright, sunny Election Day! If you haven't already done so, be sure to go vote. And don't let MUNI follies prevent you from voting - if you need to, take some time off work to get to the polls (it's your right AND it's the law!) and make sure you vote for the candidates and causes of your choice.

If you need help finding a voting place, you can contact the Department of Elections, and you can check out this Google Map Mashup as well.

No matter what, go vote. I already voted weeks ago by mail, which, while convenient, isn't as much fun as being there at the polls, part of a nationwide 1-day event. Still, I'm glad I voted and encourage you to do so as well!

PS: And, in case you've not yet voted, here's a reason not to vote for Prop. P, the Pointless Political Posturing initiative...

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today is a rather unique convergence of circumstances, most of which will affect your day today, in some way. Let's see what we have here:

-Today is Friday (hooray!) and only a few days before the Big Election

-Today is also Critical Mass (sigh.)

-Today is going to get a lot of rain, meaning traffic is going to be extra dangerous

-Today is Halloween, on an actual Friday, which means lots of people out looking to have all sorts of fun (but should be aware the Castro is "closed" there are other things to do tonight.)

Well, you get the idea. MUNI and BART will be running ordinary service tonight, so plan accordingly. Given the convergence of events today, if you really do not have to drive, don't, since it's going to be one giant traffic jam, soaked in rain so the crazy drivers and bicyclists will be extra dangerous since they don't realize cars don't come to a sudden halt in wet weather. MUNI buses, too, need to remember the laws of physics apply to them as well, and not run over anyone by mistake.

The only x-factor in taking MUNI past 9-10pm is that depending on where you are, you can sometimes get stranded waiting for a bus that might take forever to show up. The best thing I can recommend is get access to NextMUNI on your mobile device (either iphone, blackberry, or any WAP-enabled phone) and keep an eye on it.

Last night, for example, against doctor's orders, I went out to an event (a very nice one hosted by Six Apart, who make the blogging software that runs all my sites) but even though NextMUNI was telling me an N at Caltrain was like, in front of me, in fact it was a training car, as were several of them, so I ended up waiting around for a while. Best bet - if you're going somewhere in SF's outlying areas, make arrangements to carpool home or something.

Most importantly, have fun! I don't really go out on Halloween anymore, so I didn't plan a costume, but if I do go out, it'll be at the Blackthorn Tavern, which will feature a costume party and a DJ tonight. Perhaps I could go as the scariest costume ever - the stupid bill from the ER visit I made. Scary indeed!

UPDATE: The Taraval police station will be giving out candy and stickers to kids at the station, located at 2345 - 24th Avenue, from dusk until 9pm. But that's not the only reason I posted an update...if you're not already subscribed to the crime reports for the Taraval station, you're missing out on some interesting information, sometimes with a bit of creative writing. For example, read the following, and note the part I hightlighted:

10/30/08 3:00 pm 2200 block of 14th Avenue

In response to numerous neighbor complaints of trash, narcotics paraphernalia on the sidewalk, noise, miscreants and drug dealing, Captain Paul Chignell assembled a posse composed of Sgt. Steve Quon, Officer Scott Biggs and Officer Chris Oshita. Occupants of the residence were questioned and one was found to be in possession of suspected heroin as well as being in violation of a restraining order. He was arrested. Case #081163409

Awesome!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 8:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Reader Marc writes in with some information I'd not heard about...it didn't appear on the MUNI TroubleAlert (as is the case sometimes with MUNI related mayhem) but once again it seems someone, most likely a tad tipsy, decided it was a Good Idea to drive through the Sunset Tunnel. He writes:

Did you get any pics or reports about the SUV that drove into the east portal of the sunset tunnel last night? I got there right as a police officer started to back the car out - it was a black Ford Expedition, and it made it about 25-30 yards into the tunnel before the driver stopped on the inbound side of the tracks. I didn't see the driver around anywhere, but it was apparently a woman and I heard someone say that she appeared to be drunk (shocking).

Anyone else catch this bit of MUNI drama?

For fun, you can read about past incidents with this post, complete with video or this more recent incident.

I swear, sometimes this blog just writes itself!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(Originally published at Beyond Chron.org 10/01/2008 so it was written for an audience that might not be as familiar with the NJC as readers here might be.)

Just about anyone who lives in San Francisco has an opinion about MUNI - is it doing a good job, a bad job, and so on. However, few San Franciscans have likely even heard of the San Francisco County Transportation Agency (SFCTA) - much less know what to think of it.

And yet, the SFCTA may be one of those rare success stories in local government where a transit agency, run by officials directly elected by the people, actually spends its money and resources on ways to improve transportation in San Francisco. The SFCTA was originally created in 1989 following the passage of Proposition B, a half cent sales tax passed by voters, and now administers the sales tax created by voters in 2003 with the passage of Proposition K.

Unlike other agencies, the SFCTA does not have a lot of overhead, and doesn't dole out high salaries to upper management. Instead its focus is to fund specific projects and participate in regional planning to enhance transportation for San Francisco's citizens.

While the Board of Supervisors often takes criticism for its handling of issues, the fact that members of the Board successfully run the SFCTA is a positive example of what the Board can do when focused. And by law, the SFCTA can only be run by elected officials - unelected officials (such as the board of the San Francisco Metropolitan Transit Authority) cannot be in charge of the sales tax money the SFCTA administers.

Continue reading "Proposition P: Politics and Posturing Promoting Poor Policy = No on P, Please..." »

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Green Line 011

Posted by Greg Dewar at 7:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

My friend Paul Hogarth, who edits BeyondChron.org asked me to write a short editorial on Proposition P and it appeared today. Go check it out!

The City Hall back and forth about the SFCTA that led to this measure was discussed here a while ago. Basically, Prop. P is one half of a fight one side gave up on a while back, so the duel between two measures that was expected never happened.

There's a lot of Really Important Stuff on the ballot. Things like "president" and so on. There's also plenty of distractions crammed on the ballot. Guess which one Prop. P is?

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well the budget's done in Sacramento, and another year of massive cuts from transit funds are about to kick MUNI, BART and every transit agency in the state right in the face - at the same time more people are riding transit due to high gas costs.

Sometimes I wonder if state government needs the equivalent of a "reset button" - take the state Constitution, flush it down the toilet, shut down the whole thing, and put the Smartest People and some Common Sense people into a room and not let 'em out until they come up with a better Constitution to run things. This half-baked system we have now just seems to invent new ways to fail that we'll be paying for in the decades to come.

And there's plenty of blame to go around - both parties, and all ideologies contributed to this ongoing mess, so no moral high ground for either hippies in San Francisco or angry dudes in Southern California. Unfortunately, those of us who work for a living will be paying the biggest price in our day to day commute.

UPDATE: I caught this report KCBS's Barbara Taylor on MUNI's reaction to the cuts and it more or less supports what I've been saying all along. YES, the aren't cutting back on buses or trains this year because of the cuts, but instead they're delaying much needed improvements so that in the future, the system doesn't fall apart. So once again, short term fixes and gimmicks beat out long term planning.

Do they pull these kinds of silly stunts in other countries? Then again, other countries didn't see their financial sector collapse and get nationalized either...

Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

In the past, when we've heard about a large settlement paid out to a victim of MUNI, I've often wondered just how much all these settlements are costing, and today's Chronicle tells us - $66 million since 2002.

Reading some of the stories of people maimed or killed by errant buses and the like was really gut wrenching. I don't know that any amount of money would really offset the pain and suffering of being hit by a train or bus. However, I think we as citizens need to take a look at something else - how endless "cuts" and funny money silliness by our Legislature and City Hall created some of the problem with short-sighted budget cuts.

Cutting budgets for the short term may allow folks in City Hall a chance to congratulate themselves about a "balanced" budget. If the result of these cuts ends up with the city paying out millions in settlements to cover the cost of injuring and killing people, whatever money that was "saved" is lost. Worse, we're left with the worst of all worlds - less money for safety AND a system that can potentially kill passengers. However, by that time, the city hall folks who made these goofy cuts are long gone, off to greener pastures elsewhere.

Not all accidents can be prevented. If MUNI does its best to make things safer, then at least the exposure of risk to passengers, pedestrians, and everyone on the road is lessened, and we can all go where we need without risk of daily death or mayhem. Besides, I don't wanna write a blog that's all about the latest MUNI crashes and injuries - that is way too depressing.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 1:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The next time you hear Gov. Schwarzenegger talk about how frakking "green" he is, or hear some local Democratic member of the Assembly or the Senate blather on about how they're a green clean energy whateverthefrak, remember this: as of today, once again, the state of California has agreed to gut MORE money from mass transit agencies around the state. (They have done so for the last few years - why stop now?)

They keep screwing over local agencies like MUNI, the LA MTA, and so on, and do so with no punishment. No one will throw out our local Democrats who voted for these cuts. Tom Ammiano is getting a promotion to the Legislature this year, and we can only hope one of the few electeds who actually rides MUNI as part of his daily life will come through for us. But he's only one guy. He can't change a Legislature full of Democrats and Republicans who seem to literally get off on killing transit funds. WTF?

When MUNI has its daily failwhale, remember - as much as we can blame the Board of Supervisors and Our Mayor, the fact is that by cutting off stable funding from the state (i.e. our tax dollars) ensures MUNI is going to go down the drain of "cut service" and "raise fares."

We really need to give the Legislature and the Governor a kick in the backside and remind them that their short sighted plans to get a "balanced" budget with gimmicks is going to hurt our state and our local transit systems in the long run. This is not fiscal responsibility in Sacramento - it's fiscal insanity.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Unfortunately, having to work for a living to pay the bills means I haven't been able to keep up with the site like I would like. However, there are only 40+ days left until the election is over (thank GOD), and I'm going to try and keep things going in the meantime as best I can. There are some timely bits of MUNI news you may have missed, though, that I wanted to make sure you got a chance to hear about. (Special hat tip to the fine folks at CurbedSF, who've been doing a good job keeping on top of stuff this week, and in general. Yay Curbed!)

First off, there's a pretty important community meeting about the future of the Duboce/Church intersection, often the place where MUNI Fail takes place. The Examiner did a story today about the proposed changes, and the attempt to do all improvements to the area at once, instead of doing projects one-by-one, ensuring an endless string of construction for the next 400 years. There is going to be a community meeting next week - check out the story at the Ex for details. You can also go check out the Duboce Triangle Neighborhood Association's blog for more information on how to get involved as well.

Next is news of the new MUNI CultureBus. Yes, you read that right. Starting on Saturday, MUNI will have a new line, the 74x, which will charge a special fare ($7, all day), and connect downtown and Golden Gate Park based museums and such. It's an interesting idea, particularly when tourists are often confused as to how to get from their downtown hotel to various museums and the like.

I wonder if perhaps this isn't the start of a trend for new MUNI moneymaking routes? Maybe we'll get some other specialty lines? North Beach, I'm lookin' at you and all your rowdy bars and restaurants and such.

Finally, in the "boring but important" department, MUNI will be opening a new MUNI maintenance yard on the east side of town this week. This is one of those things we as riders/owners of MUNI don't see every day, but affect our commute.

MUNI has always had a problem with train car storage and maintenance (too many cars, and nowhere to put them all), so opening this new facility could make a big difference, especially with all the mechanical problems train cars often have.

Fun fact for westsiders: the site of an apartment building/grocery store at Irving and Funston was once a train yard for the now-discarded train lines that went out to that part of town. Additional fun news: SFist has a proposed map of San Francisco in "the future" that includes a double-wide Sunset/Parkside district out in the bay.

Don't forget - if you're an Obama supporter and want to help the campaign on the westside, the Obama team will be hosting a volunteer event tonight from 6-8pm at the Blackthorn Tavern at Irving and 9th avenue. If Obama's your candidate for president, why not stop by and see how you can help out?

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Today I've got a few small tweaks to the site that are the beginning of some changes to the site to make it easier to read, and to bring it up to date with what other blogs are doing. Eventually I want to completely redo the site's layout but I'm still learning how to do all of that in Movable Type, and it is not easy.

For now, I've added two things: a Twitter feed and a Facebook Page I'd been experimenting with Twitter for a few months now, seeing if this might be a fun way to fill in the gaps between entries with "live" reports of MUNI failwhale action or funny scenes on the N. Based on that, I've now added a Twitter panel where you can read my latest Twitterings, and you can also "follow" me on Twitter if you have an account.

I've also created a Facebook "Page" which has a feed of all the stories posted here. I'm doing this mostly to test out a few ideas for social networking related promotion, and it is easy to set up. If you're on Facebook, check it out.

I want to make some other changes but they will have to wait until the election is over.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 4:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

To be fair, folks did some opportunities to be heard during the proceess. I hate to sound cynical, but for all the good things this plan tries to do, it seems like they're almost ensuring that some parts of the city will be less accessible by transit in the name of "efficiency."

Now, I'm not one of those folks who goes all NIMBY at the thought of change - for example, I like the idea of using smaller van buses on lines like the 39 Teresita, which serve a part of town that needs service, but not a big ol' bus chugging away half empty. And likewise, there are many big promises for commuters to make the main arterial lines run faster.

Like most things done by The City, though, they've made a big assumption that most people use MUNI to commute to a job downtown (or to Caltrain). There doesn't seem to be an accounting for people who need to use transit during the day to go to school, go to the store, assist with an elderly relative, and so on. All of this is cloaked in the language of "sacrifice" - usually made by people on the public dime who won't ever know a day of job insecurity.

A quick persual of The Internets finds many sites where folks are concerned for the 6 Parnassus, the 39 Coit, assorted crtiques of line changes in North Beach, and so on. I'm sure there are others I missed - if you know of one, post it in the comments.

I'd be a bit less worried if I had faith that the great majority of promises being made would happen, thus making the transit cuts more bearable. Given the betrayal of promises made for Measure A last year, however, and the consistent failure of MUNI to avoid accidents of late, I'll believe it when I see it.

For all articles on the Transit Effectiveness Project, check out these entries in the archives!

UPDATE" I apologize to everyone who's been trying to post comments that don't show up. I'm not deleting them - apparently this "spam blocker" I got is too efficient. That and comments seem to be frakked no matter what I do. If I make it open no matter what, the spammers win. If I try and make it cleaner, real comments never make it and I never even hear about them, thus ticking off Loyal Readers.

At this point I'm so pissed off about how Movable Type treats bloggers and these kinds of issues (esp. when we paid for the software and aren't TypePad hippies) I may suck it up and switch to WordPress with all its faults. The fact that I've spent so much time reading worthless "manuals" to try and upgrade this site which was due months ago is just another slice in the "blogging sucks" sandwich.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Apparently the Mayor had a press conference about it yesterday, too. It would appear that they're putting plants on top of a bus shelter or something. I was hoping that perhaps it'd have a light up display powered by industrial hemp, or maybe eco-friendly glass so when the gangs of youth smash the glass it'd be biodegradable, but plants on top are green enough.

I don't have time to go down to the Civic Center and investigate - post a comment if you happen to stop by and see it and tell us what you think!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Aside from the tragic cable car accident on the California line, today is a great day to be outside! The weather's great, there's all sorts of fun things to do this Labor Day weekend, and it's my birthday today (along with Sen. McCain, Michael Jackson, Elliot Gould and Hurricane Katrina - and possibly Hurricane Gustav)!

I also got a chance to be a guest panelist at the SF Weekly podcast while regular participant Paul Hogarth (who runs the Best Local Website according to the Bay Guardian) was at the Convention this week! Check it out...I'm off to ride a non-crashed cable car and enjoy the rest of my birthday!

PS: Sadly today is also a Critical Mass day. Mr. Mayor, the best present you could give me and SF would be mass arrests at the Ferry Building during Critical Mess. KTHXBAI.

UPDATE: More podcast goodness can be found here, posted on Saturday....

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This is not good: the Muni TroubleAlert reports that there was a fire at Castro Station and as such it's closed, with the requisite buses filling in between Forest Hill and Castro St. etc.

This is the second transit station fire in as many days - there was a fire in North Berkeley the other day too on BART. If this turns out to be the result of teens playing with matches or something equally lame, I sure hope they throw the book at 'em. The one time I needed a reliable 44/Forest Hill/Castro ride tonight, and pfft. It's not MUNI's fault, but it is just bad luck I guess.

I sure hope my attempts to take the cable car on my birthday tomorrow work out much better, given all the failwhales they've been having lately too...

Posted by Greg Dewar at 4:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

MUNI will be running for free on the K, T and F lines from 8am to 2pm, and the event itself runs from 9am to 1pm. It's unclear how all of this would affect MUNI since unlike the Outside Lands festival, the event is limited to just a few hours on Sunday morning, and the train runs all along through the many events, rather than just dumping off folks at one spot.

I'm not sure exactly how this will stop climate change, but it does seem like it could be fun, and the weather will be cooperating. It'll be a nice end to a week that has included a Burning Man free SF, the Democratic Nerd Prom, Labor Day Weekend, and of course, my birthday (which I share with John McCain, Michael Jackson, Weezy from the Jeffersons, Elliot Gould, and Hurricane Katrina). Woo hoo!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ok, this is getting out of control, even for MUNI...while reading the Examiner online this morning it seems there was another accident involving a MUNI train and this time a car today.

After a while, you'd think one of those Real Newspapers would try and do some investigating to find out why this is becoming more common. Likewise, I can't seem to go more than a few days without the MUNI TroubleAlert telling me that there's a Big Problem with the cable cars. At what point do these stories stop being little one-day missives in the Examiner, and become something worth doing some "real" reporting on to find out What's Really Going On?

Discuss.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Subscribing to the RSS Feed for the MUNI TroubleAlert is a mixed bag. While it is often good at alerting you to a potential problem or whatever, when you read it in RSS, you only get the headline, and none of the message. And of course there's the problem of any BART alerts, which you can't ask 311 about, but can ask 511 about.

Anyway, as many of you know, there's this big Outside Lands music festival Friday through Sunday in Golden Gate Park. MUNI's TroubleAlert was kind enough to post this alert, but reading it you can interpret one of two ways. Here's the actual text:

Lines/Routes: N, 5, 7, 28, 29, 44, 71, 71L Area: Golden Gate Park Dates: Friday, August 22, through Sunday, August 24, 2008 Time: All times

Due to heavy attendance at the Outside Lands Festival as well as other events, expect delays, especially late at night, on the N Judah and all bus lines serving Golden Gate Park.

To help shorten those delays, be sure to purchase your Muni fare in advance. Advance round-trip tickets are available at these locations: Caltrain Station at 4th & King Streets, Civic Center Muni/BART Station and at the festival.

Extra service to/from Golden Gate Park will be added to Muni bus routes 5 and 71 and the N Line.

The SFMTA apologizes for any inconvenience to customers.

On the one hand, they indicate that despite zillions of people flocking to the park, there'll be delays. But they also say they'll be running extra 71s and Ns. So on the one hand they're almost apologizing in advance knowing that it's going to be a failwahle regatta on MUNI, but they're also saying "extra trains and cars! we has them!" too.

And of course, the way to speed things up is to buy your tickets in advance (because that, not operators spontaneously not showing up to work, or failing maintenance is never a cause for delay, just hippies buying MUNI tickets).

As for me, I plan on having all my errands done long in advance, and will probably have to spend the whole weekend indoors working, or looking for a stupid apartment all over again (don't even get me started on that last bit, I'm still supremely irritated by that whole situation), so I will miss the festivities, and the fun. If you're out and about and see some hilarious failwhale-on-failwhale action, email or post a comment to the site!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 1:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Courtesy of Taraval Station Captain Paul Chignell's (always informative) daily email, I was alerted to some things happening Saturday, August 9th that aim to clean up our neighborhood along the N. Supervisor Mirkarimi and SF Connect are sponsoring an event that aims to help clean up the Inner Sunset neighborhood this Saturday. Volunteers will be asked to help clean graffiti, litter and the like. You can sign up at SfConnect.org

Also, on the same day, if you have bulky household items needing disposal, you can drop them off for free at St. Anne's over at Funston and Irving, and electronic waste is being collected at 7th and Lawton. Too often, people just leave things on the street and "assume" some wayward soul will pick them up. It's much better to take advantage of programs such as these on Saturday, which ensure your junk gets taken away, not left on the streets.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Trying to figure out just what, if any, improvements the Transit Effectiveness Project's recommendations will bring is not easy. Every so often I'll read parts of it to better understand what it will and won't do, but trying to read it all at once is a bit much.

Other blogs have provided some interesting analyses, and now, you can look at look at specific lines and see what, if anything will be added or cut. It's by no means the only way one should take a look at the changes, but it is a nice start. Check it out!

UPDATE Since writing this last night, I noticed the Chronicle had a report today.

I think there the concept of van service in some of the lesser used routes, such as the 36 Teresita (which I have used quite a bit) is worth at least exploring. But there might be some ADA issues with that, so who knows if that'll happen. I do know that if you kill off the 36 you doom everyone up on Twin Peaks to cars only, and the current bus runs like, once an hour or something and if you're not right at the stop, they fly by at light speed.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

One of the most common complaints of Loyal Readers since this blog started in 2005 has been the random, infuriating, and sometimes dangerous arbitrary turnarounds at 19th and Judah Street by N Judah operators.

The effect is not just annoying - if you live in the Outer Sunset, and you're dropped off at 19th, you're looking at a 20-30 block walk, or more. Bad enough if you're a hapless commuter - even worse if you're a senior citizen or disabled citizen who relies on MUNI.

Thus, it was interesting to read this story, suggesting that operators who do this would be fired immediately. This was supposedly due to pressure from Supervisor Chu and Assemblymember Ma, who represent the Outer Sunset District. Um, thanks gang!

I'd love to think this is a reality, but there's just one little problem. After some some bitter labor negotiations with the Driver's Union leaders, which ironically happened right before a serious N/T crash, the union got away with no real changes in their contract, or any of the disciplinary measures sought by management to fire blatantly incompetent employees.

And, in a textbook case of MUNI FAIL, the driver involved in the accident on Monday was observed driving improperly just an hour before the crash that sent 14 people to the hospital by a top manager who called it in, but to no avail. Think that person got "fired on the spot?"

Guess again.

What galls me the most is that the MUNI reform measure, Proposition A, made VERY SIGNIFICANT CONCESSIONS to organized labor to ensure the measure passed, and attempt to address their concerns. Many stricter work rules were taken out, at the behest of the San Francisco Labor Council, and MUNI unions. This was done to try and make it so everyone would win - make MUNI better, and be fair to everyone involved.

For Local 250A's leadership (and please note that it's the leadership, not the general members I'm critiquing) to first act like spoiled children when asked to do their frakkin' jobs properly, then stick us with another contract that basically keeps a status quo no one is happy with is nothing but cynicism, masquerading as "promoting working class interests."

It is also an insult to the SF Labor Council, who negotiated the changes to Prop. A in good faith - only to have their own union brothers and sisters at Local 250A stab the Labor Council in the back.

Add to that the fact we're going to pay millions in settlements for the screw ups of the June and August crashes alone, and you can see why people who have to do their jobs or get fired are sick and tired of this kind of bulls*t.

This is what happens when you have union "leaders" like Mr. Lum of Local 250A, who have a madman's devotion to defending the worst drivers, while doing not a damn thing for the many many hard-working drivers who serve the public with courtesy and efficiency.

(Why, just today on the way to work I observed the driver of the 45 this morning who handled a tough situation with an unruly crowd with class and distinction, or the awesome cable car riders on my commute to Powell station today. Does the union work for them? No, because they aren't causing wrecks or racking up complaints.)

Worst of all? The erosion once again of the public's trust in our City to do something as simple as run the buses and trains on time. Plenty of OTHER cities of less than a million people seem to make this work OK - why do we in San Francisco treat this as some Herculean (or Sisyphan) task?

The boards are open....your thoughts?

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Everyone's been noticing some bizarre behavior, on the N, and elsewhere on MUNI lately, in particular, bunched up trains and buses. Those of you who follow me on The Twitter know that I myself on the way to a sales call was stuck on an N as it was bunched up at Church and Duboce, and naturally, they refused to let us off the train or tell us what was up. Sigh.

First off, Reader Pat writes in with some tales of N Judah woe, as he starts commuting downtown via the N these days:

Hey Greg. Pat here. Hope you're doing well.

Been taking the N-Judah downtown to some freelance jobs lately. 3 out 5 mornings last week had me waiting over 12 minutes for a train to come by, at peak morning rush (around 8:20 am). Naturally the trains were packed by the time they reached me at UCSF.

Then we waited at the Church/Duboce stop for another 10-15 minnutes. Driver of the train didn't have the courtesy to say a single word about the delays. I was standing next to some middle-aged woman who was on her way to a doctor downtown, and was in a lot of pain. She finally got off the train and hailed a cab. The inadequacy of trains running on that line is ludicrous. I even decided to drive down and pay for parking a few times, just to avoid dealing with the awful hassle that is traveling on the Judah during peak times.

Ouch! Driving downtown is pricey, what with the tickets going up in price and parking costing what it does. I know that thanks to MUNI fails of late, I've been resorting to pricey cabs. Ugh. But when one has to get somewhere for work and failwhale behavior isn't an option (as it seems to be at the Board of Supervisors or MUNI)

Now, the next email may be a bit controversial, as I cannot verify exactly who this person is. I can say, however, that some of the things mentioned, such as removing track irons from the trains, has been reported to me seperately, so in the spirit of open discussion, I shall print this message and let the chips fall where they may:

Continue reading "Reader Mail Redux: Pain and Suffering on the N, and A Possible Reason Why" »

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Longtime Friend of the N Judah Chronicles Eve suggested that I use the increase in traffic due to the recent attention this blog has received to ask for everyone's help in finding out the trying to find the sickos who killed a dog that got lost at Ocean Beach.

If you spotted any suspicious activity on July 22nd that may be of use, please do not hesitate to call Animal Control with your info at (415) 554-9400. Yes, there's a reward and all, but that shouldn't be the reason one lends a hand here - it's finding the sick #$&*%#$@! that came to our part of town, stole away a dog, and decided that stabbing it to death was a Good Idea.

Crime is on the rise in San Francisco, and it's time we stopped just bitching about it on blogs, but take some action. If anyone can help out, please do so! Thanks!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

So there I was, making coffee this morning when my friend Paul of Beyond Chron calls me up to tell me that his site's won the Bay Guardian's "Best Local Website" award in their annual "Best of the Bay" reader's poll/issue. Hooray!

Then he tells me that the frakkin N-Judah Chronicles has also won the best local blogger award. Needless to say, I was a bit shocked. I mean, not only did I not beg all you Loyal Readers, my friends, relatives, et al to stuff the ballot boxes, I honestly didn't know they even had a category like this. So needless to say, this is a tremendous surprise.

I kinda feel bad for capping on them a while back on that political blog I write that no one reads...all I can say to y'all is thanks! I never thought a joke email sent 3 years ago would lead to anything, much less this!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Just saw an announcement on the Muni TroubleAlert advising that there may be "delays" on the 6 and 43 due to a demonstration scheduled from 3:30-5pm. UPDATE: This is actually happening tomorrow, July 30th, not today! This is what happens when you scan the TroubleAlert at work, and don't just sit around goofing off with the computer all day (like some elected officials do).

Apparently it's related to the ongoing labor/management difficulties at the University of California, which have been going on for some time. I don't know all the details - union members or assorted UC workers, feel free to leave a comment and let us know what's up!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Some random news this morning before I go to work...the Chronicle has the first of what will be many "take your medicine" articles about the TEP we'll see in local media this year. It's becoming clearer just what the result of MUNI's realignment will do - make arterials like the N Judah and the 38 Geary faster, but at the expense of cutting service on feeder lines that will encourage people to use cars.

My biggest concern about all those glowing reports about the data they collected was that they'll "overhaul" the system to serve Today's Needs, but in 10 years, people will be stranded in new and improved ways since none of the plans seems to account for where all those condos and the like are being built.

In the past, I've encouraged people to get involved and ask questions to ensure that whatever plan comes out is the best one possible. At the same time, it's easy to think that maybe all those hearings were just a lot of hooey and that some Big Consultants looked at the map, decided that not all of the City is worth serving any more, and took the easy way out.

And, as always, MUNI's unions, to whom we capitulated to pass Prop. A, who recently thumbed their nose at any new rules to make them accountable, now threaten to toss any changes, however mild, into the dustbin of history. I really think it's disingenuous of them to do things like this after so much was done to accommodate them last fall - they're making the Labor Council look bad, and that's not fair to the Labor Council.

Finally, a note - I will be taking my first "real" vacation in a while this week, departing for Sunny San Diego for Nerdvana, aka the San Diego Comic-Con. (Hey, it was this or Vegas, and I've been to Vegas enough times already.) While the City's elite are at some Big Wedding in Montana, I'll be with 150,000 like minded folks from around the world (with a/c and celebrities galore). Now who's the nerd, Gavin?

I won't be in any sort of costume, but I will be taking pictures and covering the proceedings. I will also post some business reviews I've been sitting on so the site won't go stale. And I'll create an open thread for people to post any MUNI nuttiness that goes on while I'm away!

RANDOM UPDATE: I was reading SFPD Captain Paul Chignell's daily report of crime and whatnot today and saw this note:

Supervisor Carmen Chu is sponsoring free tickets to the DeYoung Museum on July 27th. There are 200 tickets available and they must be picked up on the 27th at the Museum. Tickets are only available for District 4 residents. For more information, email to chustaff@sfgov.org or call 415-554-7460.

Well who can argue with that? I am not in District 4 as I am in the Inner Sunset but for those of you out there in D4, the lines are open!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 8:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I had a short break this afternoon and thought I'd write an Important Blog Entry about the potential knee-capping of one of the few effective transit agencies in San Francisco, the SFCTA. (You remember, MUNI's more popular, more successful younger sibling, the ones who FINALLY made things sort of fixed at Irving/9th, while MUNI twiddled its thumbs and some poor woman got run over?)

Not only is this the only agency in San Francisco* where you can elect who runs things, (despite what Supervisor Jake McGoldrick might think), but it's also the agency that spends its money on things we need, and doesn't spend it all on big salaries for managers or on a workforce that balks at doing their job properly.

Anyway, there's been a proposal bouncing around City Hall to change the management of the SFCTA to claw Lolcat Jake for his proposed amendment, which never got off the ground. (Big Suprise.)

There's really no good reason for any of this, it was all just a bunch of caterwauling and strutting, and a veiled power grab by Nate Ford, who's coveted the SFCTA's money for silly spending, loudly and publicly.

I figured it was time for an Important Blog Post, but a little quick reading made me realize perhaps it was not time to hit the panic button after all.

According to the folks at Beyond Chron, late word is that this amendment has been tabled for now.

Hopefully means this annoying (and unproductive) cat fight can come to an end, and we can have the SFCTA focus on spending its money wisely and under the supervision of elected folks (some of whom will be replaced due to term limits later this year). Keep your fingers crossed.

*PS: Yeah, I know, BART has an elected board. But they cover the Bay Area, not JUST San Francisco.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Several Loyal Readers emailed me this story in today's Chronicle, detailing the settlement between a victim of a horrible accident on the N Judah line and the city. $2 million dollars will be paid to the victim, which to me seems to be miniscule given the tremendous amount of suffering this woman had as a result of the accident.

Once again we see a troubling trend at MUNI - half-baked ideas to "cut the budget' or avoid the investments up front in things the system needs, only to pay many times more out in settlements later on (not to mention the death and destruction as well).

I take no pleasure in my early attempts to bitch, complain, discuss, and otherwise talk to death this topic, but I think it's time to ask the Big Paid People at City Hall to get it together, use those chess club brains of theirs, and plan a bit more intelligently for the future.

We're already paying the price of the half-assed spending of the 90s, where we deferred maintenance and killed spending for training, and we'll continue to pay dearly (in lives and money) if we keep this up.

Many people are running for Supervisor this year. Maybe the next time one of 'em bugs you for a vote, you should ask them what they're going to do that's different. And if they either give you more soft-headed rhetoric or a slack-jawed "duh?", don't elect 'em.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Loyal Readers: this week is a busy busy week for my in my "day job" so I haven't had a chance to post something which has been bugging me since last week (and which was noted by a commenter the other day) - the irony of the MUNI driver's union walking out of labor talks with the MTA/MUNI, on the eve of a pretty serious crash. We also know now that it was not "equipment failure" as was asserted on the day of the event.

I'll write more later, but for now, I think it's time to put the screws to the union leadership for their constant shenanigans. People compromised a lot to get Proposition A passed last year to avoid a fight with labor, and for the driver's union to now balk at what's left is frankly, dishonest. Now, please note how I said "leadership" just now - that's because it was virtually all rank and file members questioned had no idea what their union leadership was doing.

Unions are strongest and work the best when leadership informs the rank and file what they're doing, and sticks up for the great majority who do their jobs properly day in and day out, instead of constantly sticking up for the few who sour the taxpayers and citizens on MUNI with their out of control behavior. Good unions can ensure workers are treated and paid fairly, as they should - bad unions make life miserable for everyone - including the people they are supposed to represent.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:13 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Recently I signed up for the daily dispatch from Captain Paul Chignell of the Taraval Police Station, and it's been a bit of an eye opener.

This incident, which happened on Tuesday, was a) a bit scary since it happened just a block from my place and b) was reassuring in that the SFPD got the bad guys, and the victim got their stuff back. Read on:

06/17/08 3:00 pm 12th Avenue and Judah

A woman boarded a muni vehicle at 48th Avenue and Judah and noticed two suspects eyeing her. When the vehicle got to 12th Avenue and Judah, one of the suspects forcibly grabbed the victim's Ipod and fled the train.

A witness and the victim jumped off the train and tried to chase the suspects while calling 911. Officers Ron Gehrke and Fred Kwan responded to the area and obtained a description of the suspects.

The witness left the area and boarded another train and to his consternation saw the suspects again on that train. The police were called with Gehrke and Kwan boarding the train. The officers observed the suspects with their hands up and one saying "okay, you got us". The suspects were identified and the stolen property returned to the victim. Case #080633740

Yikes! It's good to know the bad guys got caught...but it's unfortunate that the DA lets people off so easy on these kinds of crimes and bad guys know it. Our police can't do their job if the DA doesn't have their back and keep some of these bad people off the streets.

You can send an email to the captain, and ask to join the email list. Since doing so I've become much more aware of just what goes on in our part of Our Fair City. I think the SFPD should be thanked for providing such a service to citizens so that they may be more vigilant about what happens around the neighborhood.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

In case you haven't heard already, yes, today is Free Transit Everywhere Day. Which is great, but I wish they'd been able to do more of these when the air is really bad, as intended, instead of just one day to "encourage" people to use transit. I mean, gas prices are high and never going back down, and if they would run the system better, people would use it without any "encouragement" at all.

Also, beware of a potential traffic snarler downtown, as apparently there's some sort of health care protest. I'd heard about this a while ago but forgot to mention it earlier - the organizers of these things can hype pretty good, so whether this is going to be a mid-day hassle, or a slight inconvenience remains to be seen.

Enjoy the day!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The good people over at Curbed SF have been having some discussions recently about MUNI maps, their usefulness (or lack thereof) and are how holding a contest to find the Best MUNI Map Replacement Ever.

It's a great start - I'd also suggest how to replace the janky, handwritten signs all over the Metro stations with signs that somehow explain What's What and the Great Dollar Bill Changer Mystery, for example.

This could be fun. I encourage design-inclined Loyal Readers to participate, and share your entries here in the comments. While I am sure we will get some Seriously Thoughtful entries (which is awesome), I'm hoping to see a few "fun" ones too. Run with it, citizens and let's have some fun.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 6:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Chronicle got ahold of some of the video surveillance from the crash the other day, and its a bit unsettling, to say the least. The story also says that apparently the T-Third train was traveling faster than it should have in that part of the line.

KPIX also did a report, with the recently released video footage (on DVD!) which points out some of the initial info given about a "surge" by the T Third operator simply wasn't the case.

I hope they get to the bottom of this soon, and I'm glad no one was killed in the accident!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

By now, you may have heard from all sorts of news sources that June 19th is going to be the only free "Spare the Air" day, whereby one can ride any mass transit and not pay a cent for it.

Such "days" are nothing new - but unlike in previous years, while many "Spare the Air" days may be declared, the 19th is the only day to ride free. Otherwise they'll "encourage" people to board a hot MUNI bus. (We all know how well policies of "encouragement" work, don't we?)

And now for the Thing I Didn't Know: the Amtrak Capitol Corridor train to Sacramento, normally a $15+ ride to our Capital City, is free! If you have a need to go to Sacramento or its environs, it's a cheap, pleasant way to get up north, and given how bad gas prices are, cheap. Free just makes it that much better!

Anyway, if you're not a MUNI pass holder, take advantage of the cheap rides, and if you can bail on work and spend the day (with hopefully better weather) elsewhere, check out all the other places you can ride for free on Thursday.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 5:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Some bad news seems to be brewing over at MUNI these days....the Chronicle and KCBS report that the driver's union and MUNI management are going rather poorly. The driver's union leadership walked out of talks, and Executive Director Nathaniel Ford has been adamant about salary and workplace rule changes he wants to implement.

All of this is happening as gas prices escalate to 4-5 bucks a gallon. and more people are usiing MUNI and other forms of mass transit. Oh and then there's all those cuts from the state. Brilliant.

Now, in this current dispute, it should be noted that it is illegal for the drivers to go on strike. However, there are other options for the union to employ that aren't "striking" but could slow down MUNI if things continue to get heated. Imagine a day when MUNI drivers pull off a sickout (which has been done before), or similar non-strike labor actions.

I don't know that either side in this latest dust-up has a lot of credibility with the citizens and MUNI riders right now. When Proposition A was being created significant concessions were made to MUNI unions and labor so that there'd be a united agreement to reform MUNI. Otherwise, MUNI and its allies at the SF Labor Council were prepared to fight to kill Measure A if they felt it was "unfair."

It is disingenuous of MUNI unions to put up a fuss and for labor unions to allow the driver's union to push back on Measure A's details a year later. Add in the fact that the driver's union leadership seems to have an obsession with supporting a few bad operators, while never once speaking up for the great majority who work hard every day, and, well, yeah.

Likewise, management isn't winning anyone's confidence either. "Times are tough," we keep hearing, but apparently not tough enough to hand out big pay raises to the director, and to spend money on political aides for the Mayor.

This is a moment when it's time for a leader to stand up, get MUNI's management and the unions together, and come up with a solution. I frankly don't care who that leader is (or are). But it seems to me in a city with a good looking, popular, well-paid "Green" Mayor, and a whole slew of well-paid Supervisors, all of whom aspire to things beyond their current job, someone(s) could hold a meeting with all involved and lock the doors, letting no one out until this gets settled.

It's not brain surgery or rocket science. All we need is for all sides to be honest (!) and go back to work doing the job of serving the citizens of Our Fair City.

Right?

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

When I lived in Los Angeles for a short time, and had a few clients up in San Francisco, inevitably I'd have to get in the car and drive up to SF. In the car I had at the time, the gas, even in the pre-$4/gallon era, added up rather quickly. To try and offset the price, I'd often take a rider from Craigslist to share the cost of gas. At the time, it was cheaper for someone to hitch a ride with me than it was to rent a car and go, or take a bus or something.

Today, though I calculated the cost in Today's Gas Prices, and the cost was astronomical. Airline ticket prices to Southern California are getting higher, what with the fuel surcharge, the federal taxes, and the like. Plus I've spoken to more than one person who has taken a plane from SF to LA or Elsewhere and they've all reported spending more time in the airport each way, than on the actual journey itself.

So I'm curious, for those of you who travel, either for a vacation or a work-related trip between SF and cities in California, or even on the west coast, which is your preferred method of travel? Time Magazine talks about this new bus service on the east coast that sounds interesting, but at the same time, Megabus announced they're eliminating their SF/LA route, which to me seemed a bit odd. Other people have taken the train - I'm going to try it out when I go to San Diego next month, and when I've had to go to Sacramento, the $15 train from Richmond BART to Sacramento is an incredible, stress-free bargain.

Post your thoughts in the comments section.....

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

For those of you who aren't at church or the park, or any one of a number of things one can be doing on a Sunday, you can tune into KGO 7 this Sunday at 10am, and see me interviewed by news anchor Cheryl Jennings on the topic of blogs and civic involvement.

I traded my trademark black shirts and skull attire for something a bit more businesslike, and did OK (although I couldn't see the timer countdown so I didn't know how long to phrase my answers). But it was fun, and Cheryl and the KGO staffers involved wit the program were all really cool to work with. A special thanks goes to Melissa for connecting me with KGO. Thanks!

Most of what I was trying to talk about in the segment was how anyone can start up a blog, and when people network with others, they can have an impact on local affairs. One thing I don't know got communicated enough was how those living in smaller towns or suburbs can have a proportionally larger impact than those who live in big cities like NYC or LA sometimes.

Plus, I also tried to make the point that while I have an interest in these issues, by no means have I ever claimed to be the One True Expert, and part of what makes civic blogs great is that everyone can have a say and make a contribution however they like, either as a commenter, or a blogger, or both, or something else.

Frankly, to me it's kinda funny I was interviewed at all, if only because I started the blog 3 years ago as a sort of summer anony-blog that I'd do for a few months, then quit. But as side interests go, at least it doesn't cost me anything the way other interests might, and it's been fun getting to know people in the neighborhood and learn more about local history. And as I've said before, I'll only keep doing this as long as it's fun. The minute it's a chore, I'm moving on to something else.

I am sure the segment will end up on the Series of Tubes, so if you miss it, why you and your office mates can have a snicker on Monday morning also.

PS: On an unrelated side note, I happened to notice this report that PJ's Oysterbed is closed for some reason. Anyone know what's going on? To be honest, I hadn't noticed as I end up walking on the other side of Irving to go to the taco place or the hardware store, so I'm a bit late to the party on this news, so to speak.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 1:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Word on the street is that from 9-10am tomorrow the Big Kids of Transit from SPUR, the MTA, the APTA and the Mineta Transportation Institute will be on...(drumroll please) KQED FM 88.5 from 9am to 10am talking and solving all the problems of our MUNI.

It may take a little effort but why not try and call in and give 'em all a dose of non-thinktankspeak and a dose of the reality you, as a taxpaying citizen, might have on issues such as MUNI on-time performance, and the like? Or maybe just ask why it is so many cities around the world seem to do what needs to get done, and yet in San Francisco, we've gone from the "city that knows how" to the "city that like pretty people who don't care?"

C'mon..you know you wanna......

Posted by Greg Dewar at 8:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Thanks to Google Alerts and the good people at the Cole Valley Improvement Association, I caught details of an important community meeting on the future of MUNI, the Mighty N, and more that I'd missed in all the emails and whatnots I get every day. Good job guys!

Just a week from today, May 29th, there will be a meeting discussing route changes as part of the Transit Effectiveness Project at Grattan School, located at 165 Gratttan betweeen Cole and Shrader. Among the routes to be discussed are the N, N-Judah, 6-Parnassus, 7-Haight, 22-Fillmore, 24-Divisidero, 33-Stanyan,
35-Eureka, 37-Corbett, 43-Masonic, and 71L Haight/Noriega Limited.

Although the cynical may deride such meetings as a lot of hooey, the fact is we can't complain unless we get to know the recommendations of the TEP, and respond accordingly. While some of the changes are welcome, there has been the suggestion that such improvements are coming at the expense of neighborhood lines, which while not as well used, do serve a purpose in helping people get around.

The Transbay Blog has done some nice work assessing the TEP, and encouraging discussion of its many points.

Take a look and get involved! Remember, if enough people hurl enough paper and email at the Board of Supervisors, MUNI, the MTA, and the Mayor, eventually they'll have to do something to at least sort of do something.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you missed ABC 7's news tonight, check out the story on their website which profiles MUNI's worst driver. (There's also additional info on Noyes' blog, too)

It never ceases to amaze me how MUNI and the driver's union work so hard to protect people like this, and don't stick up for the majority of drivers who put in an honest day's work and try to serve the public.

It's not surprising well-paid MUNI boss Nate Ford didn't want to talk to the media...because I don't know that someone getting paid well, who got a pay raise despite no big gains for MUNI, and who will continue to get paid even if fired tomorrow for incompetence can really say much on the issue.

Ah well.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 8:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

I was catching up on all things SF Examiner related this afternoon, as someone keeps stealing all ours at our building, and caught this interesting little piece of info regarding MUNI, fareboxes, and Bond Money.

A quick reminder - not long ago, state voters approved some Really Big Bonds (i.e. Borrowing Money) to pay for things related to our crap-tacular transportation infrastructure. The idea being, of course, that borrowing money to pay for needed fixes to roads and mass transit is worth borrowing money for, the way you might borrow money for home improvements to increase its value or make it safer to live in.

Sadly, our brilliant members of the Assembly and State Senate, in concert with Our Governor, got confused along the way. First, they voted last year for big cuts to mass transit from the general fund, and they took gas tax money meant for transit and put towards Other Stuff. Then, they took bond money, and instead of using it for needed improvements, spent it on day-to-day expenses. That's like taking a home equity loan or a mortgate out at high interest rates and using it to pay for your grocery bill instead of something like the aforementioned house repairs.

Anyway.

But here he we have a rare case of bond money being used for what it was meant for. It is claimed that within 15 months, the aging, past-their-prime fareboxes can be fixed so that MUNI can start attempting to address its pathetic fare collection rate. Is it a cure-all? Not necessarily. But at the same time, MUNI doesn't have to pull $19 million out of something else to get it done. That's not to say it's "free money" - at some point all those bond issues need to be paid back with interest, and voters sure love to vote for bonds in California without thinking of the long term effects.

Used smartly, bonds can be one of many ways to get things done, just as people take out loans for businesses, purchasing homes, and the like. It's not something you want to do all the time (and end up buried in debt), but sometimes, spreading out the cost of a Big Thing isn't such a bad idea, interest or not.

Now, of course, MUNI just has to fix something but let's open that can of worms some other day....

Posted by Greg Dewar at 4:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

"I just want the Board of Supervisors to be more intimately involved in how Muni runs. It's all about accountability" - Sup. Jake McGoldrick, SF Chronicle, 5/14/08

Some more things to consider as we discuss Supervisor McG's plans for his ballot initiative on electing the MTA board. I threw out some random meta-thoughts the other day, as I've not read the specific proposal introduced by Sup. McG just yet.

But here are a few more. The Smarter Folks Who Do Stuff In Town are getting a freebie - they can at least subsidize my drink tab when we're all out Talking Policy:

San Francisco County Transit Agency (SFCTA)
Responsible for much of MUNI's funding, paying for our Irving/9th improvements for example.
Chair: San Francisco Supervisor Supervisor Jake McGoldrick
Vice Chair: San Francisco Supervisor Bevan Dufty
Commissioners
San Francisco Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier
San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin
San Francisco Supervisor Carmen Chu
San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi
San Francisco Supervisor Chris Daly
San Francisco Supervisor Sean Elsbernd
San Francisco Supervisor Tom Ammiano
San Francisco Supervisor Sophie Maxwell
San Francisco Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval

San Francisco Municipal Transit Authority (SFMTA).
Board members nominated by the Mayor per Prop. E
Board members approved by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
Board of Supervisors members can reject the SFMTA budget and send it back for reconsideration.

Question: How does Supervisor McG describe intimate?

Question 2 (Electric Boogaloo): How would you make the people who run MUNI more accountable to the citizens who pay for and rely on it?

Discuss. Enjoy!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 1:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

That sound you're hearing from Sacramento is the sound of "green" PR from our Climate Change Governor colliding with reality. Remember those bonds you voted for to build mass transit infrastructure that got looted by the Governor and the Legislature for general funds use?

Well, now the governor is going to follow up that masterpiece with a nice big cut out of mass transit from the gas tax money that voters and folks approved for....mass transit.

Remember the first rule of government - any big pool of moneys is not safe from grabby hands. Unless they're guarded by fierce attack dogs and the like, when bad times come, the folks in charge take away money you wanted to do one thing, and do something else with it entirely. That's what's happening here.

Then the Really Big Kids in Sacramento leave it up to the local agencies to cry poverty, and take the hit, poiltically.

Oh and those folks who approve of all of this nonsense? They mow down a forest to print brochures telling you how "green" they are. Never minding the fact that they're the ones who could do something to address the structural foolishness of our city and state so we don't go through this every single year.

Maybe for fun we should ask all those candidates running in June to represent us in Sacramento what they think of this idea, and what exactly they'd do differently. And why we should even believe them. Here's a partial list - email 'em and tell 'em what you think (and if I'm missing anyone, send me the link and I'll add it here):

State Senate:
Mark Leno
Joe Nation
Carole Migden

State Assembly
Tom Ammiano
Fiona Ma

Send 'em an email and let's see what happens!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it."
-K, Men in Black

Well, here we go: Everybody's Favorite Supervisor, Jake McGoldrick is proposing some sort of ballot measure to give the Board of Supervisors, now and forevermore, more direct appointments to the MTA Board. And once again, policy decisions are being decided by the popularity of Today's Personalities In City Hall, without a lot of thought about long term effects. Throw in a dose of WTF? and you are left with your head spinning.

I haven't read the chapters and verses of St. Mc Goldrick's proposal yet, so instead of getting into the muck on that issue today, instead I'm going to throw out a few ideas and let the discussion go from there:

Continue reading "Oh Here We Go: Board Vs. Mayor Fight, Round 3, MUNI Edition...And The Fallout for Us.." »

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Reader Donald made an observation on a post from March regarding the new signal upgrades for the Irving/9th and Judah/9th intersections that made an interesting point, so I decided to make a few calls to find out what the situation was, and got a mixed bag of answers.

It should be noted that in the original memorandum from the SFCTA, who is paying for the upgrades, this project had a 90-day schedule for completion. What was not made clear was exactly when that 90 days started, making it difficult for the average citizen to take out a calendar and start marking days.

Given how the wheels of government turn, especially when multiple agencies are involved, just saying "go do it" isn't enough - money has to be moved, etc. to get something done.

The new signal equipment is installed, but the entire project, according to Judson True, a MUNI spokesman, is "very close to completion" - however no firm date has yet been set. He did indicate that testing of the signals may begin this week, although no delay of the N Judah is expected as a result.

As I get more "real" information from MUNI, the MTA and the SFCTA, I'll update this post. And, if you happen to spot anything in your travels in and around the Inner Sunset, feel free to email me and let me know what you're seeing.

UPDATE: For some reason this post only appeared just recently, but was supposed to go up at 3pm. Odd.

Anyway, I had the chance to talk to the actual person actually in charge of actually doing this project, and the word is that most of the work is in fact done. The only thing that kept this project from being completed in the original 90 day window were some unforseen issues that required additional digging underground for cabling and the like.

Word is that testing for the system will begin next week, and once it is confirmed to be working, will be unveiled as quickly as possible.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Reading CW Nevius's column today in the Chronicle regarding MUNI fare collections and budget woes today is kind of like reading the N Judah Chronicles or SFist.com two years ago.

To which I'd simply say, welcome to the party, Chronicle, even if you're a bit late! Let's be real here: way way way more people read the Chronicle than my goofy blog, and if likeminded folks there can prod some action out of the brainiacs around town, fine with me. (I sure wish I got paid to write this stuff the way the pro did, but I do have a day job, and hey, the NJC have t shirts!)

For fun, I've rounded up all the articles we've talked about on MUNI's budget and fare collection follies, test plans to allow "back door boarding," fun with fare inspectors, and ongoing bitching about MUNI budgets. It's a MUNI festival! Woo hoo!

At this rate, maybe I can use my brain waves to get the Chronicle to write more stories about other things I like, such as anime, movies, Comic-Con and happy hours. Just let me get my tinfoil hat and hippie crystals and I'll be all set!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

By now, most people have heard something about the Transit Effectiveness Project, a project of the SFMTA to try and make things run more efficiently. The braniacs at City Hall have been touting the process as an example of their commitment to A Better MUNI, and clearly the top brass at MUNI and the SFMTA have bet most of their chips on this thing to try and make things better.

The good citizens at The Transbay Blog have posted some very thoughtful comments on the proposed changes, and it's well worth your while to take a look at what they have to say. I was struck, in particular about their comments about the 36-Teresita line, which I have relied on when house-sitting for a friend up in the hills (and have been stranded more than a few times waiting for a bus as-is).

There are many ways you can get involved with the process and offer praise and critiques of the proposed changes. One way, of course is to attend public meetings, a list of which is provided at the end of this post.

For me, I have found the research they've done to be quite interesting, but often times of the "we knew that" variety. For example, they discovered that people want the buses to run on time so they can plan their time accordingly. Well, um, yeah. Also, while they've done a heck of a job pinpointing the most and least used routes, et al, I haven't seen a lot so far about projections for the future.

One of the problems we have now is that we have lots of people living in places that did not have lots of housing 20+ years ago, the last time we made any real changes. So I wonder how they're gonna try and predict where the up-and-coming regions of Our Fair City will be, and how they'll accomodate those changes in the years to come.

Anyway, here's a list of meeting times and places. You can also contact them via email (and be sure to CC your Supervisor and the Mayor when you do!) or via traditional USPS mail. No matter how, do what you can to learn more and get involved.

They can ignore my silly blog, they can ignore a small band of folks, but if enough people learn more and participate in good faith, eventually they have to listen to someone. Surely the good citizens of our city can offer up good ideas to make things work better for all of us, right?

• Saturday, May 3, 10:30 am, Jean Parker Elementary, 840 Broadway St. (at Powell St.)
• Monday, May 5, 6:30 pm, Visitacion Valley Elementary, 55 Schwerin St. (at Visitacion Ave.)
• Saturday, May 10, 10:30 am, Harvey Milk Civil Rights Academy, 4235 19th St. (at Diamond St.)
• Monday, May 12, 6:00 pm, West Bay Conference Center, 1290 Fillmore St. (at Eddy St.)
• Wednesday, May 14, 6:30 pm, Bessie Carmichael Elementary, 375 Seventh St. (at Harrison St.)
• Saturday, May 17, 10:30 am, Mission YMCA, 4080 Mission St. (at Bosworth St.)

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Reader Michael wrote in inquiring about a comment I made to the Examiner that appeared in this morning's paper:

I'm not sure if the Examiner quoted you correctly when they wrote:

"'If you board the N-Judah on 48th [Avenue] and get off before downtown, there is no one checking your ticket,' said Greg Dewar, who runs the blog The N-Judah Chronicles."

The statement attributed to you is not correct. Although it is true that MUNI fare inspectors only work the MUNI rail lines; it is not true that they only do so downtown.

I live in the Outer Sunset (43rd Ave.) roughly equidistant from the N and L lines and ride them both regularly...although I tend to favor the N because it is less crowded and runs much more frequently than the L. On both lines, I have encountered fare inspectors well away from downtown.

On the N, I have faced them at 19th/Judah, UCSF, and Church/Duboce. On the L, I have encountered them at 31st/Taraval and 19th/Taraval.

I think when I was speaking to the reporter (while trying to do some work on the computer at the same time) I don't know that I made it clear I was referring to the second train in a two-train N as being where one can board without paying. I don't for a moment think this was an intentional mistake on the part of the reporter - rather I just didn't pick the precise wording with regards to that issue and the mistake would be mine.

One thing I discussed with the reporter that probably didn't fit into this particular story was the fact that once upon a time, on busy bus and MUNI lines, MUNI paid people to collect money and load people on and off the bus at the back doors of said buses and trains, to move things along and collect money they're owed.

However, I think there is a case to be made that having some more fare inspectors on some of the more notorious bus lines is not a bad idea - I think the 71 Haight easily qualifies as one of the biggest fare-evadin' bus lines in the system. Your thoughts? Post 'em in the comments.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Here we go....today it's reported that our green-tie wearing Mayor and allegedly Greener Than Thou Supervisors are starting to feel the heat regarding the proposed parking ticket fine increases, and are threatening to kill the MTA budget to stop it.

Techinically the MTA board is free of political influence (because, you know, you can vote for judges but not MTA board members), but in an odd twist, a supermajority of our Beloved Board and our Mayor can override the entire budget and send it all back with notes.

The Mayor, as usual, always floats out bold "talk" when the issue comes up first, but in the face of any opposition or controversy, backs down, and instead is now talking about screwing the Transit Effectiveness Project he's been promoting, ad nauseum, for a year now.

As I've said before, I was never really comfortable with the idea of relying on parking ticket fines as a stable source of revenue, and have tried, unsuccessfully, to get our Dearly Elected Leaders to realize that these half-assed, fiddle-with-the-margins solutions to MUNI's financial woes will never get us out of the hole and on track to a service that generally works, and is financially secure.

However, once again lost in all these reports and chatter is that once again, our Board of Supervisors, our Mayor, and even our state representatives all seem to be dedicated to cutting as much funding out of MUNI as possible, and never seem to come up with new, stable, fair ways to pay for a system - or even dare audit the MTA and determine just how much money it really takes to run the system, and go from there.

After all, we've had so-called "progressive" leaders actually call for cutting MUNI revenues for certain people, we've had our state Assemblymembers vote to cut MUNI funding from MUNI, BART and every transit district in the state, and our Mayor pushed through big pay raises for certain city employees, blowing out the budget (as well as dipping into MUNI funds to pay for political staffers).

They do manage to slap a picture of the Earth or drive in a Prius in a piece of election junk mail, and the masses are calmed. The out-of-town press comes to town and fawns over Green SF becuase some elected has a hybrid terlet or whatever, and yet, reality collides when a sooty bus arrives 40 minutes late.

Funny that.

So, for fun, I'm going to propose a few "common sense" ideas for the Big Kids at City Hall to consider as they fight amongst themselves and all those special interests at City Hall. I'm sure it'll be ignored by both "progressives" and the Mayor's Voting Bloc, but hey, at least we're converting negative energy into positive, right?

Continue reading ""Green" Mayor and "Green" Board Show Us Why MUNI Sucks...." »

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

If you're not already reading Eater SF the sister site to the always awesome Curbed SF, well you really should check it out if you're interested in more information on the many fascinating (and sadly, expensive) places to eat out in Our Fair City.

Today, Google Reader and Eater SF conspired to bring this little vignette about SF's allegedly super-greenie eviro-y restaurante. Funny enough, they're not only offering Critical Mass Happy Hour Specials, they're also giving Bike Coaltion people expensive "organic" beers for Pabst Blue Ribbon prices.

Memo to hipster greenies running your "Friend of the Earth" restaurant....if anyone deserves a break on pricey hipster beer prices, it is the hard working men and women of Our Fair City that endure a MUNI ride every freakin' day. We're not driving our cars, we're "doing the right thing," so cut us a break even though we don't scream like bashees about some lost cookie, m'kay?

Thanks, and for more information on MUNI, consult your local library!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 5:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

All of today's Olympic Torchy Goodness has been making MUNI hellacious today - the N, of course, is blocked over by the ballpark, and there's new chatter that the torch is going to run down Van Ness instead (where no one is around to actually see it) and there's an army of Chinese and American security forces out there today.

All of the MUNI alerts about the old route along Embarcadero may be moot, and now we'll have all sorts of closures and whatnots on this "new" routing that they just announced to psyche out the protestors. They already closed the cable cars this morning (replacing them with...buses..), and the N isn't scheduled to be online to Caltrain station until at least 4pm.

I decided well in advance to avoid having any meetings or work downtown, so I'm sitting here watching the torch goodness on KPIX's Eye on Blogs and SFist.

If you've got a tale of a particularly annoying commute or other tales from the front lines, post 'em in the comments and let the bloggy goodness continue.

UPDATE: MUNI just posted this alert...allegedly the N is back on line all the way to CalTrain...

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

By now, every blogger in town has weighed in on all things Torch related - Brittney over at KPIX's Eye on Blogs has been rockin' with her coverage of said blog posts around the Bay.

After reading a few, I'd just offer the City this modest proposal to have a hassle-free run of the torch: Don't have the runners run down Embarcadero, or whatever. Just put the thing on the N-Judah at Judah and La Playa.

Not only will any planned protests along the route miss it, since it'd most likely not show up on time, or speed past the stop, you can have a breakdown at 19th and Judah, and then have it put on say, the 6 Parnassus, or maybe the 71, so it can get downtown. Or better yet, put it on one of those greenie buses with the wifi. Then you could have a designated protestor blog a protest on the bus, live.

See? Everyone wins. We think about the children. China won't nuke SF. And protestors get their say. Yay Us!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

An FYI to commuters and some of those who live within range of the N-Judah (or just the Sunset District and parts elsewhere west and south in Our Fair City) - we've got two events that may or may not affect your commute.

Monday, of course, is Opening Day for the Giants at AT&T Park, so it's reported that MUNI will be operating a special "stadium shuttle" as well as other tweaks to move people along to the game. The Giants have thoughtfully provided this guide to getting to the ballpark by pretty much any means possible. If anyone goes to the game, feel free to report your tale of MUNI woe or triumph here in the comments!

On Tuesday, there's a Special Election for those of you who live in the 12th Congressional District. This election is being held to fill the vacancy left by Rep. Tom Lantos earlier this year. Many people may not realize there's an election, even with the spattering of junk mail pumped out by the various candidates. However it's an important election as currently the district (and our N line) is without any Congressional representation.

If one candidate wins the election with a 50%+1 majority, no additional special election will be held, if not they'll hold a Special General Election on June 3rd. However, if the latter happens, it will also mean our CD will continue to have no representation in Congress, which is not a good thing, esp. when we have messes like the Central Subway to try and clean up.

Right now the race seems to be between the frontrunner, who has, among other things, a CalTrain locomotive named after her and an assortment of no-names. I'm rooting for my hometown hero, of course, but you should definitely vote for the candidate of your choice!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When I read this headline on my RSS newsreader, I figured it had to be a joke, but it's not - KGO reports that someone found a way to drive all the way into the West Portal Tunnel, until they got to the part where it narrows and got stuck. Fortunately no trains were running so there was no chance for a major accident.

Still, one wonders the logic, or lack of, that would let someone think "O Hai! Tunnelz, I has them!" and just barrel on through.

Then I remember the infamous Judah's Prius Incident captured by one of the Loyal Readers, and realize, in this town, any-thing's possible.

And now, a re-run, of that famous day on the N last year. Enjoy.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

The long, slow march towards some increases in MUNI Fast Passes and parking fines continues, unabated, as we approach tomorrow's SFMTA meeting to discuss said changes.

The Mayor's been playfully hinting at said increases, and earlier talk that said Fast Pass increases would happen only as a "last resort" seems to have been just that - talk - since after just 10 days, the MTA folks seemed to have reversed course.

The proposed parking ticket increases seem to be creating the most discussion on local blogs around town. But as always, in these "discussions" some points tend to get missed because we narrow the topic to the point where we exclude a few basic points.

One thing we've done pretty good here in Our Fair City is give MUNI lots of unstable sources of revenue. When times are good, there's "money" and when the inevitable recession hits, suddenly there's "no money." I'm sure to someone looking at a balance sheet, jacking up parking ticket prices is an easy way to show "hey look ma! more money!" but don't seem to realize that relying on parking ticket money to cover the costs of running the MTA/MUNI is inherently unstable.

Put it another way: If you raise the parking ticket fines into the going-medieval-on-your-wallet zone, people are more likely to either a) not drive their cars, or b) make sure the darn meter is fed. Ironically, if more people pump money into the meters, the number of tickets starts to go down because, um, well, people are doing what they're supposed to when they park at a meter.

More importantly, it seems more than a bit strange that we'd take parking tickets, which were once used primarily to cite people for unsafe parking or for meter violations, and turn them into a "revenue source" backed by the criminal justice system.

It also leads one to cynically wonder if the city has so much to gain from issuing lots of tickets if perhaps those meters aren't broken on purpose, just so they can jam another ticket under your windshield. (Given that they've been proven to do a poor job simply collecting the parking meter money in the first place, one wonders if they'll just give up and make everyone pay $60 to park, period!)

All of this comes as we just read the other day about all the City employees who make huge salaries (and will get huge pensions for life too!). The Mayor blew out the budget last year with big pay raises and big increases in the city payroll, but we haven't seen a correlating drop in crime or improvement in city services one might expect.

San Franciscans need to start making smart choices. We can continue to bloat the city payroll, year after year, by "moderates" and "progressives" alike, but we have to be aware that continuing to do so, without some sort of accountability or performance that merits such a bloated payroll has consequences.

The next time you see your car being booted for a handful of EXPENSIVE tickets, think about this: not only are you paying for the people to tow your car away, you're also going to be paying their salary, pension and health care for the rest of their life, too!

UPDATE: I just remembered something. Back in the 1990s, when the State of California was coming up with all sorts of goofball ways to "balance budgets," Gov. Wilson and his allies in the Legislature actually passed a law that mandated local governments had to pay a few bucks to the State of California for every parking ticket they wrote. Locals had the option of just coughing up the cash, or tacking on the surcharge to existing fines.

If that's not racketeering or extortion, I don't know what is!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

After hopes were somewhat falsely raised last year, it's hoped that this will not only ensure safety, but perhaps speed things up for both cars AND trains. (And if you're really that curious here's why it makes that turn in the first place)

After a string of accidents, including the tragic accident last month, and other collisions reported in by loyal readers, and a hapless mini crusade, both here and on Mr. Mayor's "blog", it's nice to just see something happen at all. All this effort, just to get someone to acknowledge a promise made back in 2006.

I really hope they make this work, and if it does work out, I think the politicians and the folks at the assorted alphabet soup of agencies need to hear that if they do their jobs and make something work better for everyone (cars, transit, pedestrians, and residents) that's a GOOD thing, and screwing around, spending our money on foolishness isn't.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

The trial balloons for an increase in the costs of a monthly MUNI Pass are being floated, primarily as a "quick fix" for MUNI's persistent budget woes. Always, of course, without mentioning how the politicians keep trying to take away money from MUNI.

No transit system in the world makes all of its money from the farebox anyway, but you know what will accompany this hike - more cuts in service. Pay more for less. The San Francisco mantra, it seems.

But wait! Let's go read some more MUNI news in the Examiner...specifically the fact that MUNI is about to make a huge payout because their employees accidentally killed a child.

This, in addition to the many many payouts MUNI makes due to accidents. As you may recall we've had a few lately, right here on our Mighty N.

So what we're seeing is that we (taxpayers) are paying out huge settlements for horrific accidents. At the same time we 'balanced budgets' by cutting safety, staffing, and maintenance. The politicians got a pat on the back for "not raising taxes," and in the short term, everything was fine, until, um the dying and suffering. If, perhaps we'd spent the nickel in the past to make sure the system was as safe as humanly possible, perhaps today we wouldn't be spending huge payouts for settlements - and lives would not have been shattered by these tragedies.

Not all accidents can be prevented (after all, they are "accidents" and not "stuff MUNI did on purpose to ruin lives"). But when you hear about big pay raises for upper management, big pay for political aides with no background in MUNI safety OR climatology, and science fiction written by the man who played political games with MUNI's budgets, and local legislators that love to talk "green" but vote for huge cuts to MUNI time and again, it's hard to accept that a fare increase of this size is "necessary."

Until people decide that they'd like to get value for their money in San Francisco, this kind of nonsense will continue. So long as you accept the notion of "pay more and more and get less and less", and accept giving big pay raises to people that are not qualified, you will get exactly what you have now. Makes for wonderful blog posts - Hell of a way to run a major American city.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For the better part of a year, news of the ongoing Transit Effectiveness Project has been kicked around as meetings, studies and whatnot have been devoted to try and figure out where and what MUNI needs to change in order to be useful to San Francisco's citizens. I've always encouraged people to get involved in the process, mostly because if people just let the geniuses run the show, the result is likely a mess.

The Chronicle has a recap of the report's release, and you can go to the TEP site itself and download copies of the various reports. There's so much here that it's hard to really comment on it without reading it, so for now I'll hold off any big postings until I read it for myself. If any of you have comments as you check it out, please feel free to discuss in the comments section.

And remember: while some of the report inevitably is a bit of the No Duh Institute variety (gawrsh Mickey, folks want the buses to run on time! We needed a study to tell us that), some of the other parts of the study I saw a while back were kind of interesting in showing how people use the system as of today.

MUNI hasn't updated its routes in 20+ years, and let's face it, 20 years ago there were plenty of parts of the City where no one lived, that now house thousands of people, and we still have many "legacy" routes that are the lineal descendants of streetcars (and streetcar companies) long gone.

Enjoy the transit-y goodness, fellow citizens!

UPDATE: The good folks at the Transbay Blog did a nice quick summary of the changes in the TEP. Go check it out!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Well at least someone besides me said it: CW Nevius wrote a couple of pieces in the Chronicle this past week, expressing similar concerns to my own that we're about to embark on an expensive white elephant of a rail line known as the Central Subway.

The Central Subway is an intersection of petty political promises and half-assed planning that will do nothing to improve transit for anyone, be they those who live in North Beach, Chinatown, downtown, or on the T-Third (!) line, and as a bonus, will need to steal trains from all the other lines to accommodate this short, 3-stop, multi-billion dollar Tunnel of Love.

Mayor Newsom loves to talk about it though, since he can ribbon cut at a ceremony or something. At last year's "Fake Question Time," he was able to say in the same sentence that he "wanted to hear what people thought," but also that "this is a done deal and there's nothing you can do about it." And it would seem he's correct on the latter point - there seems to be this mantra of "if we don't take the Feds' money for this project, no matter how lame, we're 'losing out" on something" that everyone at MUNI and City hall repeat.

Ah well. I keep forgetting that common sense and reason are in short supply these days, and that "leadership" in San Francisco consists of doing Really Stupid Things to appease future patrons of future campaigns. Epic FAIL.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Dot Com Boom 1.0 Bus Stop

-- Buses that run on time
-- Less-surly drivers
-- Graffiti removal
-- More comfortable seats
-- Back doors that open only for people exiting the bus - not fare cheats sneaking in.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Loyal Reader and blogger friend Melissa just called me a few minutes ago to report on a rather critical accident on a K-Outbound line that's stalled MUNI traffic downtown.

According to Melissa, an elderly gentleman got on at Embarcadero on a K-Outbound line, and the train (which as we know in the tunnel is controlled by computer, NOT the operator) made a very sudden stop, just at the moment that said gentleman's hand was not attached to any handle or bar and he fell down, possibly injuring or breaking his hip. There was a 20 minute wait for the paramedics to show up and move him to safety upstairs. The operator apparently was trying to help as best they could, but got a little grief from patrons, not realizing that machines control the trains in the tunnel (which many people might not be aware of, we're not all transit nerds like me).

As of right now (7:40pm) paramedics and first responders were just about to get him onto a gurney and to safety. OK as I'm writing this and now as of of 7:43pm I just got a text from Melissa that the trains are moving, but delays should be expected.

I think that as we go about our weekends we should hope that said passenger is OK, and be aware there will be some delays for a while as MUNI gets back up to speed.

Thanks to Melissa for her eyewitness account...it's just sad that anyone gets injured on public transit, and more sad that writing about SF transit means talking about mayhem and injuries on said system. If this mayhem, death, and crap continues, I'm quitting, because I didn't start this to write the "let's all talk about people getting hurt and killed blog."

Jeez.

PS: You can read the rest of Melissa's evening, delayed by the K line, over at Beth Spotswood's awesome blog. It's quite a small world here in SF blog land.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 7:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Rather than react to the trial balloon on fare hikes MUNI floated today, I decided to take a look back over the past year at all the rhetoric floated by Our Leaders on MUNI fares. Give credit to MUNI and the MTA on this - they are very good at framing issues, mostly by completely ignoring things like "facts" and "past statements."

But first, a comment about "money" and "cuts." I get a bit weary of hearing the "poor us" speech when it comes to money for MUNI. After all, we just voted for Measure A last year which was supposed to bring significant stability to MUNI's funding. Now, suddenly, we're told there's yet another "crisis" and they want us to pay more and get less. Amazing.

Of course, it doesn't help when San Francisco legislators voted for a state budget that whacked a significant amount of MUNI funding. The federal government isn't helping matters by possibly taking away a ton of cash for MUNI projects because of opposition from some folks for a Doyle Drive toll. Using MUNI safety money to pay for political aides isn't exactly good management either, nor is giving the boss a big pay raise in the midst of this "financial crisis."

But these are big issues for another day. Let's instead take that trip in the Wayback Machine and see what's been said about MUNI fares for the last few years.

Way back in February 2006 a report was issued indicating that in many places, 50% of folks weren't paying the fares owed. After said report, did fare collections increase or get better?

No! Because, flash forward to February 2007 and guess what we were talking about? Yep, you guessed it - MUNI still wasn't getting its act together and collect the fares it's supposed to - amazing!

Now you'd think some bright, handsome young Mayor, would seize upon the report and bang his fist on the table saying "Let's do a better job, MUNI! Collect some more fares like you're supposed to." Instead we got some hippie-esque feel-good nonsense from talking about how we should make MUNI "free" (which was thoroughly debunked when the adults studied the idea).

Not to be outdone, Supervisors and other electeds came up with their own notion of a "youth fare", apparently to be paid for with a tax on unicorns and elves. Fortunately, this half-baked idea died as the folks promoting it turned on each other. Woo hoo.

See the pattern? Everyone keeps saying "no money" and yet a big reason they have a problem is because MUNI's not bothering to collect money it is supposed to from its passengers. Instead of demanding MUNI get with the program, the politicians come up with crazy notions to take away more money from MUNI, usually to appease folks of a certain political persuasion. Then they start talking about fare increases and service cuts because...well gawrsh Mickey, there's "no money."

Continue reading "Calling BS on Fare Increases and Fare Shenanigans in San Francisco" »

Posted by Greg Dewar at 1:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Ah, the San Francisco County Transit Agency, described by a sage scribe as MUNI's successful younger sibling. First we heard the news about work finally beginning on the Irving and 9th/Judah and 9th intersections, and soon afterwards, MUNI Chief Nate Ford started arguing he should be able to drink their milkshakes and take their money. Woo hoo!

This afternoon, I got an email announcing new vacancies for the SFCTA's Citizens Advisory Committee. It seems that there are quite a few vacancies, esp. in the districts which represent the N-Judah line (and oh yeah, one in District 11 too).

Full details after the jump. If you've got the time and want to be able to weigh in on such issues as the Central Subway (!) and the like, well here's a chance to join up and get involved!

Continue reading "The SFCTA Needs You!" »

Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You really have to hand it to the geniuses that run AT&T and Comcast...they keep coming up with new ways to screw up. I moved to a new place and Comcast wouldn't let me order new Cable service because the old service was still "active." So I gave up and cast my lot with AT&T and they said it'd be activated today, the 13th.

Ha! Instead after going through all the hassles to re do the wiring in this place and whatnot, they tell me now that starting on the 13th doesn't really mean starting on the 13th (although the BILLING starts today!) and that it might work out later on tonight...or not at all.

They must be taking screw up classes over at City Hall to come up with something like that. I wonder if I can not pay my bill on time and tell them that paying on the due date doesn't necessarily mean paying on the due date?

So for the moment I found a wifi signal in the neighborhood, but I don't like stealing Internet from strangers, so it's off to an Undisclosed Location for some wifi...hopefully we'll be back online soon enough...

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

The always informative and entertaining MattyMatt at SFist.com caught the latest agenda of the San Francisco County Transit Agency (SFCTA) and at tomorrow's meeting there's some pretty big news - it appears that the much touted, delayed, and awaited for signal improvements to the Irving/9th and Judah/9th intersections are finally being made!

You can go check out the agenda online, and scroll down to Item 13, where you can read more, and download a PDF of the plan also.

From what I'm reading, this has been fast-tracked to be done in 3 months. The upgrades are being made via Prop. K funds, and the N Judah trains will be getting their own signal, so cars won't have to risk getting rammed by a mega-ton train. I'm guessing in light of recent events this is getting a bit of a push, but you know what? I really don't care why they're doing it - I'm just glad they are, since this has the potential of being a win for everyone - cars, MUNI, MUNI riders, and pedestrians.

I'll keep an eye on this tomorrow and try and post something in between work breaks if I can....this is good news, though, and unlike in the past, someone is spending money and has presented a fairly detailed plan, which in government-ese means that they're more likely to be doing something than not (Funny how money has that effect on a situation.)

UPDATE: Rachel Gordon at the Chronicle has a short story on the Gate website now also.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Call it showmanship or whatever, but giving Dan Noyes and his crew the name "ITeam" sounds cool. I mean, shouldn't they have a cool headquarters with a bullpen, plasma TVs, a "Trouble Alert" and cool cars and uniforms?

Oh wait - that's the Mayor's office! D'oh!

Ok, enough silliness...last night Noyes and his crew showed some hidden camera footage from MUNI. They had to file a lawsuit to do so, and for several months there was some unseen courtroom drama. Now, they got the footage and they're showing it on their website etc. It's definitely worth seeing, but then again, if you ride MUNI anyways, chances are you've seen stuff like this in 3-d.

Inevitably, reports like these bring up the whole "why focus on the bad apples when so many are good" meme, and there's a point to be made about that. I've seen plenty of awesome MUNI drivers myself and made sure to note it here when I can. Heck, we had one guy use his mad driving skillz to avoid another death at Irving and 9th the other day.

However, at the same time, we again see union leaders seem to insist on sticking up only for those "few bad apples" , as opposed to the great majority of good drivers who pay dues (and union leader salaries). This insistence on defending bad behavior is what frustrates so many people, and lead to a lot of anti-union sentiment, which really isn't productive (and for the record I'm all for good unions, and have worked for many of them in the past).

As always, union folks are invited to particpate here in the comments to perhaps start an honest dialogue and find some common ground between riders, citizens, MUNI employees and City Hall so we can get past blame games and spin, and get something done. I'm not holding my breath on that one, though.

Still, you have to wonder at the massive amount of good karma the union folks at MUNI would earn if they just decided to cut loose the few bad apples, and spend more time rewarding the good people who try to make the system work.

I don't know that most of us have anyone defending us or getting us big pay raises if we're a consistently crappy employee, and most of us have to work in a reality far different from the one that seems to operate at MUNI. One wonders at what might happen if said realities collided.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Reader Jeff, who runs the extremely helpful Sunset District Events Calendar, alerted me to a MUNI Town Hall Meeting with Supervisor Carmen Chu. The meeting will be held on January 30th from 7-9pm at the Sunset Recreation Center at Lawton and 29th.

Supervisor Chu has quickly earned a reputation for paying attention to constituent concerns, particularly on MUNI issues, and trying to prod city government to do something. In other words, she's doing the job of a Supervisor, instead of using the job to get higher office or pull shenanigans. What a novel concept.

I will try and attend the meeting but if nothing else I'll post a reminder and encourage others to attend, for sure. If you attend the meeting, be sure to post your thoughts here afterwards, and if you can't make the meeting, try contacting Sup. Chu's office via the city's website.

I think when we have people trying to do something, anything to do the right thing, good citizens should encourage them to do so, and give 'em the support they need. It's much easier for those in charge to invent new ways to mis-spend money and ignore folks - it's a lot harder to try and do the job like one is supposed to.

Update: I couldn't make it to the meeting as I got a last minute assignment for the paying job and had to get it done immediately...so if anyone attended feel free to post comments on the site!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 7:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Some days you don't have to do much to write a little blog about MUNI...it just sort of writes itself.

KCBS had a report about the Mayor's eagerness to spend MUNI dollars on expensive staffers for his office, to the tune of about a million dollars. This is on the heels of an article in the Chronicle covering the issue, but with a slightly different take.

It's funny how we were just asked to give MUNI dedicated resources as part of a "reform" measure (which just saw its campaign committee fined for ethics violations), and right away, the only thing our Mayor can think to do is give out big pay raises to the bosses, and take money away from MUNI and give it to people in his office. After all, it's not like it's his money out of his pocket, right? And clearly, San Franciscans like him so much they must think this is ok.

Funnier still, when you read the experiences of everyday people who don't buy their girlfriends $100,000 rings, you wonder if perhaps the Mayor could have complied with his own directive to "cut spending" by starting with his own office, instead of giving out big pay to more city employees, and getting them plasma TVs to watch Project Runway with.

Of course, all would be forgiven if they decided to say, raid the MUNI fund for a $150,000/year job for folks to blog about how great the new plasma tvs are, but that's probably not happening....

UPDATE: Rachel Gordon at the Chronicle has another story detailing the expenditures, the spin and whatnot. Oh and that blogging job pays only $85,000 after all....given how much the staffers get paid over there, I'd say the guy is getting shortchanged.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 6:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

If you were considering a purchase of one of our many witty MUNI-related T Shirts, now is the time to buy. I've just received word that GoodStorm has been acquired by Zazzle.com, and will close down all GoodStorm stores to get everyone onto Zazzle by February 15th.

Our famous "The N Is Near" shirt and others are on sale in our store until then. Buy one today!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Some of you may have wondered where flamboyant, wealthy, and wacky former Mayor Willie Brown has been doing since he left the Mayor's office. Well aside from being a lawyer for folks, and making the big retainers and fees, he's also decided to take on a new career, writing science fiction. For those of you who are afficiandos of the genre, you really should take a look, as his work rivals some of the major folks in the business.

Now, mind you, Mayor Brown is not writing manga comics, or cyberpunk, or space opera. Instead he's writing stories in the realm of alternate history, and his new book, co-written by sci-fi fan and former Examiner writer P.J. Corkery, is really interesting. It's an alternative history of San Francisco in the 1990s, one in which MUNI was made into a perfect system, primarily under his personal direction. It's an amazing work, well written, and ranks up there with alternative histories by Philip K. Dick or Harry Turtledove.

In this alternate history, the years of budget shenanigans and the transfer of boom times wealth to his friends never happened. MUNI was well run and never cut training, maintenance or raised fares and cut service. The book serves as a "what might have been" type of read, and given the author's knowledge of San Francisco, makes for a fun read since his use of locations is almost as good as Armistead Maupin's in those Tales of the City books. (BTW, the N- Judah makes an appearance in Maupin's latest book, but I digress.)

For anyone wondering how the boom years of the late 90s could have turned out had those in charge been a little more concerned with using taxes for the benefit of the taxpayers, not their well connected friends with money, read Mayor Brown's book. Maybe they'll get J.J. Abrams to do a movie, or get Ron Moore of Battlestar Galactica fame to do a miniseries on Sci-Fi channel! And they can film it here!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

This morning's Chronicle has a report on recent events and MUNI safety that's worth checking out. I think that as we go forward, the good citizens of San Francisco are going to have to keep pestering their elected officials and others if we're going to see any of that Measure A money spent to benefit the folks that pay said money (i.e. the citizens!)

Also, a couple of folks have emailed regarding a comment I made in the story that perhaps needs a slight clarification. The incident I described happened at Irving and 9th, and in this case a guy crossed the street on a red as a 44 O'Shaughnessy was rushing through the intersection to pick us up. As some of us saw what was happening, we were all convinced this was going to be another accident, but the driver in question saw the guy and managed to avoid an accident. Being an idiot I forgot to note the driver's badge number so I could send a compliment in to MUNI because this guy was on the ball.

While this did happen on the same night as the fatal accident on the N, the one described above has nothing to do with the N accident, and just because in this particular case some guy crossed on a red, that has nothing to do with the other incident.

In this case I was merely pointing out that there are many reasons why the streets are unsafe, and as such, no one "solution" will magically solve all our problems.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Holy guac! We just got word of news about another potential fatality on the N-Judah line this evening. Reader Jeff writes:

Greg:

News helicopters are overhead right now. Judah is closed off 28th Ave - 30th Ave. I just got home, but it looks like it happened about an hour ago.

My neighbor tells me someone was trying to get onto the train and got caught somehow. Passengers tried to alert the driver, but the train didn't stop in time.

I'm guessing the accident will be on the 11:00 news with all the details.

jeff

I got home around 8pm and missed this incident. This sounds pretty bad, though, so if anyone has info or details, please feel free to post in the comments. I'll be up for a few more hours to post details as they come in.

UPDATE: Bay City News has the story so far....

UPDATE 2:, The Chronicle has more information about the incident as well. This is so depressing.

Continue reading "Reader Mail: Another Fatality on the N Judah" »

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

The Cylons in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica have a prophecy they keep repeating: "All of this has happened before, and will happen again." One could say the same thing about the MUNI test program to allow backdoor boarding to try and combat fare evasion, et al.

The thing is, once upon a time, MUNI had "back door boarding" and the like on busy lines, by paying people as "loaders" to collect money and get people on the bus as fast as possible. This has long since been abandoned, in the interest of cutting the payroll. Is this the best way to do things? Maybe, maybe not. But it is interesting to see MUNI revive ideas and call them "new" when in fact a quick look at MUNI history shows that a lot of this is not really new at all. There are plenty of good ideas out there, and many can be found in the history of MUNI. I suppose we're paying the big kids big bucks and giving out big raises so that they can rediscover MUNI history and re-brand it with the help of expensive consultants.

Awesome.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Several people have asked me why it is the N-Judah makes the infamous left turn onto 9th street in the first place, and doesn't just continue on Irving, OR stay on Judah/Parnassus. Aside from the obvious (it wouldn't be the N-Judah if it was on Irving, it'd be the N-Irving), the reason you have this detour is because it's a relic from the olden days of multiple service providers in San Francisco running rail lines.

Quite awhile back we had a photo of the old 6 Parnassus streetcar and the N on Carl Street. MUNI and the private operators avoided sharing rails whenever possible, hence the split we have to this day, even though the 6 Parnassus ceased to be a rail line decades ago.

Many of the bus routes of today are leftovers from when the Market Street Railway merged with MUNI, and from other smaller providers of transit service, when various companies would attempt to duplicate service. And yet if you try to change anything there's usually someone demanding it all stay the same. That's why the Transit Effectiveness Project is trying to analyze how people actually use and don't use the system, so they can revise it to make things run for today's needs, not for 20+ years ago's needs. Hopefully.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

aaaa021

Posted by Greg Dewar at 7:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (19)

"Mason Powell," one of our loyal corrrespondents, reports that something is blocking 19th around Ulloa and Taraval, necessitating a re-route of the bus he was taking from the Daly City BART to Irving Street.

Trains don't seem to be delayed (too badly), however. Anyone see what happened?

UPDATE: Flickr user DeathByCamera took some pictures of the incident yesterday and posted them to Flickr and SFist's "contribute" section!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

I would love to have posted all sorts of links to all sorts of as-it-happens mayhem, but I had no power until a few hours ago, so instead I'd be interested in hearing tales of woe and more from the Loyal Readers!

Adding to my fun today was having BART stalled this afternoon due to a felled tree, and other assorted hassles. I think I'm going to buy a generator so that during the next storm/disaster I can just stay at home and watch DVDs.....

Posted by Greg Dewar at 7:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

This morning we had an unfortunate accident on the N-Judah at 7th and Irving today. Several readers posted comments or emails detailing what they saw....for example, Reader Lauren writes:

I was on the inbound train that arrived at the scene of the accident within minutes of it happening. It looked like a white pick-up trunk ran almost straight into the outbound train. There were injuries: I think it was the passenger of the pick-up. The shuttle buses were slow to arrive, so I walked down to Lincoln to try to catch the 71. The buses were so packed that some went by without picking us up. So, it took me about an extra hour to get to work today.

Reader Karolyn also sent in a comment:

This morning at appox 7:25am I arrived at 7th & Irving street saw 2 trains at 9th & Irving there was an outbound & inbound stuck at the corner people were hanging out of the door and the trains were not able to move in either direction. I decided to walk towards 9th but didnot see the car that was apparently hit since I needed to get to work. Decided to catch the 43 or 44 to Forrest Hill Station and there was another inbound N at 9th & Judah the conductor must have informed the people of the accident. Just another messed up day on the N Judah line. So sad when it is something your use to.

If anyone else has cell phone camera photos or other information, please send it in!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Normally I'd have all sorts of things to post, but I've been felled by that nasty cold/flu thing that's been going around...it probably didn't help that I was already feeling some symptoms over the weekend but a) pressed on with the Housing Hunt from Hell and b) stayed out in the cold longer than I should have. Oh well.

In the meantime, why not share with us some MUNI Holiday Good Will and Cheer? Or MUNI Holiday Ill Will and Jeers?

UPDATE: Since so many people are asking, here's a schedule of when and where the Double Decker MUNI Bus will be test driving the streets of San Francisco....if and when I stop dying of this stupid flu, I'll check it out!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Double Decker Muni Bus!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Over the weekend, Chronicle readers were treated to this column by CW Obvious on a really horrible stabbing that happened in the Outer Sunset. Thank God the poor woman (an exchange student from Germany) survived and isn't dead, but I can only imagine the pain (mental and physical) such an attack would cause. On behalf of the good people of San Francisco, we all want to say "we're sorry" our City sucked so much you got attacked.

As you might imagine, CW's safari into the strange and mysterious wilds of the Outer Sunset set off blogging mayhem, SF Style, with all sorts of accusations and recriminations, not to mention a torrent of angry comments on SFGate. Feel the love, people.

For me, however, I found the whole situation to be Yet Another Example of how local media might better serve their dwindling readership if they took some classes at the No Duh Institute.

It's no secret that whenever the 5-0 roust the perpetually ill or perpetually addicted from one spot, they go elsewhere, preferably somewhere with some spare change, but without a lot of police or citizen hassle. Too often, that's meant the outer neighborhoods, and we've seen what happens when we get to critical mass. Neither the "homeless" or the citizens win in the end.

Sure, CW and the Chronicle may feel great when they take pictures of "the rabble" being rousted out of a portion of Golden Gate Park - but they don't seem to be aware that the warm, squishy feelings don't change anything - "the rabble" simply pick up sticks and move elsewhere, often using our MUNI.

Now, you would think in a city with as many allegedly intelligent people as ours, folks could turn down the irrational emotions and sensational articles for a few minutes, think about the many issues involved, listen to each other and those involved in said issues, and come to a reasonable solution.

I don't know that the "homeless," drug addicts, or the mentally ill are served particularly well by having them living around the streets, hurting themselves and others, and not being on the medication that can literally save their lives. On the other hand, I've seen enough demands for detention camps (and worse) for folks guilty of the crime of Not Having Money or Having a F*cked Mental Illness to make me wonder just how "enlightened" San Francisco really is.

Instead, as with MUNI, people are content to scream and yell from their respective ideological corners, the louder the better, and to Hell with the Other Side. Too bad that in this case, as with MUNI, the reasonable people of San Francisco are caught in the middle - and end up the ones who lose the most.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Sometimes writing this little blog is like shooting fish in a barrel, especially when you open a newspaper and read this little news item about MUNI Boss Nate Ford's raise.

The story reveals so much more than just the facts - in this case the MTA board is giving serious consideration to giving Our City's highest paid (at $298,000/year, plus low interest home loan, plus pension, plus benefits etc.) a nice big bonus. It gives us a nice overview as to why it is people distrust MUNI, and the junkie logic that seems to infect the place.

Note, for example how not only does Mayor Newsom believe Mr. Ford should get his big bonus (despite the fact that the papers tell us MUNI has Big Problems), he also interjects that the voter mandated 85% on time rate is "unrealistic" and that it should be abandoned.

Note also that he supported the measure in the first place, but, like he does so often, he's now against it. Just like when he supported the formation of a Taxi Commission, only to then support its total dismantling with the infamous "Measure A." John Kerry would be proud of these flip flops. So is San Francisco, according to the latest vote count!

Likewise, when Andrew Sullivan of "Rescue Muni" is asked whether Ford deserves the raise or not, we get an answer only a politician could love. Is he for the raise? Against it? In the effort to try and offend no one, he ended up not saying anything. C'mon, Andrew, you're better than this. You're the head of a group that claims to be for us riders. Now is not the time for Establishment Doublespeak to make everyone happy - now's the time to make some noise.

Even funnier (in the "funny as in frakked" way not "funny as in ha ha" way) is Mayor Newsom's statement that to make MUNI run a losy "80% of the time," the system needs $90 million more dollars.

Now, putting aside the fact that Loyal Readers have pointed out time and again how meaningless the systemwide percentage statistic is, I find it really kind of insulting that after we went through all the pain and suffering that was the Magical Measure A campaign, we're now being told by Mayor Newsom what boils down to "We can't even do a half-assed job without more money, and most of that has to go to the boss, even though we screwed up the T-Third rollout and spent a bunch of money on parties, and frankly I don't care because I have a free car from you taxpayers!"

Or something like that.

All this, right as they're considering a pay raise for Nate Ford. Even though the system's at a C- level of service, he gets a raise. And they'll pay him no matter what for the length of his entire contract - even if he got fired tomorrow for gross negligence. In other words, there's no "performance incentive" here - just more and more money for the top, while we get stuck with higher fares and more service cuts.

I guess since the Mayor's so popular, this is what folks want. And I suppose that asking MUNI to keep its employees from stealing from us or at least collect the money they're owed in an efficient manner is too much to ask of a popular Mayor or the best paid guy in City Government.

Meanwhile, we see the results of squandered money, and opportunity every time a Loyal Reader sends in a tale of woe to the site.

And people wonder why a blog about MUNI gets so many hits in the first place. Now you know!

If you'd like to send an email to the Folks In Charge, why not contact the SF MTA, or send an email to Our Mayor Have fun with it and if you've got a particularly entertaining one to share, send it in and we'll use it in a future Reader Mail feature!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)

Reader Patrick sent me an email about an hour ago indicating that there's been a collision between a Honda car and an N-Train at 9th and Irving. As I'm at work I can't just run down the street and check this out, so if any other Loyal Readers have any info to report, please do so in the comments section!

For those of you just joining us, I made safety at the 9th/Irving and 9th/Judah intersections a mini crusade, with mixed results. Any pedestrian, motorist, or mass transit rider, however can witness a host of near-misses and other problems at these intersections on a daily basis.

Maybe this accident will move along MUNI's folks, flush with Measure A money and whatnot, to get off their backsides and make good on a promise they were supposed to have fulfilled almost a year ago!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 1:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Reader Alexandra writes in with an interesting tale of a blocked entrance at Fillmore and Duboce, a "get it done" MUNI driver, some helpful passengers, and a crabby cabbie. Read on:

On the 9th around 1440 I was on my typical daily commute home...All of a sudden on filmore & duboce the J halts-there's a truck blocking the tracks...driiinnnng drinnnng nothing happens ...by now there's a taxi on the right site blaring his horn.

So the driver gets out with his coffee and it turns out that the truck broke down. The driver then announces over the intercom that he needs some guys to help push the truck out of the way. Oh..and he also tells the obnoxious driver politely to get his ass out of the taxi and help push.

What followed was just this great comical relief. The driver with his coffee, his back against the truck pushing with several guys from the J-Church and then the disgruntled taxi driver. About a second after they push the truck out of the way the muni help truck roars in....and the driver simply tells them that its all done.

When GTD comes to MUNI, everyone wins!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sorry I've been away for so long...but the ongoing distraction of finding a non-crackhouse apartment in the unusually bad, dot-commish like rental market these days is becoming such a distraction I don't really have the time to write genius posts on things like MUNI or that non-election we had last week. All I can say is, if you're thinking of moving, don't for now. It's really not worth the hassle. Usually when I go apartment hunting it takes maybe a week at the most, and I always find something I like. This time - well let's just say that the phrase "all the good ones are taken" pretty much sums it up. After almost 2 months it was really only yesterday I found something that was truly worth renting - the rest were these bizarre "in law" units that were being rented for like, $1400 a month.

Anyway, enough of that. It looks like despite the best efforts of a few, and the total lack of voters at the polls, Measure "A" ended up passing. Um, hooray, I guess? We've had plenty of discussions here about how Measure A isn't perfect, but frankly, now that it's passed, it can be amended if something doesn't work out. More importantly, it's up to us and our elected representatives and our popular Mayor to make sure that all those promises Sup. Peskin, SPUR, and others made about how this thing was going to "save" MUNI are actually met - and that won't be easy.

Personally I found it interesting that in the supposedly "conservative" suburbs, almost every tax measure or bond issue passed, while in supposedly "crazy lefty" San Francisco, something that had "global warming" and "mass transit" stamped all over it was close. Perhaps the stereotypes of the outsiders don't fit the Bay Area after all.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you're one of those folks who thinks a good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow, there are some chances for you to get involved with volunteer efforts to help pass Measure A. Those of you who are not so inclined, I'm sure there are things you can do as well. Since the only people who contacted me were the volunteers of Measure A, I shall be posting some info which is as follows, reposted from their email:

Help Us Reach Voters on MUNI Friday, 11/2 and Monday, 11/5 After Work!

Help flier every commuter on a train leaving downtown. Meet at Montgomery MUNI Station (on the north side of Market by the circle fence) at 4pm or 5pm each day. Bring your friends! It will be two hours of fun, crucial outreach. Many bus riders still don't know about these Propositions so it's our job to use people power to show them there's a chance for them to vote to make their commute better.

Help Us Walk Precincts on Saturday, 11/3!
We are walking Precincts 10am and phone banking 1-7pm. Meet at 350 Kansas by 16th.

Help Us Get Out The Vote On Election Day (Tuesday, Nov 6)

We really need your help to get transit supporters out to vote. Even if you can only volunteer an hour, anything you can do will help us.

We will be meeting at 7:30 am at Castro Station to talk to transit riders on the way to work, and we'll be meeting at Montgomery Station at 4pm and 5pm to reach people as they go home on Election Day.

If you have any questions, or need additional directions to find us, please call Fred at 415-375-1972 or email at firecircus@hotmail.com. Thanks for your help and support of Measure A!

Well, there you have it. In a low-turnout election, even just a few hours reminding people that there's an election can make a big difference. All those high school civics class lines about "participation" aren't as far out as they sound. Enjoy your weekend and enjoy voting on Election Day!

UPDATE: Dave Snyder, transit policy guy at SPUR sent me an urgent email asking folks in Our Part Of Town to help out on Sunday. If you're an N-Judah rider, and you would like to help out, they are asking good people to staff information tables at our infamous 9th and Irving intersection (where we scored a minor victory for pedestrian safety, better car traffic and faster transit) from 11am to 5pm. Please contact Dave Snyder at 415 216 7393 for more details. Or email him at DSnyder@spur.org .

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Holy Crap!

Whilst writing a snarky post about the MUNI's massive frakups for Halloween-That-Is-Not-Is, I just got whacked by a really serious earthquake!

Wow!

Here's the latest from the MTA/MUNI. I am going to find out more about the quake....talk about live blogging....

Posted by Greg Dewar at 8:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

If you're wondering what to do during your lunch hour on Monday, why not stop by the latest forum at SPUR, since not only will they be talkin' all things MUNI, but they will be talking specfically to MUNI operators and union representatives. Billed less as a presentation and more as a discussion intended to elevate the dialogue, it should be interesting. Or entertaining. We'll see.

Unfortunately, I don't know that I can make it personally since the day job probably won't allow me time to take a long lunch break at SPUR's offices (located at 312 Sutter Street in downtown), so if anyone attends, please drop us a line and let us know how it went!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Just a friendly reminder....if you're ready to speak up and tell the folks in charge of the Transit Effectiveness Project a dose of your reality, as well as hear more about what they say they're doing, you can do so at Monday's meeting right here in the Inner Sunset...info is as follows:

Inner Sunset, Mon. Oct. 22, 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm
County Fair Building (Hall of Flowers) near entrance to SF Botanical Garden
9th Ave. at Lincoln Way
The nearest Muni lines are N-Judah, 6, 43, 44, 66 and 71.
Check it out!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I have a rule which is never to blog when I'm mad. It leads to all sorts of bad karma which I, and the cosmos, simply don't need.

So, when I read this little nugget about how the dispatchers and supervisors union decided to stick it to us today with a cute little "sickout" because they're not getting their 5.75% raise sooner than they wanted, well, the original post, well let's just say I composed a rather rabid post.

Cooler heads and a couple of pints at the Blackthorn prevailed and now, I am trying something new to stick up for us, the MUNI riders and us, the San Francisco taxpayers.

I am openly challenging Transport Worker's Union Local 200 President Glenda Lavigne to compose a short, concisely worded piece which I will publish in the alloted space to tell us, the taxpaying, MUNI riding public the following:

-Why this was such a great idea given that Proposition A is in trouble? Are you politically tone deaf or what?

-Why this was a good idea given that people compromised many reforms in proposition A to accommodate the union bosses' wishes, only to see that goodwill kicked in the face with this action?

-How their demands for more money and cushy rules benefit us, the MUNI riding public?

-And finally, why it is they think this kind of action is somehow going to benefit MUNI reform and make MUNI better? How are those of us who don't get automatic pay raises, union protection, and who pay the taxes that pay their big pay and pensions benefit from their selfish actions?

Rather than place blame or choose up sides, I'm offering a free space for Local 200 to speak up, justify their actions and engage in a free discussion with you, the readers at the N-Judah Chronicles. I'm sure that there's nothing Local 200 would like more than a free forum to talk to you directly - so I'm providing it. I'm sure the free exchange of ideas with you the MUNI rider and SF taxpayer will be most illuminating and informative.

Here's their response as of 10/18/2007:

If it's blank, keep returning to the site. I'm sure they're gonna respond any minute now!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (17)

For the past several months, Really Important and Smart People have been working on a project called the Transit Effectiveness Project which is supposed to really analyze how real people such as yourselves use MUNI, and make adjustments since they really haven't changed a lot of routes in say, 20 years.

The words that describe said action sound great, and it's a cornerstone of the reforms in whole Proposition A campaign as well. Which is great, if it is something that is driven by good research and input from you, the citizen. If it's just a snow job by overpaid "consultants" and bureaucrats to make people who get paid too much to look good, it's just more hype.

Recently, many of you have written in about the collision of reality and statistics on MUNI, so you can see the bad side of this sort of thing. But how, then can one speak up and be heard by The Powers That Be at MUNI.

Wonder no more. The nice people at SPUR sent me an email with a list of meetings you the public can attend. Now, be aware that many times when "public meetings" are held, they are more "lecture" than meeting - but ultimately that's only if you let them lecture you. Show up, ask questions, take notes and hold them to their promises. Let them know what's really going on and hopefully a dose of reality will accompany reams of statistics.

First, there's SPUR's MUNI Monday meeting where representatives from the TEP will speak about the latest news, at SPUR's offices at 312 Sutter Street from 12:30-1:30pm. These can be quite informative if you can make it - but be sure to ask questions when they finish up.

The TEP itself will be holding "community meetings" around town, most notably here in the Inner Sunset. Meeting dates and times are as follows:

Excelsior District, Sat. Oct. 20, 10:00 am to 12:30 pm
Monroe Elementary School, 260 Madrid St. at Excelsior Ave.
The nearest Muni bus lines are 14, 29, 49 and 52.

Mission District, Sat. Oct. 20, 3:00 pm to 5:30 pm
St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Alabama St. at 24th St.
The nearest Muni bus lines are 9, 27 and 48.

Inner Sunset, Mon. Oct. 22, 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm
County Fair Building (Hall of Flowers) near entrance to SF Botanical Garden
9th Ave. at Lincoln Way
The nearest Muni lines are N-Judah, 6, 43, 44, 66 and 71.

Civic Center, Tue. Oct. 23, 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm
Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, 99 Grove St. at Polk St.
The nearest BART and Muni station is Civic Center.
The nearest Muni bus lines are 9, 19, 21 and 49.

Getting ticked at bad service, or showing concern online or in print is the first step. Showing up to these meetings and shocking 'em a little with what you're seeing is the next. Pile on the reality and your ideas, and hopefully at least some of it will find its way into whatever Big Plan the TEP people come up with.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The lovely and talented Beth Spotswood was kind enough to link to us today in her entry celebrating the Mayor's birthday today. Thanks, Beth!

Thanks for the link, Beth, although I doubt we'll see the Mayor on the N line anytime soon, especially in light of yesterdays hijinx. But Happy Birthday anyway, Mr. Mayor!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 5:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

UPDATE: MUNI is inventing new ways to blow it - now the N line is experiencing it's own, separate-from-this-morning's-blowout problems and apparently we can expect significant delays today.

Sigh...

UPDATE 2: According to the Chron the N was allegedly back up and running at 2pm. Please post your experiences in the comments this afternoon!

Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled posting:

This morning's kerfuffle of power lines made for some delayed commutes. However, it is also clear that there has been a new wave of N Judah Follies befalling our fellow citizens on the way to work. I noticed over the weekend, where we had huge crowds of people taking the N to Golden Gate Park, and such, that MUNI decided it was a good idea to one one car trains.

On one of the busiest weekends at Golden Gate Park.

After they tell everyone to "take transit" to make life easier.

Hmm.

(To be fair, those folks I know who drove to the big festival in the park said that parking was horrid, but still, that is kind of like saying "Oh I only got burned a little by the oncoming lava flow" or something)

Onward. Reader Karen sent a letter to Mayor Newsom, Supervisor Sean Elsbernd and CC'd a copy to the site with her tale of horror:

Mr. Mayor and Mr. Elsbernd, My intent is not to bore you with the details of my commute, but to illustrate MUNI's failure to serve San Francisco. I had a 9:00AM meeting this morning, so I left the house at **7:45**. I walk down to Judah and 15th, and there are at least three dozen people waiting for the train--normally there are ten.

A train finally arrives at 8:15, and it is so packed that it doesn't even stop. I tap out an email on my Blackberry to colleagues to let them know I might be late.

Another train finally arrives at 8:35, and even though it's packed, I have no choice but to get on the train.

(By this time, more than a dozen EMPTY trains have been traveling westbound, the opposite direction.)

At 8:55, I send another email to colleagues that I am going to miss the meeting--because the train is stuck at Duboce Park while the conductor tries to get the stairs to go down. No word from the conductor.

At 9:15, the train has been at the Civic Center for 5 minutes, waiting to pull away from the station. No word from the conductor.

At **9:25**, I am finally at the Embarcadero station. I've missed my meeting.

Yes, there were downed power lines in the tunnel. But this experience was clearly the result of MUNI employees not showing up for their routes.

It would be great if this were an isolated incident, but there is a reason I give myself 75 minutes to get downtown everyday.

In the past two months I've been working in Chicago and Boston. None of my colleagues in those offices complain about train service, nor are they routinely late for meetings because of mass transit.

The MUNI problem is not an easy one to fix. But have you experienced what San Francisco residents face on a regular basis? MUNI administrators can high-five themselves over 72% on-time performance all they want. But when you're waiting for the 28% of trains that don't show up, a mild-mannered cubicle dweller like myself feels compelled to write to the Mayor and her Supervisor.

Best,

Karena

Yikes! Now, the sad part is that of late, this has been getting worse, just as they announce the "on time rates" but worse, on the eve of an election where MUNI is asking folks to give them more money and promise to fix problems.

I think it is also high time that union folks, who keep telling us we need to pay public employees more and more salary and pensions, what they propose to do to fix problems like these since they've already pocket vetoed any real reform of the hiring rules.

Union labor is supposed to mean professional, quality work, guys - if you're going to tinker with Measure A to protect your big bucks, you better show us you can also provide workable solutions to this whole "not showing to work" thing. Otherwise, get out of our way!

The brave people from the Fix MUNI Yes on A campaign were out in force on Saturday along the N, and I say they are brave only because I am sure they had to listen to a lot of what regular citizens have to say. Which is good - but I just hope it translates into some action, too.

Reader Alex, in response to last week's discussion of problems on the N provides this insight into how to express one's frustrations to 311.

Oy. When the train turns around early: CALL 311. I'm looking at a small stack of PSRs that I've called in. Despite what I had hoped were fairly clear complaints to the 311 operators the reports have gotten filed in three different categories: 177 - Running wrong destination sign, 114 - Switchback, or 106 - Insufficient service schedule.

The one marked as "114 - Switchback" is also marked "actionable". The others are not. Make sure you indicate that the complaint is indeed an issue of insufficient service (or unnecessary switchback).

They're doing the same damn things on the L, turning the trains around, usually without any warning. Thus it is nearly impossible to get beyond 22nd Ave. Perhaps it's naive to think that feedback will change
anything, but it's a start.

Reader Alex makes a good point. Perhaps the complaints alone may not do enough, but if there's enough of them on record and some enterprising local reporter (what few we have left) decides to go investigate, they'll find a treasure trove of complaints that someone can be cornered on during a TV broadcast or in an investigative piece in print later on. Immediate remedies are few, it seems, but at least it is worth a shot.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Wow, what a day in MUNI news. First, we hear of an incident where a man got his hand caught in the doors of a departing L-Taraval at Embarcadero, and was dragged by the train as it left the station.

I can only imagine how scary this must have been for the aforementioned victim and the passengers on the train - especially when attempts to stop the train for such a mishap didn't seem to work at first. The good citizens on board the train who did their best deserve some kudos for paying attention and trying to help - instead of just taking the "screw you" attitude some would suggest is more appropriate.

At the same time, I'm also a bit surprised this doesn't happen more often. So many people will try to jam their hands or feet into a nearly-closed door in an attempt to board, this is bound to happen. And, it's not like the doors on MUNI trains are all in tip top shape - if you've ever been on one where they don't open, or don't close, you start to realize the doors aren't as friendly as those on say, an elevator.

Either way, though, the entire incident sounds like one that I'd just as soon never see repeated again....hopefully the injured party got treatment and is doing ok.

Today's Examiner has some early reporting on the potential for a Bus Rapid Transit system on Van Ness Avenue. Done right, this could be a big help for both buses and cars. When I used to commute from Marin County to San Mateo County (one of the worst commutes you can imagine), every day I had to drive down Lombard and Van Ness. If they move the buses to their own lanes so they're not cutting across, and reduce local car trips in favor of faster bus rides, I think the BRT might have the effect of speeding up car rides on Van Ness since the traffic would be a little more orderly.

Or not. Who knows? But this is all in the early stages, so it could go any one of a number of ways.

UPDATE: If you can, try and see local filmmaker Blake Weirs' film "New Urban Cowboy", which I mentioned previously. There are showings tonight, tomorrow and Saturday at the Roxie Cinema, and I think many would be pleasantly surprised at the film's subject and message about how, yes, it is possible to turn a crack town into a nice town. Check it out!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Tired of bitching about MUNI on my blog? Sure you are.

Wanna say something to the Big Guy who will be appointing the new MTA Commissioners now that he's asked for the resignations of the folks he hired on that board?

Or, do you just wanna to tell the guy how happy you are about the current state of MUNI management?

Well, you have a chance. Go, my friends, to the "Rescue Muni" meeting on October 1st (AKA tomorrow) and ask the most probing, nonpartisan questions you can think of.

Remember, no one serious is challenging this guys for his actual job, so your unexpected questions will be of value. Remember also that during the Mayor's "problems" about that whole "you know" thing earlier this year was dismissed by Rescue Muni because he appointed such good folks to the MTA board.

People who he now wants to fire.

Ummmm....Yeah.

For now, let's take a look at a YouTube Video of an N-Judah Chronicles neighbor who has some things to say about MUNI. Perhaps in his inimitable policy deliberations, Mr. Newsom might pay attention to what us mere citizen/taxpayer/riders have to say about what's going on with MUNI....

Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The kind folks at SPUR sent out an email recently letting people know how they can help out the MUNI charter amendment on the ballot this fall. Since the fall election is easily one of the deadest in recent history, it's likely that turnout will be low, thus making any volunteer effort that much more important to ensure the measure succeeds. Here are the details from Dave:

I’m writing to ask you to join your fellow SPUR transportation committee members and our allies in the Transit not Traffic campaign phone bank to identify absentee voters who support better Muni. We’ll feed you. It’s fun. It’s effective.

SPUR Day at the phone bank is a week from today, Wednesday Sept. 26, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Put it in your calendar now, and call me at 781-8726, ext. 135 to reserve your space. The phone bank is hosted by the SEIU. The address is 350 Rhode Island, Suite 100 South. It’s near 16th Street on the north side of Potrero Hill.

You can phone bank any day, Monday through Thursday, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Call Natasha at 415-357-1593 to volunteer on any other date.

This election is going to be close. If we lose, it will be hard to fix Muni in subsequent election cycles. Please, find the time to make a few phone calls.

So if you're interested in helping out, be sure to give Dave or Natasha a call and let 'em know you're ready to go to work! Should be fun!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Quite a bit of local news in Cole Valley these days, some N-related, and some only sort-of-N related. First, Reader Chris alerted me to this meeting that was announced via email to people living in Cole Valley, about a meeting to begin preliminary discussions with the community about potential improvements at Carl and Cole Street.

Among the things being discussed for this key stop on the N are the moving of the inbound stop to accommodate a new platform so that the N doesn't have to make 2 stops - right now it has to stop once at Carl and Cole, and again if anyone needs assistance getting on the train. Some have raised concerns in the past about disabled access at Carl and Cole, hence the study, I'm guessing.

Other items include the new bus shelters that are coming soon, adding such things as ticket machines, etc., and other amenities. The meeting is on September 27th at Grattan School. If you live in the area and have any concerns, now would be the time to express them as they begin to get the ball rolling.

Remember, with a lot of these kinds of things, if no one shows up early on, it becomes harder to get your $.02 in later on. Even if you can't make the meeting, if you've got concerns about the future of Carl and Cole, email the MTA and let them know!

On a lighter note, the annual Cole Valley Festival on September 23rd. As always, one of our favorite local artists, Niana Liu will have a booth selling her works.

Niana's work often has a MUNI focus, such as this piece on MUNI fares we linked to a while back. She also produces these wonderful gift items celebrating neighborhoods in San Francisco, too.

Quite a lot going on in this corner of the N, for sure. Hopefully the storm will pass and this weekend we'll go back to the "San Francisco Summer" weather we'd been enjoying so far!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Rachel Gordon writes an interesting piece in the Chronicle about the aging control infrastructure that runs MUNI. To many who have been involved in MUNI and transit issues, the control center's quaint and aging technology is the stuff of legend - most people have cell phones or PDAs more powerful than some of the machines that run MUNI.

While Ms. Gordon's piece does a good job of informing the public some of the specific woes of the system and how it impacts our ride each day, it is more revealing about the effects of half-assed management and budgeting by elected officials, and armchair-quarterbacking by the public on MUNI.

Put simply, for a long time, our elected officials, our esteemed entrenched bureaucrats, and yes, us, the public, have taken the easy way out on decisions regarding MUNI, and now we're paying the price.

Phony compromises, allocations of money that can "only" be spent on one thing (giving us the bizarre situation of piles of money that can't be spent to improve the control system but CAN be spent on nonsense and pay raises) and the like create the Seven Headed Hydra of Problems the system now faces.

Or, put another way - you can't cut back on the things that matter, like maintenance, information technology, and the true costs of running a system on time for the City of San Francisco, while at the same time spending tons of money on pay raises, unnecessary bloated middle management, featherbedding by the civic unions and interference from political hacks, and expect MUNI to run any better than it does today.

More importantly, it's time for MUNI management to do what it can to be more honest with the public about what it costs to make a system run properly for all of us, and demand no less from our posturing politicos. To continue accepting empty platitudes about "do more with less" and to not be willing to cut out the deadwood or collect the fares from the deadbeats does nothing to build the kind of trust MUNI will need to earn our support in the future.

Likewise, it is very easy for politicians to put a picture of the Earth on a campaign sign or drive around in a Prius in an ad, or pose for Vanity Fair talkin' greenie chatter, but it's much harder to make the special interests involved capitulate and do the right thing for citizens and taxpayers and riders of MUNI.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 6:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

Last night's rush hour going home was rather eventful. With a Giants game and a 49ers game at the same time, MUNI was rushing a lot of people to a lot of places, with some odd results. At least this time the signs on the N Judah said quite clearly that it was turning around at 22nd more often than not, which doesn't help much if you had to walk from 22nd to the ocean, but at least they were up front about it.

One of our trivia crew, Anna from Metblogs, was coming into the Inner Sunset via BART and the N, and was amazed at the situation, to which I simply said "Well now you know why there's an N Judah Chronicles!"

Odder still was the train I took to head down to the Blackthorn for Brainstormer pub trivia* which was ringing the warning bell as it rounded the corner from Carl to Irving. Now, this isn't that unusual if the driver is worried about pedestrians and the like. What was weird was that the bell kept on ringing after the turn.

And ringing, and ringing, and ringing, and ringing, and ringing, and ringing....and so on. Apparently the ringer got stuck somewhere early on down the line, and it kept on ringing. Loudly. And after I jumped off the train at Irving/9th, it just kept on ringing loudly, announcing its presence to the entire neighborhood.

Overall, a weird end to a busy day.

*Sadly, our Heroic Team tied for first place, only to end up in 2nd place due to the tiebreaking question about some survey about the number of times the French get it on. D'oh! But we still won enough Schrute Bucks to pay for the drinks next time! And we still had fun! Woo hoo!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)

If you're one of the lucky ones who has an iPhone, or are thinking about getting one of those new iPod Touch things (why couldn't they have just called it the WiFiPod instead?), here's a site you'll want to check out.

MuniTime.com has optmized the NextMuni information for the iPhone and iPod Touch. Simply bookmark the site, and you'll be able to easily touch and tap your way to NextMuni goodness. With the increaing range of free wifi outdoors from Meraki and Anchor Free the lack of cell connectivity with the iPod Touch is not as big a deal as you might think.

Enjoy the day and the sun!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

What a great birthday present. Well, sort of, anyway...it seems that Wednesday is a Spare the Air Day, meaning that MUNI buses and trains will be free and BART, CalTrain, and ferry service will be free from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m.!

Read more about this wonderful day at the Examiner and enjoy what is going to be Yet Another Warm, BM/Rapture-like Day. Use up one of those "Get Out Of Work Free" days if you can!

Party like a rock star and don't bother driving. See you at the Blackthorn late this afternoon, where I'll be spending my Schrute Bucks and having a wonderful day...and if you're wondering how to make a blogger's day, well, here's the amazon list...or just stop by and say hi....

Posted by Greg Dewar at 4:57 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)

Ah, the end of August. The weather's nice and sunny, my birthday's coming up in a few days (one I share with such luminaries as "Weezy" from the Jeffersons, John McCain, and Elliot Gould), and....and...well that's about it. Oh, and then there's some election thing going on this fall too, right?

Given how things have gone for the MUNI reform measure, Proposition A, it is unclear if there will be any formal opposition to the measure this fall. But that's not to say someone won't say something to spoil the fun.

In today's Examiner, we got a taste of that, and found why it's so hard to eliminate government agencies once they're created, as some taxicab drivers announced their opposition to Prop. A, because it eliminates the bureaucracy at the Taxicab Commission, and instead put taxicab decisions (as well as all transit decisions) in one place - the SF MTA.

Frankly, it makes sense to have one agency be in charge of all things related to transit, to better coordinate efforts and avoid the duplication of service San Francisco seems almost in love with. Any changes, though, are bound to be difficult, and in this case there's a fear about what the merger may bring - coupled with a lot of anger that's now being used to try and stop MUNI reform. That's unfortunate, but not unexpected.

Cutting out the Taxicab Commission and placing the decisions regarding taxis in the same place where decisions are made about cars, buses, trains, parking, tickets, et al would allow the MTA to coordinate policy better, so there's some coherence to decisionmaking. And, if they screw up, or try to violate the public's will on things like taxi medallions, it will be pretty easy for the public to nail the folks responsible - instead of diffusing responsibility as we have all too often in San Francisco government and policy. Most other cities and counties, both here in the U.S. and elsewhere, coordinate policy like this - why should we be any different?

Besides, given all the problems this agency has had in its short lifetime, perhaps it's just as well it be eliminated. Although it was created by an initiative by Supervisor Gavin Newsom, Mayor Gavin Newsom apparently had so little interest in appointing people to serve on said commission, it allowed for all sorts of taxpayer funded drama. Now, according to the article in the Examiner, the Mayor supports eliminating the commission he created in the first place.

To me, that seems to say it all. If the guy who invented a new city commission no longer has any interest in keeping it going, and merging it with the MTA ends up with a more streamlined government decisionmaking process and a better-run MUNI, well then, so be it.

Change is never easy, but I'm not convinced that in the end taxicab drivers will be hurt by this measure in the long run. No one will dare mess with the voters' will as expressed in previous ballot measures, and let's face it, in this town, if someone did, concerned folks I am sure would put forth something for us to vote on in the future. MUNI reform is too important to let it be badmouthed by critics who may end up better off than they are now.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 5:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Being the first decade of the 21st Century and all, one cannot have enough blogs, social networking profiles, and the like. I've been experimenting with a few, with mixed results. I am working on some short videos for You Tube but am learning as I go, so for now I'm mostly linking to others' videos there. Likewise, on Flickr, you'll find photos featured here previously, as well as other finds that I didn't write full-blown posts for.

So, if you're trying to look busy at work and the groovy 70s graphics of the blog are a tipoff to the boss you're not working on your TPS reports, check out our virtual land grabs at YouTube, Facebook, Vox, and Flickr.

Bonus points if somehow the magical algorithms of LinkedIn discover we're connected somehow. I have no idea what they did to it lately, but suddenly it seems like everyone I know is finding me there after years of dormant activity....go figure.

Anyway, enjoy your weekend, and enjoy whatever it is you like to do in your spare time! Have fun!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

This morning's Examiner has some news that should be of interest to Loyal Readers: it seems that The MTA/MUNI/Whatever is finally appropriating some money to improve signals and safety at Irving and 9th.

The news could be considered a "victory" of sorts for the mini-crusade I'd been pushing, both here, and at the Act Locally SF "blog", but I think that'd be a bit too pretentious, don'tchathink?

However, I think this whole situation reflects the Average S.F. Citizen's frustration with MUNI, the City, and the kind of groupthink that envelop said institutions. It does not require a freakin' "TEP" or armies of imported "consultants" to figure out that:

a) something wasn't working right with the situation at Irving/9th and Judah/9th to begin with for cars, transit, and pedestrians

and

b) there were/are some fixes MUNI, with its armada of highly paid City Workers and Geniuses could have implemented by now

and

c) that requests to do so fell on deaf and often hostile ears when brought up, both by this blog and by others, including elected officials.

Whatever. I'm just glad something is being done, especially, as I like to remind people, this was promised almost a year ago at a town hall meeting sponsored by Sup. Mirkarimi. (And unlike that other town hall meeting, they didn't dodge questions on this issue.)

In an irony of ironies, not soon after I spoke with Ms. Rocha on the phone, I was going to the post office at Irving and 9th where I not only almost got hit by a speeding car making a right turn, while dodging that car, I then had to dodge a cab making a left ,which was not only speeding, but Ol' Cabbie was on the frakking cell phone, oblivious to traffic or anything besides That Big Phone Call.

Being the speedy walker I am, I dodged both, but of course, a senior citizen or one of our disabled citizens might not have been so lucky. I told the idiot cabbie to "be more careful and get off the cell phone" and he replied with some choice language not meant for the kids and to "shut up."

Ticked as I was, I replied to him in his native language, which elicited a surprise. I learned very little in junior high school, but being friends with the foreign exchange students taught me a few things, including how to tell someone off in languages from around the world. Who says the public education system isn't worth something?

If we'd had the fixes, though, Rude Cabbie, myself, and everyone could have made our way safely and happily, sans drama. Maybe when MUNI finally engages in the fix in the year 2015, we can achieve something close to Nirvana, at least while crossing the street or heading home....

PS: Today's Examiner also had a short roundup of the cuts MUNI and BART will be getting, thanks to the enviro-hip Legislature and Governor. Remember, next time you see Assemblymembers Mark Leno or Fiona Ma, be sure to thank them for the budget cuts to MUNI, since as we all know unstable funding is what is necessary to make the system run better!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today's paper had some notable MUNI news. First off, we read a report by Rachel Gordon on efforts to improve the on-time reliability of MUNI, which is showing some signs of progress on paper, but riders don't seem to be "feeling the love," so to speak. That's mostly because no matter how much overall the system seems reliable (at what, 67% now?), none of that matters if you're trying to get your errands done or get to work and have that "oh God is MUNI going to crap out on me when I need it most" feeling.

There's been some progress, of course, since the Bad Old Days of the T Rollout, but that is not saying much given how completely frakked up the whole thing was. On the other hand, turning around a big, old institution like MUNI can't happen in a day, either.

That's where the record-scratch WTF moment came, with this comment from Mayor Newsom, who prides himself as being a "green" eco-conscious kind of guy:

"The concern about reliability is not a surprise," said Mayor Gavin Newsom, who is running for re-election this year and knows that Muni is a bread-and-butter issue for a San Francisco mayor. "We are working on making improvements, with more resources, more staffing."

Um, really? As I recall, when this Mayor, who is literally bulletproof from any threat to re-election, pulled a John Kerry-like flip-flop when a serious, difficult proposal to reform MUNI was being negotiate. Rather than tell some special interests to "stick it" since he is virtually un-opposed for re-election, he ran away from a tough choice.

Now that the dust has settled, and his pals aren't against the reform amendment any more, presumably he can "safely" support it now. I tried calling the Mayor's office, but no response was forthcoming. Maybe I should act locally, instead

The other record-scratch moment , of course was news of the lovely budget our Greenie Governor and so-called Greenie Democrats from San Francisco passed in Sacramento. This floater not only includes a $1.3 billion cut in transit funds for MUNI and BART (and every other agency in the STATE), the fiscal fiddlers up north are now taking bond money (borrowed money) to fill in the gap (after telling you that they were going to use that money for "infrastructure.")

It's quite interesting to see Assemblyman Mark Leno run around with a picture of Mother Earth in his campaign signs, and see Assemblywoman Ma drive around in a Prius in her election ads last year, but when push came to shove, they voted to cut MUNI funding. Next time you see one of them and hear them talk about "fixing MUNI," you might want to remind them of this little maneuver of theirs and see what happens.

PS: Be sure to order a any one of our shirts ASAP since we'll be closing down the store very soon now! Check 'em out! There's something for MUNI fans, Battlestar Galactica fans, "Playa Hatahs" and more!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Ever had one of those days where you finally get a moment to sit down and ask "just what is in the water around here?"

I am in the process of having one right now, and a bit of it seems MUNI related. Today I had a day where I was up early and had a laundry list of errands, work-related and not, all over the place. You know, the kind of day that's just perfect for a rock-solid system like MUNI. So I got out of the house and started down the list.

Eventually, I had to take an N to Church/Duboce. So far so good, everything went fine. In fact, I had time to sit down and get a coffee and watch the infamous J Church cars go by. Well sort of - it seemed like at least 1/2 were out of service for training, and the rest weren't making all their stops. In fact I got to watch a mini-revolt of people who patiently waited for an oncoming J car at a major stop and wave their fists in the air as it sped on by, ignoring them.

After taking care of a personal errand at mid-day, I had a whole host of stupid little work-related errands, all of which had to be done quickly, and, well, you can guess how that went. If anyone wants to know why the J Church line gets delayed so much, the interminable wait I had at the end of the line while all the trains stacked up is one clue.

Finally, I made it back to Duboce and Church to head back home and do more work. As you can see in the pictures I took, for some reason the stairs wouldn't go down on the second car, so they had to uncouple the cars, do something, then hook them back up, all the while more trains (including a second N) stacked up behind it.

Now, fortunately they were able to fix it, but I decided to get on the next N, since I knew it would not be crowded. That's also when things got really weird.

As I and a few other citizens boarded, we were treated to an unitelligble noise on the PA system, presumably from the driver. Since this was a MUNI car, it's not like we could understand much beyond something about "a lot of wrecks" and a general comment about "hiring out of town managers." The others on the N and I looked at each other and once we got through the Sunset Tunnel (where, at one point we actually went backwards), we began to wonder if we should get off, lest this be our ride on the train driven by the person who's decided to "check out" and doesn't care who they take with them.

Eventually I made it back to the Irving/9th intersection, where the lack of response to the safety campaign by MUNI and the Mayor reared its ugly head as both a car and an old lady almost got killed by all the mayhem at the green light. After going to the post office where I got more annoying news, I decided to park it, post a blog entry, and take an hour for myself to just relax, before heading out and doing another 2 dozen stupid errands.

How about you? See any MUNI breakdown drama today? Post in the comments below!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Well, this has been an interesting week. I'd refrained from commenting on the early reports about the ongoing shuffle behind the scenes as pro-parking and pro-MUNI reform folks were going back and forth, since I knew that commenting too early on endless speculation would be kind of silly.

From reports online and at the Chronicle, a suitable compromised was reached. The MUNI reform measure will go forth, without any high-dollar opposition from folks who were pushing a downtown parking measure that would have been trumped by the MUNI charter amendment.

This also lets the Mayor off the hook since he can now support the measure he was for, then against, and now seemingly can be for, without making anyone mad.

As I've said before, there's some things to like in the measure, and some things I'm not particularly thrilled about. However, when you compare the original proposal (which angered both labor union bosses and developer/parking advocates) and compare it to the one we can vote on this fall, not too much has changed, and the two biggest funders of a "no" campaign are no longer opposing it. That's no mean feat in the shark tank of local politics and policy.

In upcoming posts, I'll be taking a closer look at different pieces of the plan and hope to start up some discussion this fall. However, no matter how you feel about MUNI, the fact is, we do have a chance to right some wrongs and plug some holes in the system, and rather than resign ourselves to cynicism, we should spend more time focusing on solving problems, and not just complain all the time.

After all, the bike people and the dog people get pretty much everything they want, because they're organized and they push for solutions they want. More people ride MUNI than ride bikes or have dogs - maybe it's time we got something that benefited us for a change!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hybrid Bus Interior

Posted by Greg Dewar at 6:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

This week I've found myself trapped in the labrintyh known as the Hall of Justice for voir dire jury duty. And unlike the one in SuperFriends, there's no TroublAlert computer (but there is the ongoing nuttiness involving Sup. Ed Jew).

As such, I can't attend the Board of Supervisors meeting where they'll be voting on the now-infamous MUNI Reform Charter Amendment. There's some things to like about this, and some that are kind of lame (why, oh why, is it an article of faith amongst SPUR and Rescue MUNI that public input on who runs MUNI is a Satanic Verse?), but at this point, I like it if only because it's putting the Mayor and the Board on the spot as to whether all their "greenie feel good talk" is for real or not.

If you've been a reader or a commenter here, I urge you to take a look at the measure yourself, and if you feel so inclined, tell the Board and the Mayor what you think. It's part and parcel of the San Francisco lifestyle to bitch about MUNI - now we have a chance to vote up or down at least one attempt to try and move things along. Either way, check it out and enjoy the mayhem at tomorrow's meeting!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 7:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

stop global warming ban burning man

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Who says City Hall's denizens can't hold hands and sing Kumbaya in peace and harmony? To read today's Chronicle and today's Examiner, that seems to be the case as negotiators found enough cookies to give to labor unions (who'd previously opposed any MUNI reform efforts) to put this thing on the ballot. And belatedly, the Mayor and others joined in. Kumba-ya

Snark aside, this should be interesting. There's enough in this measure to try and stabilize MUNI funding and give at least some more latitude in workplace rules and the like, which we all know is a Good Thing, and reduces some of the bureaucratic paperwork and overhead of taking money from parking meters and giving it to MUNI. However, it also continues the trend of keeping as many of the actual decision makers insulated from any check or balance from you, the MUNI rider, which I'm not so sure is a good thing.

What do you think? Post your comments here! Also, we're continuing to raise the issue of safety at Irving and 9th, both here, and at the Mayor's own website in an attempt to get a response from the Powers That Be.

So far, we've heard just the sound of crickets chirping....hmm....

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Reading the morning Chronicle today, it looks like the much talked about MUNI reform charter amendment proposed by Supervisor Aaron Peskin may get talked to death behind closed doors today. Or not.

These days it's hard to tell what's going on at City Hall, what with all the shenanigans and whatnots. (For some recent coverage of this issue, check out this piece in the Examiner, and another at the Chronicle.)

The proposal has evolved somewhat over time, but so far, from my read (and that of folks who study these things more than I) is that the measure would stabilize funding for muni and knock a good 25% or more out of that perpetual structural deficit we keep hearing about. It also tries to address the problem of greenhouse emissions - something San Franciscans talk a good game about, but don't always play.

And it does seem to address some issues related to management to try and force some more accountability to the workforce, instead of just treating MUNI like a job-for-life program, regardless of ability, and reward those who are trying their best to make MUNI work for us (which I am assuming is most MUNI employees, right?).

That said, there does seem to be more provisions that would have the effect of having fewer elected officials (who we can demand results from) having a hand in MUNI's affairs. Ever since the 1999 "Proposition E" measure passed, it almost seems to be an article of faith with Those That Know that the less the public, the taxpayers, and those we elect have to do with MUNI, the better it will run. Has that been the case so far? Hmm....

Continue reading "MUNI Reform Measure In Danger - Unions, Politicos, Readers: What Are Your Solutions to MUNI's Woes?" »

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

A View of North Beach and Beyond

Continue reading "And Now, Another Crusade: Making Irving and 9th and Judah and 9th More Safe" »

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

So how was your commute today?

The Chronicle reports no major dramas, so far, and my own limited experience has been fine. In fact, today was the first time in like, forever, that I went to Safeway on Market, exited the store and a virtually empty N-Judah car pulled up, around 4ish, and was air conditioned quite nicely! I was shocked.

I took a few pics of a very busy Duboce and Church intersection as several J's were changed to N Outbound, one N was changed to a J Outbound, and so on.

How was your day? If nothing else, the weather was really great today! Not a hint of fog, even in the Sunset!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 5:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

So how was your commute today?

The Chronicle reports no major dramas, so far, and my own limited experience has been fine. In fact, today was the first time in like, forever, that I went to Safeway on Market, exited the store and a virtually empty N-Judah car pulled up, around 4ish, and was air conditioned quite nicely! I was shocked.

I took a few pics of a very busy Duboce and Church intersection as several J's were changed to N Outbound, one N was changed to a J Outbound, and so on.

And, in a bit of irony, some hapless volunteers were out at the 9th and Irving N Judah stop trying to get signatures to get Mayor Newsom on the ballot. Somehow, I think anyone running for re-election in this town might wanna consider alternate venues....

How was your day? If nothing else, the weather was really great today! Not a hint of fog, even in the Sunset!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 5:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Hybrids Only

Hi,

Nasty surprise on a Saturday morning: arrival times at Carl & Cole are no longer available on NextBus.com

I had come to depend on real time predictions at my stop in order to deal with over crowded and delayed trains. If there was a gap of more than 10 minutes between trains, I knew the train would be too crowded to board by the time it reached Carl & Cole. I could take a bus, a taxi, or call into my 9am meetings from home.

After talking with a 311 rep this morning, I learned that NextBus, not Muni, decides which stops to use when reporting data.

If anyone else is interested in suggesting that NextBus add their stop to the real time predictions website, contact NextBus directly.

If my stop isn't added back, I will probably start driving. :( I've had it with Muni. ;)

Hi Greg,

I hope other people whose stops have been removed will be able to convince NextBus to add them back.

I thought about canceling my plans today so that I could attend Newsom's Muni meeting. From your description, it sounds like it's a good thing that I didn't. ;)

FYI below is a response I received from NextBus.

Cheers,
Melissa

Thank you for alerting us to the problem. Do to a configuration problem
for the N-Judah, predictions are not currently available for stops at Carl & Cole and Carl & Stanyan.This will be fixed as soon as we can receive corrected data from Muni.

Michael Smith
NextBus

Posted by Greg Dewar at 4:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

The Big News

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Oh no, here it comes. Reading today's the latest pronouncement from Our Mayor on Muni, it looks like the topic of MUNI is about to go through the "talk is cheap" machine once again.

That's because it's easy to confuse the rhetorical barb of "eliminating MUNI stops will make it more efficient" with a reasoned, thought out plan, such as the Transit Effectiveness Project is supposed to be. The former is just a reflexive statement with no intrinsic meaning people "agree" to because it sounds reasonable, and the latter is the product of serious, quantitative research.

There's no doubt there's a lot of duplication of service, some left over from the days of multiple companies providing service in the Olden Days. And, there's no doubt that there are some stops that are really unnecessary (why is there a stop at 12th and one at Funston, a short block apart, on the N line?). However, if we go down the road of just cutting stops at random to make MUNI and electeds look good, we're in for some trouble.

Personally, I question the wisdom of Our Mayor putting all the "Fix MUNI Eggs" in one basket, if only because it seems like at any given moment, whenever one asks the Mayor anything about MUNI, he seems to repeat "TEP" as many times as he can. That's fine if the TEP lives up to the hype and produces well researched results. It sucks if we get a consensus-built "compromise" designed to appease and accommodate, and make people look good in the short term.

The best way to avoid such a mess is for you, the MUNI rider and citizen, get involved as much as you can with the TEP and force them, and those Elected Folk, to listen to regular people as they deliberate.

Hopefully, when they sit down with all the king's consultants and all the king's men, they put our MUNI back together again, and do so in a way that benefits everyone in Our Fair City.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

By now, most Loyal Readers, and frankly, most San Franciscans, have something to say about MUNI's performance of late, and in general. Now, you have a chance to tell the guy who appoints the people who run MUNI exactly what you think at a so-called "Town Hall Meeting" on June 30th.

Now, bear in mind that these things are highly rehearsed affairs, where they screen the questions, and the Mayor tends to punt most questions to "staff," who do the work of sounding out the latest MUNI press release, or whatever. In other words, if you're looking for a chance to let Mayor Newsom know what you think about MUNI, playing by the rules won't work.

Instead, show up and be prepared to raise your voice. Make a scene. Be funny. Be silly. Do something to get your views known. For example, show up wearing a fashionable N Judah Chronicles T shirt, and in your own subtle way let the folks at MUNI and City Hall know you're letting folks know just what a day on MUNI is really like.

Or, just show up in an Adama for President shirt. Either way, it'll at least make a boring "meeting" more fun!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 8:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you haven't already read it, check out the Chronicle's front page story by reporter Rachel Gordon about MUNI's current state of affairs. It's definitely worth reading, if only because it's the first time in a while we've seen a paper try to take in the totality of all of MUNI's ills, all at once - no easy task.

However, I would suggest a few more things to think about as one tries to consider how they as a citizen of Our Fair City might weigh in on the Great MUNI Debate. The first is the issue of "money" - a common refrain amongst the politicians, the bureaucrats, and advocates is that MUNI has "no money" and that there's "no money" to pay for a MUNI that works (and yet they "have money" for all sorts of nonsense elsewhere.)

Missing in this analysis? No one has ever honestly come up with a budget that shows exactly how much it costs to actually provide a MUNI system that works. Years of half-baked "cuts" to "balance budgets fairly" and the like have produced a mentality that so long as the system is "balanced" and that all decisions are "balanced" one can continue to run a proper system.

That's foolish thinking. Things cost what they cost, no more, no less. Such thinking appears "balanced" when in fact it can be quite short sighted. Remember the pilot project to make the 1-California Line run more efficiently that was tested earlier this year? There was shock and awe at the fact that such a plan cost an "extra" $168,000. No, it was not an "extra" $168,000 to make the system run properly - if that is what it actually costs to make the 1-California run properly, then that is what it costs.

Continue reading "MUNI Maladies Roundup in Today's Chronicle: Some Extended Thoughts" »

Posted by Greg Dewar at 1:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

Well it's looking like all the rumors are true the N is going to go all the way to the Caltrain station once again. I'd been hearing about this for a few days but waited until I heard some Official MUNI Notice about said so.

Pardon me for not celebrating just yet. Until we see all these "fixes" implemented and see how it goes, I'm not going to get fooled like I did before when they told us how great things were gonna be by not going all the way to Caltrain. Let's see what happens!

In the meantime, what are they going to do about all those signs?

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Reading the paper this morning, articles in the Chronicle and the Examiner told of a simply fascinating idea - paying MUNI employees "bonus" money for simply coming to work - like they're already supposed to. (Why can't any of us get deals like that, eh?)

Once again, MUNI logic and Real World Logic collide. Given that members of Local 250A are already the highest paid drivers in the area, I don't quite understand why it is we need to pay these guys another bonus simply for doing what they're supposed to be doing - showing up to work every day. Plus the $350 "bonus" doesn't seem like much of an incentive if workers can take extended leaves of absence - and get paid!

I am still working on talking to Supervisor Peskin directly about his recent proposed charter amendment for the fall ballot that would address some MUNI issues. In the meantime, do you think paying MUNI employees a "bonus" to show up to work, and perhaps reduce the rampant absenteeism causing some of the delays on the N, the J, the T, et al is a good idea? Let people know in the comments today!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:49 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

These days, given the N's foibles, I've been "cheating" on my beloved N and taking the 6-Parnassus when it's convenient. Yeah, I know, but I can't wait for MUNI to figure out how to fix the trains and wait decades to get home during rush hour.

Anyway, today whilst taking the 6, when the bus approached the intersection of Haight and Masonic (always a scene and not in a good way) , it turned out we were arriving as the SFFD and SFPD were cleaning up an accident involving a scooter that was leaking gasoline. In other words, there was going to be a delay.

The bus driver took pains to ask the police involved how long it would be before the accident would be cleared up so she could make the left on to Masonic, and assured passengers that she was doing what she could to get us past said accident. She was professional with both cops and riders and reminded us she couldn't just let us out on a busy street on Haight since there'd be a serious risk of someone getting hit by the 71 or the cars.

Now, this is when some of our fellow citizens on the bus chose to act like a bunch of snotty hipster bitches, and started shouting nonsense at the driver, demanding to be let off the bus immediately. Even after several of us told them to pipe down because the driver was on the case, they kept on acting like jerks. The driver made a good point, saying that the injured scooter guy probably didn't plan on getting in a serious accident during rush hour, and that a little patience while the poor guy was carried out on a stretcher was in order.

Within minutes, we were on our way. Hipster bitches got off the bus. I said a special thank you to the driver when I departed, and thought "Hey, why not post at least some positive news for a change."

It's times like these I wish the MUNI driver's union would do more for the driver of bus 5421 on the 6 Parnassus who was trying to help passengers, instead of defend the top 25 jerks who cause all the problems. Seriously.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Several Loyal Readers have written in asking why it is I have not discussed Supervisor Aaron Peskin's proposed charter amendment to "fix" MUNI, which has been in the papers the last few days. Good question!

The answer is this - while I have read the same press coverage everyone else has, I don't like the idea of immediately jumping up and responding to every single piece of news without finding out for myself what's really going on. It's quite easy for politicians or bureaucrats to announce something and rattle off a list of Things That Make Us Feel Good, but in the devilish details, we the riders get screwed once again. Hey, remember how they kept promising having the N go to Embarcadero would speed things up?

Rather than just do the usual blogging-shmo thing and react, I'm going to try and see if Supervisor Peskin will deign to talk to a lowly citizen blogger, and do a little digging instead, and see what I find out. In the meantime, if you see something on MUNI or have ideas for subjects that could use a bit more of a once over than a regular blog post, feel free to send them in!

Special Note:If you haven't already done so, fill out the Reader Survey so we can fine tune this site to better suit the needs of MUNI riders everywhere! Thanks to all who have filled it out so far!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Whilst perusing the likes of SFist.com I found this recent post announcing a so-called Town Hall Meeting with MUNI Director Nate Ford. The devil, as they say, is in the details - apparently the people at Rescue MUNI have indicated this meeting came about only because of a petition by commuters from the Peninsula upset with the Caltrain to MUNI.

Devilish detail #1 - if you live in San Francisco, you get squat. If you live elsewhere, someone listens. WTF? Devilish detail #2 - the "where" and "when" - in this case at noon at a conference room on the second floor of the Ferry Building. Nothing indicates an easy to attend meeting like one held somewhere hidden in the Ferry Building at noontime.

But devilish detail #3 - the biggie - is this really a "meeting" or one of those self-serving "lectures" like the ones the Mayor's been holding around town? I really hope it is the former, and not the latter.

Supervisor Mirkarimi's event last fall at least tried to hold MUNI leaders accountable and has been used to hold them to promises (often broken).

More importantly, questions not answered in person were done in writing afterwards. And, the meeting wasn't allowed to devolve into techno-talk - the real-world concerns such those brought up by Loyal Readers were kept at the forefront. It's hard to know for sure, at this point, and while I'm hopeful it'll produce something concrete, it's all too easy for bureau-bots and status quo defenders to turn a public meeting into a PR stunt.

I am not sure I can attend this one myself, but I am definitely going to try - if any of you are interested, you should attend, and post your thoughts in the comments section afterwards! This kind of meeting is not a cure-all, but it's something for now, and why not take advantage of the chance if you can?

NOTE: A Loyal Reader (who'd rather not use his or her name online) made a suggestion that people stop by the Mayor's Neighborhood Lecture in West Portal to try and ask a few questions , but since the topic is officially "public works" I don't know that would be particularly helpful. If you go, let us know what happened!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 4:23 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hopefully both Loyal Readers and New Readers saw today's front page article in the Examiner today. Aside from the fact that Rockin' Reporter Alex Rocha managed to talk to a certain local blogger, what's more important is that MUNI is clearly feeling some heat to do something, anything, if not to totally repair the system, to at least make people feel better. Maybe doing this blog and publishing our comments isn't futile after all? Hmm.

Fine. Here's the thing. We can always talk about "common sense" solutions as citizens and users of MUNI, but the fact is, we're not privy to the endless amounts of data, engineering, and whatnot that makes up running a mass transit system for a major US city. The good citizens on the MUNI Citizen's Advisory Council deserve a lighter lit because they rock and a big thanks because they must possess the patience of Job to put in the (unpaid) hours to try and wrest some answers from MUNI. That said, when I read this whole "all options on the table" rhetoric, my DNFW antennae are raised.

Why?

Simple. We get the rhetoric of how they're trying to "help" and sure, possibly, not having the N have to bottleneck at the overworked Embarcadero station should help, but does that mean that instead we'd just push the problem to the Caltrain station?

Continue reading ""All Options Are On The Table" -- Let's Hear Your Thoughts..." »

Posted by Greg Dewar at 6:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)

So, if you were at a MUNI bus shelter recently, and wanted to see when the next MUNI bus was going to arrive, in many places (if not all), you got a lengthy notice about the proposed bus shelters, which will be on display at City Hall on May 10th and 11th. Now, who can resist such a field trip, right? Count me in!

But, as always, there's another lesson to be learned here - how you can have an army of paid professionals at City Hall to "communicate" who can't. I mean, putting this lengthy message on NextMuni is goofy enough - but when you realize that at stops there's only two lines of text to display, well couldn't someone have, oh I don't know, written this a little tighter?

Then there's the info on the City's website, which refers you to the MTA's site for more "information" - only to repeat everything word for word you've already read. Weird.

Just another day at MUNI, I guess!

UPDATE (5/10): I posted some quick photos on Flickr. Flickr Uploadr was being rather uppity this evening...

Posted by Greg Dewar at 4:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Scroll down for the update on how you can take the fight directly to MUNI's leadership!

Loyal Readers: It's time for N-Judah riders to take a stand and do what we can to Save the N-Judah. For some time now, I've been hearing many N-Judah riders report the fact that during peak times, the N-Judah no longer completes its route to Ocean Beach, but instead arbitrarily drops people off early, without warning, and turns around.

This has to stop. Now.

And it won't stop unless people start mobilizing and taking action so MUNI stops with the excuses and starts doing the job right. Today I'm going to suggest a start -- flooding MUNI and the Mayor's Office and the Board of Supervisors with our grievances.

Here's how it will work. If you, or a friend or neighbor, has the experience of having the N-Judah crap out on them midway through the ride, send MUNI an official complaint via their Black Hole Complaint Form, then immediately post a copy in the comments section of this post as well. And, for added impact, CC a copy to the The Mayor's office and the supervisors who represent the N.

Obviously there's a limit to how effective this sort of thing can be, but it is a start. We simply can't MUNI ruin our N-Judah line like they have and get away with it.

Since playing nice doesn't seem to get the attention of these folks, it is time to turn up the volume and let MUNI and our elected officials know, we're tired of excuses - we just want the N to work!

Hopefully, by CC'ing your complaints to the comments section, we can hold MUNI accountable by shining light on the complaints so they can't just bury them like they usually do. If you have other constructive suggestions or ideas, feel free to email me at any time!

URGENT UPDATE: Thanks to one of our Loyal Readers who serves on the Citizen's Advisory Council for MUNI, I got ahold of copy of Thursday's Meeting at which Mr. Nate Ford and Mr. Ken McDonald will be discussing issues related to the T-Third line's integration with existing operations.

I am doing my best to re-arrange my schedule to be there and let 'em know in person what we think of what seems to be official policy ruining the N-Judah's reliability. If you are as ticked off about MUNI's foibles and would like to take the message directly to the folks in charge, why not stop by?

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)

Today we have another potential MUNI Street Theater production, and it's potentially a grindhouse horror film.

Like all horror movies, it starts out just fine - if you look outside the weather promises to be outstanding! The potential victims go about their day as if nothing will go wrong. And like in all grindhouse horror films, that's usually the calm before the storm.

Now, you can almost count on delays at this point, in particular on our Beloved N. If I wrote about every lengthy delay I've had on the line this week I'd fill up the server with endless tales of woe. Despite the assurances from the bureau-bots that "everything is fine", well, it isn't. Reading the comments and e-mails from Loyal Readers is just reinforcing that observation.

Then, of course, the lovely people of "Critical Mass" will be having their taxpayer-sponsored fun today. You all know what I think of these games, and how the City plays favorites with "fun" in this town.

I'm not one to help the Powers That Be fuel tensions, but instead suggest to those of you who work downtown to take off early today. It's a sunny day anyway - why not cut out of work early with some plausible made-up excuse, go meet with friends elsewhere, and enjoy the day as best you can, instead of fighting MUNI, traffic, and 1000s of angry people (who are still mad about a stolen cookie or something) for hours and hours after work?

That's the best way to avoid MUNI Street Theater: Grindhouse Horror Edition, and enjoy a great Friday! Feel free to post your experiences in the comments section this weekend!

SPECIAL NOTE: SF Weekly is taking votes for their "Best Of" issue and if you are so inclined, I'd love it if you voted the N Judah Chronicles "Best Blog." Drinks on the blog if Mason and I win!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Well, according to the breaking news at the SF Chronicle, "the worst is over" from MUNI's latest follies and meltdowns.

Despite the charts and graphs, I keep noticing it takes me longer to get around, and I can't count on MUNI, and especially the N-Judah like I used to.

What do you think? This is an open thread - please post your comments here and let people know what your commute's like. Is "the worst" over?

PS: Don't forget to let the Supervisors that represent the N know what you think!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 8:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Loyal Readers: I finally downloaded all the photos I took of the T-Third Opening Ceremonies on April 14th and posted them to this Flickr Photo Set! If any of you have some photos, post a link in the comments section.

Enjoy!

UPDATE: Matier and Ross report on the cost of the parties - $158,000! The trains may have been screwed up, commutes ruined, and faith lost in the MUNI or MTA or whatever, but the elites had their fun! Yay!!!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I took a few days off because frankly, after last week's disaster, and the Cylon-esque T-Third Ceremonies (for which I'll post a short article and photos later), I needed a break.

However I wanted to start an open thread here on today's commute, which according to the Chronicle is potentially a disaster as the Giants have an afternoon game, and they'll be trying to cram as many trains in the tunnel as possible.

Given many of the problems people have been talking about, similar to the one that Metroblogging SF writer Jason DeFillippo reported yesterday, it makes me a bit worried.

Post your observations in the comments. Also, feel free to discuss the latest ratings by citizens of MUNI, which has dropped to a C-. Is that acceptable to you as a MUNI rider? Or perhaps should MUNI shoot a little higher?

PS: If you haven't already seen this absolutely priceless photo by Luke Thomas at Fog City Journal, check it out. It was taken during the big Meltdown of 2007 last week. What captions would you come up with for our Fearless Leaders?

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Well, it's been quite a week, hasn't it? Frankly, although I've got a lot of work and whatnot to do today, it's Friday the 13th which frankly rattles me - and I'm not even superstitious! ( although one reader has suggested that perhaps the double whammy of MUNI and the 13th might make things a bit better.)

First, a thanks to Traci Grant of NBC 11 for my first "earned media" appearance on TV. Today, Ms. Grant posted a comment in our Commute from Hell thread looking for emails from you, the riders of MUNI, about your experiences this week. Send her an email about your latest horor story and she might use it on the air!

In more serious news, today MUNI decided to "fix" things with the T-Third line by replacing the rail services with a "shuttle bus" from Sunnydale to Caltrain.

On April 14th.

The same day as the big opening of the T-Third line!

Yes, you read that press release right. You have to wonder how the various PR people are going to spin that one to the press and a disillusioned public, much less Speaker of The House Nancy Pelosi, who will be there to kick off a train line that's being served by buses.

I'm going to try and be at the event tomorrow, but if any of you are going, take some pictures and post them to Flickr (or your favorite photo sharing site) and write in about your experiences!

Enjoy the weekend and good luck with the Friday commute!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

MUNI Apology, 1981

Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

When An Apology Isn't An Apology

Posted by Greg Dewar at 4:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Wow. It seemed like today we had a Commute From Hell Festival today on MUNI. First, we had a derailment this morning which created endless amounts of fun for everyone. This is on the heels of a less-than-stellar opening of the T-Third, and the confusion caused by the switchover from the N to the T for trains headed to Caltrain.

This afternoon was not much better. When I went to the Montgomery Station to catch a much-needed N around 4:30 or so, I (and a lot of my fellow riders) waited for an N to show up.

While talking to everyone on the platform, many people reported that when their commute this morning was delayed, they were told the cause was not just the derailment but the odd "too many trains in the tunnel" line instead. Curious.

I talked to a passenger who'd been waiting in the Montgomery Station since 4:15 waiting for an N,with no luck. We waited, and waited and waited, until an N showed up at 4:55 or so. Sure enough, the N was already crowded, leaving little room for all the passengers getting on at Montgomery Station.

I quickly did some math and realized that frankly, it didn't matter if I got on or not - by the time the N got to my post office, it'd be closed. So I gave up and went back upstairs to meet up with a friend instead and waited out the storm.

I'd like to hear from more of my fellow N-Judah riders about how your commute has improved (or declined) following the changes to the line, and what (if anything) you were told while you waited and waited and waited....

UPDATE: The MTA/MUNI website is a mess, so I found this link where you can send in your complaints. Sure, they may end up going down the MUNI Black Hole of Non-Responsiveness, but try it anyway.

UPDATE 2: MattyMatt of SFist posted this great video, as well as an apology from MUNI director Nate Ford. Check it out.

I think it is great that Nate Ford has chosen to act like a responsible person in this very crappy situation. Too bad the MTA board, the Board of Supervisors, and the Mayor couldn't find the courage to do the same.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 6:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)

This weekend, I took the much dreaded N-to-T switchover to catch a Caltrain to the Peninsula on Easter Sunday. While my experience on the T-Third itself seems to have gone more smoothly than it did for others, those of us waiting for the T had plenty of High Drama to watch as Muni Street Theater made a springtime comeback.

Coming Attractions included this array of confusing signs in the Embarcadero. Several tourists who wanted to take Caltrain were clearly confused and asked me which sign was right. I was not at the Embarcadero on Saturday, the first day of the Big Switch, so I can only imagine what it was like when all the Giants fans wanted to go to the game, and MUNI did its usual stellar job of communicating the change.

Then the main act came into full swing. An N car had pulled up and everyone got off the train, except for this one guy who was hunched over, apparently asleep. The MUNI operator politely, but firmly, tried to wake the guy up and send him on his way, but each time he literally did not move.

You could sense the tension as the operator started to wonder if the guy had died on the train, and as this short interlude extended into the main act, another one backed up behind it, then a T-Third that was due to take us all to the train station.

Continue reading "Muni Street Theater: High Drama on the N and the T" »

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

If you've read the N Judah Chronicles for any length of time, you know that one thing I have consistently advocated for is a more stable source of funding for the service so it just works, instead of having it go down the "no money, cut budget, no money, cut more" toilet bowl.

In both today's Chronicle, and today's Examiner, some new ideas were proposed for discussion, ranging from the usual (increase parking ticket costs, and meters) to the dumb (automatic fare increases, charging for "transfers") to the wild-eyed (selling sodas at rail stations and jacking up random taxes for fun).

Eeeeeyeah.

Realize, that this comes on the heels of Mayor Newsom's fanciful proposal to eliminate all fares, which gets the excitable folk in town all happy and smiley at the concept. Of course there's no way to pay for it, aside junkie logic about how "collecting the money costs too much." But hey! It made people feel good, right?

And to add to the cavalcade of "good feelings" we had the proposal to cut bus passes for the oppressed 18 to
24 21 year olds, because we "should" - and the "money" will just "appear," right?

Continue reading "MUNI "Exploring" New and Improved Ways to Pay for Service - But Seems to Forget Some Basics" »

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

UPDATE JUNE 29th: N-Judah service HAS BEEN RESTORED TO THE BALLPARK! If you found this page on Google, please disregard it and read this update instead!

Giants fans! For years you may have been taking the N-Judah to the ballpark to avoid having to park in an expensive lot, or to enjoy the thrill of mass transit with your fellow baseball fans. Yay!

However, be aware of some changes that are timed in such a way that might make things a bit confusing, so as a public service I'm laying it out for everyone to make sure people can get to the game easily.

If you are going to Opening Day on April 3rd or any game on April 3rd-6th, take the N-Judah like your normally would. The train will still go to the ballpark on those days.

Alternately , if you're an out-of-towner on BART (or just not coming from the Sunset), take your mode of transit to town, switch off at Powell, Montgomery or Embarcadero Stations to the N-Judah, and proceed directly to the ballpark.

Starting April 7th, the N-Judah will NO LONGER GO TO THE BALLPARK. So, if you're going that day to see the Giants play the Dodgers, you will have to get off the N-Judah and and switch to a T-Third or a J-Church train somewhere downtown.

Alternately , if you're an out-of-towner on BART (or just not coming from the J-Church or T-Third lines), take your mode of transit to town, switch off at Powell, Montgomery or Embarcadero Stations to the T-Third or J-Church, and proceed directly to the ballpark!

Be sure to take note of which day you're going to the ballpark and make plans accordingly!

You can download a copy of the Giants schedule and make a note if you like. It's easy to forget after making such a habit of taking the N to the ballpark - heck even I would most likely go on "autopilot" and forget, and I write a freakin' blog about the N-Judah! So there's no shame in not knowing - just try and keep informed ahead of time so you're not late to the game!

After years of telling people to take the N to the park, it will not be easy at first to get fans to realize they need to switch and take the T or J instead, but here's to hoping MUNI will post some extra big signs on the 7th for the big switchover!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:36 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Quickly!

If you haven't already gone over to SFist to check out another one of MattyMatt's videos from MUNI, do so at once.

It's one of those "you gotta see it" ones. Talking about it would just cheapen it. So go!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hey MUNI! What's Wrong With This Picture?

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Yes, It's A New NextBus Sign, and YES, it WORKS.

So in the spirit of posting some hot, new, reliable NextBus info, here is a picture of a brand new NextBus sign at the corner of 16th and Valencia. Due to my cameraphone's lame shutter speed, the light up board is incomplete in this picture. However, I can assure you, yes it works just fine and looks spectacular.

Enjoy!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A while back our friends at SFGate.com had some reader-inspired suggestions for MUNI manners.

Many of the suggestions mirrored ones I've thought about myself at times (i.e. proper behavior on a crowded bus, etc.). However there's one rule of etiquette and basic practicality that needs to be drummed into our fellow citizens' heads - let people off the bus or train first, so that you may board quicker.

It amazes me how people rush on to the train, as if they don't get on that train or bus they'll be left behind to be vanquished by the oncoming hordes of Vandals or something, not realizing that if they let the people getting off faster, they'll get on their precious train or bus faster. You'd think this would be obvious but every time I push to get off a downtown MUNI train or bus, I'm amazed.

What are some suggested MUNI manners you'd like to see? Submit them via the comments section below!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 1:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)

Reading news about MUNI these days, you begin to wonder if the people in charge live on the same planet, much less same city, as we do. It was not long ago we found out why it is MUNI has a recurring problem with "deficits", and that perhaps Our City Leaders might have read something about this as well.

Clearly they didn't. Or if they did they seem to have come up with new junkie logic, even more impressive than recent examples we've seen to justify the vague, probably-won't-happen-anyway promise of "free" MUNI.

It goes something like this: MUNI is doing such a bad job of collecting fares anyway, why not simply abolish them (and the $137 million it brings in) and instead, make MUNI free. It'll "boost ridership" and the system will "run better." Everyone's happy and has that feel-good sensation that makes the world a sparkly, happy place.

Notice how there's one thing missing in said junkie logic: how to pay for the system as-is, not to mention paying for the system we need, or the system's unforeseen costs in the future. No matter -we can raise the tax on unicorns (or perhaps tax gun-wielding dragons) and we'll be fine!

Riiight.

Continue reading "Mayor, Supervisors Agree: MUNI Should Be Free, Suggest We Pay For It With New Unicorn Tax!" »

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Trivia Question: Which members of our Esteemed Board of Supervisors represent the N-Judah line in City Hall?

Think about it for a moment.....and now the surprising answer!

Trivia Answer: More than you might think. I took a look at the map of Supervisorial Districts at City Hall's website, and while some were obvious, others were not. Here's the list, with notes, starting from Ocean Beach:

Continue reading "N-Judah Trivia Time: Which Supervisors Represent the N on the Board?" »

Posted by Greg Dewar at 5:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Being the kind of person I am, I think about all sorts of things. One, though that crosses my mind almost daily as I take the N-Judah inbound is what I call the "Moment of Truth" when it passes through the Duboce/Church intersection and into the tunnel.

Almost every time, it needs to stop just before it enters the tunnel to allow for traffic from other underground lines headed for the stations downtown. And every time it does, I begin to wonder what would happen if the power was cut (due to technical delays or a natural disaster) and suddenly, all of us on the N were stuck in the car.

There's no easy way out. The space between the doors and the sides of the tunnel entrance are extremely narrow, and even if one could override the doors and open them up, it's hard to see how you'd evacuate everyone out, esp. seniors, the disabled, etc. And I've yet to see an escape hatch on top (although perhaps it's just camouflaged?) like one has on a bus.

I certainly hope neither I, nor any of my fellow MUNI riders ever get stuck there, but if anyone has an escape plan email me ASAP!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The other day while perusing the pages of the Examiner, I happened upon this Op-Ed piece by Supervisor Ed Jew on a proposal being fast-tracked through the Board of Supervisors to offer a discounted "youth fare" for people 18-24. Now, I'd heard of this idea a while ago but I had no idea that suddenly it was being rushed to a vote so quickly by the Board. So, since I was heading to City Hall anyway, I decided to drop in on the Board of Supervisors meeting Monday afternoon to hear some more, first hand.

Now, some info: the Board of Supervisors can't arbitrarily order MUNI or the MTA to do anything on a whim - the resolution, spearheaded by Everybody's Friend, Sup. Jake McGoldrick, is after all, just a resolution, and it alone can't really do much. However, as Sup. Daly pointed out, while it wasn't an ordinance, it could have some influence on MUNI and the MTA if enough supervisors supported it.

Now, I have no doubt in my mind that Supervisor McGoldrick means well with this move, so much so he was willing to ram this through as quickly as possible (although eventually agreeing to hold it up a week for more discussion, etc.). I respect his opinion and I have no doubt he's trying to do something good. What I don't understand, though is why this is so important that it needed to command the Board's attention when other matters were more pressing.

Nor have I heard a single argument that persuades me that this is such a crisis, we need to hand out a discounted fare to a small group of people, at a time when MUNI's ability to collecte revenue is not as well organized as they should be.

Continue reading "How "Fair" is a "Youth Fare" for MUNI?" »

Posted by Greg Dewar at 7:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Quite a lot of news regarding MUNI fares today. First off, we find out in today's Chronicle that apparently, MUNI isn't collecting enough of the money it's owed, and that fare evasion is costing the system real money, far more than that projected deficit that we keep hearing about.

Think about it. Despite the fare evader junkie logic we've grown accustomed to hearing, the fact is that scofflaws and cheats are starting to cost the system real money - which, if spent properly could make your commute a lot easier.

When you combine this with the money the MTA isn't collecting properly from parking meters, you start to realize that even if MUNI and the MTA collected even a little bit more of the money they're owed, they wouldn't need to jack up parking garage rates or parking tickets, or fares, or taxes.

Heck, they'd even have more money to do things that would benefit you, the citizen transit rider, such as making the buses and trains run on time, instead of settling for a less than stellar record. Really!

Well, not. The potential for a better funded MUNI exists, but it's only going to happen when the People In Charge make the changes needed to end the era of half-assed budgeting and "feel good" policies, and invest in the time and effort to make some of these things happen. Don't hold your breath - pester those responsible instead, and hope for the best.

So remember: the next time you see some freeloading hipster jump on the bus in some sort of misguided attempt to stick it to The Man, he or she is actually stealing right out of your pocket - and all of ours. Just because they are a "free spirit" doesn't mean the rests of us aren't paying the price.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

If you read today's Examiner, you may have seen this story about the impending changes to our Mighty N and for once, they quoted me, instead of some insider. Woo hoo!

As for the subject - the impending change to the N's route to stop at Embarcadero and no longer go to Caltrain - I'm taking a wait and see approach. If, as it is claimed, it really does make the N run faster overall, well then I'm willing to put up with the hassle. When I commute I'm already making a switch to BART at Embarcadero, which is even more of a hassle sometimes than switching MUNI lines.

But I can imagine what a pain it would be for a daily commuter from SF to the Peninsula on Caltrain, and if the J's performance continues to suck like it has in the past, I'd be very nervous about that N-J-Caltrain switch.

If you're a daily commuter from SF to the Peninsula, and you see shenanigans once the switch is made, email us with your tales of woe, and we'll get the word out!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Whenever I listen to the plaintive cries of fare-evaders I wish I could tape the "junkie logic" these folks use to try and explain away why they boarded without paying like the rest of us citizens.

Just the other day I couldn't help but laugh at yet another well-heeled upscale hipster, trying to explain why he didn't have a transfer or a pass in the Van Ness station that utilized such extreme junkie logic, even the MUNI fare inspector had a look on their face of "Oh my God, I've finally heard it all." Trying to remember it properly just gives me a headache.

Then I opened up the Examiner and read junkie logic, boomer celebrity style in the form of Ken Garcia's column in the Examiner. Now, normally I don't spend a lot of time reading Ken's columns since I pretty much know what he's going to say in advance on any issue, but the headline made me curious.

After reading it, it was clear what the problem was - he doesn't mind the MUNI fare inspectors doing their job and applying the rules to Everyone Else, he just doesn't like it applied to his own kid or her friends. While admitting, yes, they screwed up, he feels his kids and their friends should have gotten a mere warning, while you, I, and Everyone Else should get a big ticket and more.

Apparently, fare inspectors are to deduce that kids from the good part of town deserve a pass, while another kid with the same story (and from a part of town Mr. Garcia doesn't like) should get a ticket and a slap upside the head.

After all, shouldn't MUNI inspectors just "know" that "good kids" (i.e. his) deserve a break? And if they don't, that must be because (as he alleges without any statistical evidence) "most" transit inspectors are ex-thugs and not qualified to do their job - simply because, well, they did it "too well." See how junkie logic works? Yeah, my head is spinning too. And not in the good way.

It's not his kid's fault, and it's certainly not his fault as a parent for not buying his kid a bus pass, it's always Someone Else's Fault. (Thank you, baby boomers for that gem of current American life) But if you or I screw up on MUNI, don't look for any sympathy from Mr. Garcia and his band of junkie logic practicioners - it never works that way!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

If you haven't already seen the latest statistics gathered by MUNI it's worth checking out. There's some interesting information in there, but there's also a lot of work produced by the No Duh Institute on the Obvious as well.

For example, we find that our N-Judah is #1 amongst streetcars for keeping to the schedule 75.8% of the time. Yay! Then you remember, voters passed a measure (oh how we love our ballot measures) demanding that by now, MUNI would be on time on 85% of bus lines by....2004.

Ok, so we're number 1, but we're also not quite number 1. I get it.

As stated earlier, while it's fascinating to find out some bits of info, such as the fact that the 90-Laguna Honda is the shortest bus route (at only .06 miles!) and that the 105 Treasure Island (yes, there is a bus that goes all the way out there) had the best on time performance, there was a lot of info that comes from the No Duh Institute.

Take, for example, the pilot program tested on the 1-California line, after Our Mayor was left stranded watching 4 buses go by while he waited to go to work. Many things were tried to get the line working more smoothly and efficiently, including towing people who were parked where they shouldn't, making sure drivers were there to drive the buses, and so on. But in every report you read, there's this "gasp!" of "Oh my goodness, it cost money."

To which I simply say, "No Duh."

Seriously. If after all the research is done it takes X amount of effort costing Y amount of money to make the buses run on time then that is what it actually costs. You can't expect to do all the things needed to make a bus run on time in a congested small dense city and expect it can be done for free. That's the effect of years of nickel-and-diming the budget without any regard for what really needs to happen to pay for it.

Continue reading "We're Number 1! We're Number 2! Well Sort Of!" »

Posted by Greg Dewar at 6:59 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

As you may recall, Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi held a Town Hall Meeting on MUNI issues last fall. For those who attended, it was an interesting opportunity to address MUNI management directly, sans PR flacks or pre-canned responses. It ended up being quite a lively evening.

However, with so many people attending, not everyone's question could be answered in the time allotted, so Supervisor Mirkarimi collected the rest of the questions and had them submitted to MUNI officials, so that they'd be addressed by MUNI management.

Well, today in his office's newsletter, they released the answers to all those questions. (If you don't have Microsoft Word, you can
download a PDF I made of the document here.

I think it's nice when elected officials hold town hall meetings that are actual meetings where the public can ask any question they want, and hold our city's leaders accountable - instead of packaging some infomercial type meeting that's boring PR. I look forward to more such MUNI Town Hall Meetings in the future!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

There Are No Atheists in Foxholes or on MUNI

Special Note: This posting marks the 100th posting here at the N-Judah Chronicles! Woo hoo!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)

The other day I was walking out of the Safeway on Market Street and saw what I am now thinking is the most intricate and acrobatic boarding of a streetcar yet.

As I was walking across the street, I could hear someone running behind me. I turned around to look and saw this tall guy, probably in his late 50s or early 60s running with at least 6 bags of groceries in hand, and a 12 pack of diet soda.

That's a lot to carry anyways, but what was really impressive was his additional "cargo." I looked and at first I thought he had a feather boa or scarf or something around his neck (hey, it's San Francisco, and stuff like that's no big deal). Then I looked again.

It turned out he had his DOG wrapped around his neck, sitting on his shoulders! And from the looks of it, this seemed like something dog owner and dog had practiced quite a bit, since the little dog was seemingly happy, wagging its tail and looking around like this was no big deal. Which, when you think about it is really something, because this guy is running and the dog could easily fall off, if it wasn't trained properly.

Just another day on the N-Judah line.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 6:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

First off, I want to say Happy 2007 to the loyal readers which have made running this site so much fun. I am happy to report that the technical problems that were causing some serious problems at this site have been taken care of (spammers must die) , and I can safely resume a normal schedule this weekend. Hooray!

This year is going to be an interesting one for riders of the N-Judah, and for MUNI riders in general. Starting next week, the T-Third line starts free weekend service, which means eventually some big changes to the N-Judah line as well.

It will be interesting to see how these changes, and more, affect the daily commute. Plus, we have other changes, planned and unplanned, coming to MUNI, which promise to make things fun, both in the 'good' way and the 'grist for the mill' way.

I am also making some changes to the site as well. In particular, I want to increase participation by readers, first via sharing photos of your experiences on MUNI via Flickr, and having people email me their experiences to broaden the reach of the site. I am also going to be rolling out some new features over the next few weeks as well - keep reading and look for them!

Also, thanks to loyal reader Jamison, I have successfully conquered a good portion of the spam that was killing my servers here.

Finally, in the spirit of fun and support for local businesses, I have begun plans to organize a pub crawl on the N-Judah line, time and date TBA. I would very much like your suggestions or ideas to make this event fun for all.

Thanks for your patience and keep reading the blog!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I've been having some technical problems with both my sites, which has prevented me from posting as often as I'd like. I mean, when you have the Great Cookie Smell Debate going on, you wanna post something funny. Or, when the Transit Effectiveness Project announces important meetings today and tomorrow, you wanna tell folks a bit further ahead of time.

However, both my email and the comment/trackback functions on this site are getting spammed at a higher rate than my spam filters can handle. It is getting to the point where I may have to institute some sort of dreaded registration process for people to leave comments (most likely with TypeKey, but frankly that ticks me off because the last thing I want to do is force people to "register" a "password" to post a comment on the site. Not only is it annoying, but it's just a blog, not the secure server for Washington Mutual or something.

I'm also in the process of tinkering with the site a little and changing the layout, but after almost completely shutting down the site, I'm taking things slowly so I don't wipe out a year's worth of work. I find it amazing that Movable Type does NOT have yearly archives built into the system....which means I have to cobble together some 3rd party solution!

In the meantime, the much talked about N-Judah Pub Crawl is starting to be planned, and I'd be interested in your suggestions. Thanks for your patience and look for an upgrade to the site soon!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Sorry for the belated coverage of the MUNI Town Hall organized by Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi - but the timing of the event, so close to events affected by my other job prevented me from writing a decent review of the meeting. And what a meeting it was!

It was notable, not just for the cool swag they were giving away, but also for the kind of straight talk MUNI riders have wanted from MUNI for some time. As such, The N-Judah Chronicles is now officially taking Mr. Nate Ford, General Manager of MUNI, off the goofy "On Notice" board we featured a while back.

Why? Simple - because he was willing to stand up on a stage at a community event, unfiltered by bureaucrats and spin-meisters, and give frank, informative answers to citizens' questions. That is all anyone really wants -and he was also willing to freely admit when he didn't know a solid answer to a question and would have MUNI department heads also get up in front of the group and answer some specifics as well.

Continue reading "A (Belated) MUNI Town Hall Report AKA Mr. Ford is Off the On Notice Board!" »

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBacks (1)

While attending the MUNI Town Hall hosted by Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi (which I'll write about in more detail later this week) one of the handouts given was this really neat little postcard, which had a die-cut "model" of a MUNI train, along with safety tips for kids in and around the T-Third line which will be up and running in a few months.

I'd always wanted a model MUNI for my desk, but no one makes one for model train sets, so I was resigned to perhaps building one out of Legos, but now I have one thanks to MUNI!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:12 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Editor's Note: Don't forget to attend the MUNI Town Hall tonight!

This morning I read an interesting missive in the SF Chronicle about Yet Another Rude MUNI Driver - only this time it was not you or I , the average MUNI rider that was the victim of said MUNI Follies - now MUNI drivers are taking public time to use their PA system for partisan politics and insults!

As reported, a MUNI driver decided to attack Supervisor Chris Daly for the "crime" of riding the F-Line, and singled him out for ridicule to the other passengers. Now, whatever one feels about Mr. Daly, the fact is he is as entitled to a rudeness-free ride as the rest of us.

Thus, a MUNI driver making rude, false statements, for the entire car to hear, was simply uncalled for. It's stupid, unprofessional, and wrong. It'd be stupid, unprofessional and wrong if the (well paid) MUNI driver did the same to any rider, be they Mayor Newsom, you, I or any other taxpayer/rider on the MUNI system. Is it too much to ask these folks to act like the professionals they claim to be? I guess so!

Supervisor Daly is lucky that he has the means to hold this bozo accountable. I just wish we as riders could get the same kind of service addressing rude, stupid, or incompetent MUNI employees as well. I don't think it's too much to ask well-paid public employees with large pensions to act in a civilized manner to all passengers, regardless of partisanship, race, sexual orientation, ZIP code, and the like.

I'm not holding my breath on this one though. Something tells me the some of the MUNI drivers these days don't really care anymore, because, well they really don't have to -and let's face it, it's not like the buses they have to drive are in the best of shape anymore.

This is too bad, because when you get great service from a pro operator, you realize how simple it is for people to act like a pro and everyone wins. Unfortunately the "bad apples" seem to be multiplying, as I hear similar stories from riders around the city every day.

Mr. Ford, are you listening? Unions, how about you? "Union labor" is supposed to mean the best quality workers with the highest standards. I use union businesses all the time and they seem to get it. Show us you're better than this, gang!

UPDATE: Muni Executive Director Nate Ford spoke frankly to people at the MUNI Town Hall on 11/1 about the issue of driver courtesy, which was something of significant concern to the assembled crowd, and assured those in attendance that drivers who were rude to customers (any customers) would be investigated, as Mr. Daly requested in his situation. Most recently the union representing MUNI drivers not only defended rude, obnoxious behavior by their members, they have also taken more steps to attack Mr. Daly. Impressive!

Once again, the bad apples spoil the bunch. Unfortunately in this case, the leaders of the ATU are promoting the bad apples, and spoiling things for the good folks in their membership. The bad apples get the protection, the good folks don't get squat out of their union leadership, and it's the public that loses. Sad.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 7:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Want to let Nate Ford, the MTA, Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, and a whole host of Important Folks what you really think of your daily N-Judah ride? This week you'll have your chance at a Town Hall Meeting organized by Supervisor Mirkarimi's office, on Wednesday, November 1st at 7pm at the County Fair Building in Golden Gate Park at 9th and Lincoln.

This is a great chance to hear firsthand from the Important Folks what's up, and give unfiltered feedback to said folks. Supervisor Mirkarimi deserves credit for getting this meeting together. I will try and attend, but my day job will probably have me working late, so if you attend and want to report back to us here at the N-Judah headquarters, please do!

No word on if coyotes, sex acts or coyote sex acts will be discussed, as they were in Jake McGoldrick's district....

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (2)

Yeah, really. I would have posted sooner, but hey, Battlestar Galactica and an ice-cold beer beckoned to me sooner. No, seriously, I got off of BART and found that the MUNI downtown was out of service.

Determined to get the frak out of Dodge, I figured, "Hey, I have a MUNI pass, let's take that crazy Cable Car" but it was for naught, as it seems there was a 911 call with La Policia y Los Bomberos De San Francisco responding, and blocking the way. Fine.

I took this as a cue to have a drink downtown at a favorite bar and not get all worked up about Friday the 13th. After all, if the worst thing that was happening was a MUNI meltdown that got me a nice cocktail at happy hour, and perhaps a moment to pause and think about things not hyper-work related, well, who's complaining?

Besides, I got home in time to watch Battlestar Galactica, and that's all that matters, right?

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Last night I had a chance to catch an interesting lecture/discussion on blogging and the Internet taught by Sreenath Sreenivasan from the Columbia School of Journalism. Not only was it fun, but I got a chance to meet some interesting people and get a nice tour of the hallways of the San Francisco Chronicle's headquarters as well.

While there was a lot of great information presented during the Professor's discussion, one site in particular caught my attention - HopStop.com. As many loyal readers and users of MUNI know, 511.org's directions for MUNI can sometimes be a bit off, and now there's an alternative being offered via HopStop.

The site originated in New York City, born out of the frustration of its creator and his navigation of New York City's complex subway system. HopStop, however, does more than just give directions based on address. It can help you find directions if you want to use just the bus, a combination of bus and walking, or just walking, between any two points. Even better, the system can pick out directions based on pointing to somewhere on a map, or naming a specific restaurant or other location by name, and you have your choice of nine languages.

I took some time to try out the site and it is pretty good. There are other features I have yet to try, such as the mobile access via SMS and cell phone, but the fact that someone's at least trying to build a better mousetrap (or in this case mass transit info system) than the one we have now is really nice.

Best of all, if you're using the site and find something that should be fixed, they'll send you a free T-shirt for your troubles.

It will be interesting to see how this service, as well as the advance of Google Transit (now in beta in several cities) will evolve, and what that will mean for the behemoth at 511.org, and for MUNI. For now, try out the site and let them know what you think.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On Wednesday, I hopped on MUNI, to take a trip downtown to check out the "soft launch" of the Market St. Railway Museum and take a few pictures. Although the "official" opening is not until early October, the Museum is open now and has some great exhibits plus some really nice photos and posters for sale. What could possibly go wrong?

Little did I know we were going to have Yet Another Muni Blowout, and we were also going to get Yet Another Mindbending Quote from Muni Spokesdroid Maggie Lynch. I was amazed.

First, of course, was the meltdown itself, when we were all stuck on the N-Judah waiting to go into the tunnel, only to find out that a train ahead of us was "stuck" and we had to get out. There is nothing as fun as being cooped up in a crowded train, not knowing what's going on - or why you can't leave.

The many rush-hour commuters that morning were just thrilled to get out en masse to try and catch a train on the F-Line, or one at the Church St. Station. The poor station agent just let the masses in, to speed things up for people so they could get to work on time. No one was happy, to say the least.

But the real fun was watching coverage on KPIX News about the latest meltdown, in particular this gem of a quote from our well-paid spokesdroid:

Muni spokesperson Maggie Lynch said, "Unfortunately, what we've had is like Lemony Snicket -- a series of unfortunate events -- and they just came all together, and it makes it seem like there is an overriding problem."

Put aside for a moment the mismanaged cultural reference, and read that statement again. It flies in the face of any reasonable nalysis of the many analyses of MUNI indicating significant systemic perfomance problems with MUNI management and service.

To somehow suggest that there's "no problem" after Yet Another MUNI Folly Day, as MUNI's spokesperson does is simply amazing. I can't fathom how someone could say something like this with a straight face, much less repeat it to the press and expect to be taken seriously.

However, Mayor Newsom does not seem amused by the latest antics. Let's hope he can suggest to the well-heeled managers of MUNI it is in their interest to get things on the move. Something's gotta change soon, or we're all going to be a city of de facto pedestrians, outrunning MUNI.

UPDATE, 9/16: The Chronicle recaps the week in Muni Follies, with a bonus of both an F-line closuer and our famous Cable Cars as well. And we got more silliness from MUNI's spokesdroid.

I wonder if we are at that point in our culture where an agency can routinely screw up and the People In Charge can keep peddling the PR that "nothing's wrong" and still a) be taken seriously by The Media and The Public and b) keep getting paid out of our taxes and fares?

Posted by Greg Dewar at 4:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Once again, the half-assed budgeting and planning by MUNI reared its head in the "No Duh" section of the San Francisco Chronicle today when it was revealed t that raising the cable car fare 67% to $5 may be pushing people off the system. The raise was part of the MUNI "raise fares kill service" death sprial SPUR has documented so well.

While those of us who follow such things see this as yet another "No Duh" moment for MUNI, it really isn't. See, unlike us civilians, the folks who run MUNI don't sit down, figure out how much it actually costs to run a competent system, then figure out how to pay for it in a reasonable way.

Instead they screw around with the margins, protect fat paychecks for management, and you and I, the rider/citizen/customer are left wondering why it is a supposedly green city like San Francisco has such a dopey transit system.

But to truly appreciate the thinking of the manager types that run things, check out this quote by well-paid spokesperson Maggie Lynch on why the Cable Cars aren't doing as well this year vs. years past:

Lingering winter rains probably drove some people from the open-air cable cars, and the growing popularity of the F-line historic streetcar that runs between the Castro and Fisherman's Wharf also may play a role, Lynch said.

You have to be f*&%$ing kidding me. The fact she can say this with a straight face to the press is either an example of sheer nerve, or sheer stupidity. Notice the use of the qualifier "may" to escape any sort of "WTF" questioning later on. Nice!

Now, I love the F-Line streetcars as much as anyone else, and think the work the Market Street Railway Museum to fix up these cars and promote MUNI history is one of the coolest things anyone's done lately. I also dig the fact you can take a historical streetcar to work.

But to think that tourists from around the world are coming to San Francsico for the F-Line instead of the historic Cable Cars is a joke.

Tony Bennett didn't sing about PCC cars. If you asked people in any city in America, or the Rest of the Planet, what iconic image represents San Francisco, frankly if you found one person who said "the Historic F-Line cars" over Cable Cars, the Golden Gate Bridge, fog, or anything else the city is famous for, I'd be amazed.

But what is most amazing is how much of our taxes and fares go to pay people who peddle such logic to you and I, expecting us to nod our heads and say "Duh, yeah!"

Then again, MUNI originally wanted to abolish the cable cars entirely, and successfully conned voters into voting for a measure that claimed to be "saving" the cable cars, when in fact it dismantled the majority of the system that was left, leaving the tourist ride we have today.

I guess at MUNI, some things never change.

And you wonder why I have an "On Notice" board....

Posted by Greg Dewar at 4:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

So this is why the N was running so strangely today. I knew something was up when I saw packed cars full of folks going outbound in the middle of the day, and other strange behavior. Makes me glad I'm not in a rush to get anywhere today. Unfortunately, the folks trying to get home on a Friday probably aren't too happy.

MUNI? Nate Ford? You're still "On Notice..."

UPDATE 9/12/06:Wow! Put the SF weather "on notice' and suddenly it's nice and hot again! If you're not outside already, do so at once! We're getting one of our promised "warm" fall days, so enjoy it!

More thorough blog fun up and coming once the Internet is restored at the N-Judah Chronicles' headquarters in the scenic Inner Sunset!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 3:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Hopefully the MUNI Mini-Meltdown of Yesterday hasn't ruined your life too much and you're having a better day today than yesterday. Although I work out of my home, I rely on MUNI when I have multiple meetings and errands to run and when I realized what had happened, I just stayed at home and pushed everything over a few days.

I found this unusual "MUNI Survival Guilde" online while doing a Google search. If anyone has any idea who did this, I'd like to know so I can A) give them credit for their work and B) high-five them on the coining of the term "Edgehog." Enjoy.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 1:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Looking for some fun on a Saturday afternoon but low on cash? Then go to your local neighborhood Town Hall meeting with your Supervisor and Mayor Newsom. Never have I been more informed and more entertained all at once.

There was an interesting presentation about the first steps to study a Geary BRT and the Mayor and Supervisor Jake McGoldrick had Nate Ford of Muni and, well, just about every department head to answer questions on Geary BRT, and well, just about anything else (such as the coyotes that are apparently living and getting it on in Golden Gate Park - who knew?)

Say what you will about our Mayor and Supervisors, but Gavin Newsom and McGoldrick handled the crowd like a couple of pros. Both handled some serious questions (as well as some really weird ones) adeptly and Newsom was not afraid to put department heads on the spot when asked about timelines to fix things.

And both kept their cool when this one lady was upset about drug dealing and "sex acts" in Golden Gate Park (and who kept yelling "don't forget about the sex acts!" - yikes!) while the Mayor directed her to talk with an SFPD captain at the meeting so they could clear out the weirdoes from the park.

Overall they did their best to accommodate everyone in the 2 hour time period, and the Mayor and Supervisor McGoldrick's staffers were all very thorough and organized. And, oh yeah, they had a ton of free stuff, donated by local businesses - good coffee, water, snacks of all sorts, and whatnot. Community groups also had tables for all sorts of local initiatives. Very cool.

Mason Powell and I both were surprised at just how organized the whole thing was. We stopped at Trad'r Sam for a drink, then went home. All in all a pleasant way to spend the day with our City leaders and citizens.

PS: While our Mayor and Mr. McGoldrick were celebrating the neighborhoods of "the Avenues," our allegedly local paper, the Guardian, was doing its best to dis our brothers and sisters in the Sunset and the Richmond with this weird post in their new blog. I didn't realize if I didn't live in the Haight or SOMA or the Mission I was a nerd "way out there" in the boonies.

I have no problem with the .02% of SF who goes to Burning Man - hey, everyone has their interests, and that's totally cool. But it is telling that it is Mayor Newsom who is the one supporting the neighborhoods, and the Guardian is playing the role of adolescent, hipster choose-up-siders.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 2:28 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

This morning's papers are full of news about our MUNI. They're starting to do test runs of the T-Third Line, which is due to open on weekends January 2007, and for full service later in 2007. There's the fallout from the Spare The Air Days (both positive and negative), and the inevitable call for free rides every day, all day.

All interesting, to be sure, but what stuck out today was this peculiar editorial in the billionaire out of towner owned Examiner suggesting that privatizing MUNI would make the system run better.

Umm...yeah. Right. That will improve things. I look at the oh so brilliant innovation and customer service of big monopolies like AT&T, Comcast, and the like.

After dealing with customer service by way of New Bangalore when I have a billing problem, and put up with mediocre, overpriced service that profits a handful of execs, you'll pardon me if I don't sign up for privatizing a service that inherently can't make money without cutting off service to a vast number of neighborhoods and people.

But that's not the point. What's most surprising is that a paper that was once a part of San Francisco History and a former flagship paper for the infamous Hearst Corporation, can't seem to remember San Francsico's own long history of competing streetcar lines. Nor does it seem to remember that consolidation of these many systems into one devoted to the public interest, not personal profit, was necessary for the city to be served properly.

And, it seems the out-of-town editorial writers didn't read any of SPUR's analyses which point out that much of the inefficiency of today's MUNI is left over from duplication of service left over from the old systems, which need to be addressed.

If someone can show me a city where they have a privatized system that serves the entire public equally and cheaply, hey, sign me up. But when a private, chain owned paper that's supposedly been a part of the City for the last 100+ years can't even remember some basic facts of San Francisco history, well, perhaps that's just one more reason we shouldn't rely on large, out of town interests to work in the public interest.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Betcha didn't know that Muni's been running kinda slow lately, did ya? Well just in case you really didn't know, a new study was commissioned that found MUNI has been slowing down 1% a year, for the last 20 years!

Now, what struck me was not so much that the MUNI system has been getting slower and whatnot due to traffic and the like - rather it was the fact that these kinds of studies hadn't been done over the last 20 years. Now you would think that a system that keeps saying it "needs money" and complains about "no money" but can only seem to come up with fare hikes and crappier service as a stopgap would instead take a look and ram through some real changes that would make the system work better.

Then, oh I don't know, if it worked better, maybe more people would ride it, sans bribes from Spare the Air folks. But instead, we've had pencil pushers who just look for some half-assed fix, and never really confront how to make a system that works, how much a functional system costs, and then find stable ways to pay for it.

The report on KTVU was illuminating in one respect - it seems Mayor Newsom was delayed so much by a 1BX bus he ended up walking to work. At least he rides the bus once in a while. We all knew Slick Willie was too arrogant to even look at a bus, much less ride it, and I don't know how many of our esteemed electeds actually ride a bus anymore.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 4:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

Good news! The sun is shining, the weather is warm, life is good...but oh, there's that whole smog thing going on. So while you're enjoying the non Twain-like summer weather be aware that we may have a bit of a problem with the air.

Not to worry. The kind folks at the Bay Area Air Quality Management District have found the funds to pay for Yet Another Spare the Air Day.

That means that MUNI, BART, the esteemed CalTrain and many more Bay Area mass transit systems will be free to all who wish to ride.

Now, don't think that a Spare the Air day is just for people too lazy to spend some cashola on El Muni to get to work. Soon-to-be-contributing writer Mason Powell used a "Spare the Air" day to take advantage of BurgerMeister's excellent chicken wing deal on Monday, quickly commuting from the Peninsula to get one heck of a deal on a week's worth of excellent chicken wings and get back to the Peninsula.

Now, if that isn't helping our capitalist system, I don't know what is. Fair to say, if he didn't have the Spare the Air day, he might not have purchased those wings (since they'd have a 10 dollar premium from BART and MUNI).

It is too bad those of us who buy monthly passes don't get a little check in the mail on these days, since we did pay The Man in advance. But you know what? I'm willing to cut some slack on this one. Even if my chicken wing deal wasn't as great.

UPDATE: July 21st has now been declared a Spare the Air day and the hot weather is with us one more day (at least). Ride MUNI to your favorite after-work place and have a cocktail and watch the sunset.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 7:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Those of us lucky enough to right our beloved N-Judah, complete with tracks and a certain "get the Hell out of the way, cars and cyclists, the train is comin' through" character sometimes forget just how herky-jerky a bus can be. Then you transfer to one and wonder "just why DID they go to these crazy buses anyway?"

That in itself is a long and tortured story, one that is not unique to San Francisco. But after 50 years of fallout from some disastrous decisions made in ways only San Francisco can seem to invent, there's some hope, at least for our Oppressed Brothers and Sisters who ride the 38 Geary.

Not everyone knows that the 38 Geary is the busiest transit route in the Western US (and one of the top 5 in the United States!), serving 40-50,000 +passengers every day. Now, with that many riders, you'd think that the system would work well to serve those to use it every day, but it's easily one of the biggest pain-in-the-ass routes one can ride.

I speak from personal experience when I used to live off of Geary and rode the 38 downtown to catch BART, and even in my not-so-remote location, the buses would often fly by, totally packed, and more than a few times miss my connecting BART. Let's just say after enough times on a crappy, over-booked, herky-jerky bus, I moved, and I'm happy I did.

However, there's an effort by the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research group and the coaltion of supporters known as Go Geary to organize support for a Bus-Only lane that could one day be upgrade to a rail line.

While the hope of a rail line on the former B Geary Line might be hoping for a bit much, the fact is a Bus-Only lane on Geary St. would make a hell of a lot of sense. Sure we wouldn't get the satisfaction of a "real" rail line, but who cares?

The benefit of a rail line would still exist, but there'd be no need to lay track and build the assorted expensive whatnots one needs with a full fledged rail line. More importantly, if you make mass transit work, run on time, and use modern, clean, and non-craptacular buses, guess what? More people will use it, and the system will ensure that the local business and residents are well served by something they pay for via taxes and fares.

As it stands now, we spend millions for a system that's not working , groaning under the load of passengers it has - and it has no room to grow. True, this is not as easy as snapping one's fingers and making it happen - there's gonna be disruptions and construction hassles. However, they will be nowhere near the mayhem caused by putting the BART/MUNI tunnels on Market st. back in the day, and it's incumbent on us to press for a plan that minimizes the hassles as much as humanly possible.

But this being San Francisco, we can't all work together so everyone - residents, business owners, and riders SHOULD be able to work out a plan that serves the best interests of the city. But no.

There's always someone who has to take on the role of self-appointed loudmouthed jerk, and in the case of the plan for fixing the 38 Geary line, we've got one in the form of an angry one-man band whose personal grudges threaten good policy.

I'm not bothering to even link to this grudge-match guy, because frankly, I'm sick of dorks like him dominating policy discussion when it comes to trying to move the city forward. People like him mistake personal animosity for political action (or in his case, inaction) and its this kind of attitude that has turned San Francisco from "The City That Knows How" to "The City That Knows How To Whine, Bitch, and Moan."

That's why if you can, you should sign a petition, send a letter, wave a sign, or do something to get our elected folks, our appointed folks, and the other folks who are paid by us to make transit work properly, and find a way to make the 38 Geary plan work for everyone involved, and not have plans scuttled based on the irrational rantings of one person.

Trust me when I say you don't wanna f*ck this one up. We've been paying for the mistakes of the past of those who looked for the half-assed way out for a long time, and one has to think about the legacy to future generations before signing some idiot's petition to screw things up yet again.

For a chance to stand up for an HONEST fix to the 38 Geary mess, you should consider stopping by the meeting at Presidio Middle School where you can talk to Mayor Gavin Newsom, Supervisor Jake McGoldrick, and Muni folks about how to best go forward on moving San Francisco into the 21st Centry - and avoid screwing up because some bitter men can't get over the fact they suck.

Richmond Town Hall Meeting with Mayor Newsom and Supervisor McGoldrick
When: Saturday, July 29th from 12:00 to 2:00
Where: Presidio Middle School, 450 30th Ave between Geary and Clement.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:18 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Even though it's not complete, NextBus is still rather useful, particularly on our Mighty N-Judah line. It's especially useful where I live now, given that I'm just steps from an actual stop. Knowing when the train is coming early in the morning is a big help.

Firing up a web browser all the time though, is a hassle, and while I don't normally like the Dashboard function in OSX because it's such a memory hog sometimes, it has proven useful for calling up NextBus quickly, via two Widgets - NextBus Widget and NextMuni. I tried finding a similar widget for Yahoo Widgets (compatible with MS Windows and OS X) but I couldn't find one - if you know of one let me know!

Both are pretty good, but I'm giving extra bonus points to NextMuni, simply because the other one has a tendency to mysteriously crap out after a set period of time, and it's not shareware. I've reloaded it several times, done all the usual OSX geek maneuvers, and it still doesn't work. Plus the NextMuni one just looks cooler. So there.

Someone also makes a BART Widget, but I haven't really used it much.

Anyway, enjoy the great weather, and the World Cup finals!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If you didn't have enough to celebrate here in San Francisco, what with the hot, sunny weather we've been having and all sorts of exciting outdoor events downtown, now you have another reason to enjoy the week - and ride for free on Muni!

June 22nd has been declared a Spare the Air Day, due to the combination of heat and lack of wind, and to encourage people to get out of their cars and ride mass transit, you can ride for free on pretty much any mass transit system in the Bay Area!

For a complete list of participating agencies, check out this list at 511.org and if you aren't already a mass transit rider, take a chance tomorrow.

If nothing else, try taking a cable car on one of these sunny days (like I did today). Times like these reaffirm why it's kinda nice to live here. And it makes up for those gloomy days we had during the Haight St. Fair a few weeks ago!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

A day late with the news, to be sure, but then again I didn't see anything in today's Chronicle right away either...yesterday as I was getting ready to run my goofy errands of the day, I decided for some odd reason not to go to the post office like I'd planned. There was some noise, sounded like a bunch of fire trucks, and I got a call, so I ended up catching the next N outbound, vs. inbound, instead.

As it turned out, I missed a pretty nasty bank robbery at the Bank of America on Irving and 9th as a result. I did notice a number of unmarked police cars driving around, and suddenly all these guys standing at every corner. As the N went west, I saw more cars driving around, more standard patrol cars, and more police. This was getting odd. Was it real or just a filming of the pilot for Streets of San Francisco - 2006?"

I got off just before Ocean Beach, and there were even more. Now it was starting to look like an episode of "24" when the local policia are called in to assist Jack Bauer in kicking some ass in a residential neighborhood. I saws a news truck and asked them what was going on and he told me. Now, I would have "blogged" about this or ran out and got a camera phone to provide some local-news style entertainonews, but I suck, I figured I'd see something in the paper, but I didn't.

Anyway, the last I heard they had caught one guy and were on the way to catch the other one, and the FBI was involved. Even people at the coffee place two doors down had no idea there'd been an armed robbery that day.

Car fires, armed robberies, all on the N-Judah line. What's next?

Posted by Greg Dewar at 1:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Sometimes you need to stop the bitching and light a lighter in salute of those who rock and today, N Judah Chronicles lights its lighter in honor of SFist.com for its recent series interviewing Director Nate Ford of Muni.

SFist did not a mere "interview" but a 7 part interview with Mr. Ford with some very direct and common sense questions about Muni, and about how he plans to tackle running our beloved Muni System. You can find all seven parts at SFist, each in it's own little section: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, and Part 7. Check them out!

Now, in and of itself an interview with a public official in charge of a large metro transit system may seem ordinary, but when you consider that some self styled alternative papers, their competitors, and other mainstream publications rarely report on Muni's doings, much less ask questions of relevance to the average rider, you begin to see why the N Judah Chronicles is lighting its lighter. It's as if SFist.com figured out that if you include topics people actually care about, instead of what you think they should care about, they might, well I dunno, read what you're writing!

We're also lighting a lighter for Mr. Ford because he's been making himself available on the radio, on SFist.com, and other media outlets and trying to answer the public's questions as best he can now that he's settled in. It takes a lot of courage to sit and face the music with the myriad of folks and groups that make up our fair city, and the fact he's willing to talk is a good sign. So we're saying "thanks" to Mr. Ford and hope that our riding experience will improve under his tenure, and appreciate his candor so far. Hopefully it won't be extinguished by our fair city's tendency to go nuts sometimes.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 5:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Get this...so lately I've been doing the long-haul commute from SF to far out in the East Bay every day for a client for a while now...every day I dutifully get on the N-Judah very early, connecting with BART, and heading out. Now, in the morning it is pretty smooth and so long as I get up early enough and catch one of two N's, I make it out in time. Since most people on the N that early in the morning are either asleep, listening to music, or reading, there are few incidents on which to report for my faithful readers.

Ok, so that's groovy, but here is the strange part. Every night when I get back into SF, I get off at Embarcadero to catch an N-Judah home. And almost every time, the same thing happens. I get off the BART, walk down to the MUNI platform, and wait. Every time the automated voice announces "outbound trains" and counts off a pile of L's, M's and whatnots, and it seems from the announced times a mighty N-Judah is a ways away.

Then the weird thing happens - within moments, an "N" shows up out of the blue, totally unannounced! Now I'm not complaining per se - not having to wait 20-30 minutes for an N after all those random L's, M's and whatnots is nice. That said, I wonder why this keeps happening, and can imagine how frustrating it is for those taking an L-L, M or whatnot.

At this point I've stopped trying to figure it out and just count the blessing of not having to wait forever for the N to take me home after a long day of work!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Sometimes someone else does such a kick ass job on a story, you just have to give it some publicity. This little expose by SFist.com on the NextBus/Muni follies is really worth checking out. Just go there and read, and you'll see. It's pretty startling.

Right on, SFist! You beat out the Guardian, the Weekly, the Chron, the Examiner, and more with this one!

UPDATE: I had a chance to listen to a little bit of Muni Director Nate Ford on KGO AM radio this morning. Someone asked him about this very issue, and he was pretty forthright in his response, saying that while implementing NextBus was a priority, but he was also worried about rolling it out without it being ready to go (a contrast to the comments of Ms. Maggie Muni). He did say more than once he supported NextBus in principle and that it would be helpful to Muni in assessing how the system's doing, as well as be useful for passengers.

I think it's notable to hear the boss speak, and contrast it with the snark of Muni's spokesbot, and the confusion of Muni employees. Maybe it's time Muni make some changes so that employees are as knoweldgeable and polite and direct as their boss.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 6:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Nathaniel Ford, the new executive director of Muni, will be speaking tonight at a meeting of the San Francisco Young Democrats. While it is unclear if this meeting is open to the public or not, I can't imagine such folks would object to citizens seeking an opportunity to get to know the Man Who Could Fix Muni.

The meeting starts at 7pm tonight, and is located at the State of California's big office building at 455 Golden Gate Avenue, in the basement conference room. Be advised this is a "secure" building, and you will have to go through security checks. (Why groups feel a need to even have meetings like this in such a pseudofortress is beyond me, but that's a question best left to another blog.)

Mr. Ford is beginning to make himself available to the public and the local press, so let's take advantage of this opportunity to engage in some constructive discussions about all the things we bitch about on our beloved N-Judah and Muni.

Special Note: Thanks to the sheer incompetence of the folks at Earthlink DSL, I can't get online at home - haven't for almost 3 weeks. If you need DSL, for the love of all that is decent, don't use Earthlink!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 8:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

For the last 3 weeks I've been working on site for a client in the East Bay, which has meant not only taking Muni every single day, but also connecting with BART in downtown. I'd blocked out of my memory just what a slow, counterintuitive managed system BART is, but here it is, back again! Woo hoo!

Both MUNI and BART are in the midst of inventing new ways to screw up. Now, you'd think in the midst of some of the highest gas prices yet, when commuters in and out of the urban and suburban areas are feeling a real pinch, that the transit agencies would use this to show people a cheaper, faster, better way to get to work. In the process they'd boost ridership, and they'd be forced to find ways to be more efficient so as to do the job of transit, right?

Wrong.

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Continue reading "When Gas Prices Go Up, It's Time to Cut Service, Jack Up Fares!" »

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

If you're going to the big game today, be sure to take the N-Judah to the ballpark. It'll drop you off right in front of the stadium so you don't have to worry about parking, etc.

Also, be aware that you can no longer buy a return fare outside the stadium before the game like you could in the past. You're better off just paying at the farebox with your quarters and dollars instead, I think.

And, if you're connecting to BART or other transit don't forget to take advantage of these little incentives that'll shave oh, a quarter or so off your return fare home.

Enjoy the game and this window of good weather we're having...it's supposed to start raining again fairly soon!

PS: Be sure to check out the latest Dear Mr. Ford column at SFist.com for some interesting photos of Muni arrival times...

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:12 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

So it seems in today's Examiner, (as well as today's SFist )we have this article, claiming that in some spot surveys 50% of the people on Muni ain't payin the fare. All I can say is "Who told?"

What's funny is that part of the reason they are having such a problem is because due to "budget cuts" they have cut the number of ticket people in the stations. So by saving a few bucks on a few staff positions, they're now losing 50% of the revenue at the farebox. Brilliant, guys! (Almost as brilliant as the Muni spokesperson claiming it costs only a dollar at the farebox - it does not.)

So some geniuses will go back to the drawing board and try to figure out The Big Issue here. But let's take a break from classes at No Duh University and look at a few basic facts:

1. You can get on a Muni train without paying if you get on the second car. There is no one checking for passes or fares or transfers on any of the second cars on the N-Judah, or any other line. So it's very easy for Deadbeat Hippie or his friend Bennie the Burnout to hop on and not pay. The chances of getting busted are fairly low.

How you fix this I have no idea. But as it stands, hopping on and taking a ride on the Deadbeat Express is not that hard.

2. There's no way for bus drivers to prevent hippies, burnouts, and deadbeats from getting on at the back door of the bus. Ever been on the bus downtown at rush hour? Inevitably some losers push their way on in the back even though the sign says "no boarding via the back door."

But what is the driver supposed to do? They have to let people off the bus in the back, and I drivers have to focus on driving the bus safely, not getting up and beating down the masses for not paying. Although I have talked to some bus drivers who wouldn't mind "explaining" the concept of paying and not being a deadbeat with more forceful means once in a while - esp. during rush hour when everyone's clamoring to get home.

I don't have any magic answers for these. Then again, I'm not paid to do so, either. As it stands we're once again reaping the "benefits" of management that places a premium on paying high salaries for management and mindlessly "balancing budgets" - without any regard to how such piecemeal moves actually hurt revenue - not to mention service - which is the point of the system in the first place.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Wow. I leave town for a few days and come home to hear about all the gas and water drama on the N-Judah I missed, as well as some words of wisdom from new Muni chief Nathaniel Ford.

While it is encouraging to hear a Muni Chief who is willing to buck the naysayers at the MTA who are too busy "balancing budgets" and throwing up their hands at the idea of providing reliable on time service, it's also a bit troubling when you hear noises that sound a lot like "let's make the buses on time by just cutting out more stops." Kinda Soviet-like.

We'll see, and hope for the best....

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Someone, please get Nate Ford on the phone (or email, or whatever). We have a some SF Muni Follies that need to be fixed, stat.

One of the things that makes certain lines, like our beloved N-Judah, easier and more convenient to use is of course the digital NextBus readouts, installed at key bus shelters up and down the line that tell you exactly when the next train or bus is scheduled to arrive.

It's great in general, but when it is pouring rain it's critical in helping you decide whether to ride out the storm a few minutes or go elsewhere and come back. Everyone likes it. So why the hell isn't it working anymore?

Continue reading "When's the NextBus? Ask Your Web Browser. Don't Ask Muni." »

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Quick hit for all you loyal readers - Muni has decided to give out not one but two Valentine's Day gifts to rush hour commuters tonight - slow Muni trains and a switching problem!

Nothing, not even my beloved N-Judah, is working properly, and my backup, the 6 Parnassus was so overloaded I couldn't get on the bus.

Maybe this is God and Muni's way of saying I should stay downtown for a drink instead of go home? Or perhaps just Muni's way of saying to San Francisco "I love you (well your money anyways, not your patronage).

Update: After posting this at the Apple Store on Stockton I got on a 6 Parnassus and had one of the worst bus rides yet on what is traditionally one of Muni's crappiest buses. Woo hoo!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 6:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

If you haven't already done so, I highly recommend checking out the San Francisco Planning and Urban Research Association website. They have all sorts of good information and some very in-depth studies on how to improve Muni. I've added a link on the link list to the right to their section on transit issues.

However, what was most interesting was a snipped of a statement on Muni made by SPUR which had some very pertinent points about Muni. You can read it in its entirety here, scanned in from a book on Muni entitled "The People's Railway: the History of the Municipal Railway of San Francisco" by Anthony Perles.

Here's a sample:

"Second, everyone must recognize that transit is an essential public service just like schools, streets, and fire protection. In this context, referring to a 'deficit' is nonsense; no transit system in the nation supports itself from the farebox. If you ever hear a politician refer begrudgingly to the 'Muni deficit,' he will have failed the test

Third, the Mayor and Supervisors must adopt a a strictly enforced 'transit first' policy. Even if Muni is fully budgeted and if management proves itself extremely capable, service will still be poor because of transit's inability to escape congestion caused by autos, double-parked trucks and construction. New legislation is needed to establish a transit street system, giving transit top priority in any conflict."

Now what's most interesting is that this was written in 1973. Yet you could make this (and other arguments SPUR made in 1973) today, and it would be as relevant to the ongoing Muni situation.

I think it is a chance to give SPUR its props for having some incredible foresight over 30 years ago. But it is also a time for us as citizens to ask why it is we let our elected officials get away with rhetoric and hot air, and why we as citizens feel it's ok to accept mediocrity, instead of the best. Remember, we can bitch about Muni and those doofus gummint folks, but in the end, they're our responsibility, and it's up to us to kick 'em in the butt until they get it right.

Otherwise I'll never be able to get home from Kennedy's on time!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 10:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Just when you though things couldn't suck enough, what with the delays, jacked up fares, and whatnot, now comes what is surely to be the official boning of Muni and the N-Judah starting next week - they're actually closing the downtown subway starting at 10 p.m..

Now, of course, they tell us it's a yearlong project to "make Muni better." And while hate to join the ranks of the knee jerk cynics, it's really hard for me to believe these folks can really do anything to make things better. They've already paid an incredible amount of money to the incoming Muni director, Nathaniel Ford, who not only gets paid, but even if he gets fired STILL GETS PAID FOR SEVERAL YEARS MORE. And they keep finding ways to avoid real funding solutions for Muni in favor of screwing the fare-paying customer.

Now this. And of course, they're great at flashing this update on the few stops that have NextMuni installed, but they don't really know what they're doing. Just remember - whenever you read "subway service replaced by bus service" you might as well read "reliability thrown out the window and a crowded ride on a jerky bus."

SFist, one of the few online outlets for the kind of news that matters, has kindly provided an unofficial map showing the area to have what little reliability and usefulness tossed out like a morning log. They've also provided some predictions and suggestions for the new year-plus state of affairs for downtown Muni.

Needless to say, that chance to take an extended work assignment out of town is starting to look good. Frankly I don't wanna be here for the total boning of my beloved N-Judah. The least Muni could do before this giant municipal screw job is buy us all dinner first. At least then we'd feel better in the morning, waiting for our "buses."

(Special Note: It's nice to see that some media outlets in this town can provide relevant commentary and notes to things that matter. Unlike the whiny, useless Bay Guardian, or the sophomoric and equally useless SF Weekly, at least SFist tries. And these guys aren't paid nearly as much as the community-college dropout writers at the big weeklies.)

Posted by Greg Dewar at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (1)

If you live in many cities, the transit systems are using a system called NextBus to tell you almost exactly when the next bus will arrive at a particular stop and help you avoid the fate of waiting for the train when it's pouring rain out for hours on end.

Using a combination of wireless transmitters and GPS, they are accurate, because they can account for traffic delays that a schedule can't predict. In the case of the N-Judah it's usually some guy double parking his car on the narrow streets in Cole Valley.

Now, NextBus is providing complete, accurate route maps and real time indicators of where all buses or streetcars are online, on a Google Map. Take a look and see for yourself at this link, which shows the N-Judah line, in real time.

Although not all SF Muni buses have NextBus installed at bus stops, this is a good start. It beats relying on the folks at Transit.511.org, better known as 511 Is A Joke, who are notorious for giving out info that's just plain wrong. You're better off calling SF Muni directly and asking directions if you're lost - 511 is a Joke almost always screws up.

Posted by Greg Dewar at 6:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)