The N-Judah Chronicles

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 (0)

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 05:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

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 05:31 PM | 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.

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 05:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Ok folks, I'm not making this sh*t up. Seriously.

Loyal Reader "MateoSF" was kind enough to send us the YouTube URL for a fit of insantiy on the N-Judah I happened to miss as I was out of town this week in Ed Jew's hometown (and mine, before I escaped), in Burlingame,

Anyway, MateoSF was kind enough to capture on video what could be the most iditotic Jedi move on the N-Judah ever - driving your frakking PRIUS into the Sunset tunnel!

No, really.

Here's his footage. Let's light the lighter because this guys ROCKS, and he ROCKS because he let me know about his incredible footage first!

Rock on!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (21)

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)

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 06:21 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 04:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Our once-Mighty N is being reduced to a bad joke, shared by those who rely on it for their commute, their livelihood, or just about any reason one might need to get from Point A to Point B. MUNI management offers double-talk at best, and, more often, outright lies. This has to stop!

Today we feature two letters from Loyal Readers, one from Eve Batey, an editor at the San Francisco Chronicle, and another reader who had similar problems with the N recently. We thank both for their comments and concerns!

Dear Mr Ford-

Eve Batey, here. You might remember me from the interview I did with you for SFist.com this time last year. Now I'm an editor at the San Francisco Chronicle, and Matt Baume has taken over the Muni beat for SFist.

I'm writing to you over my concern with the N Judah, which seems to be more and more frequently ending its run at 19th Avenue. Over the course of this past week, I have been on 5 (five) N Judahs that have reached this premature conclusion without warning -- most recently
tonight, when the N I was on at 12:30 or so ejected its passengers, with the driver informing us that another train would be there to pick us up in "2 or 3 minutes."

Each of the five times this week that the N Judah has ended its run at 19th Avenue, I have walked all the way home to my apartment at 43rd and Irving without seeing another outbound N, putting to lie any "2 or 3 minutes" assertion an N driver might make. Tonight was no exception. While the other abortive rides this week were earlier in the evening -- 8 or 9 PM -- having to walk home after midnight was a whole new low for me. Mr Ford, there aren't a lot of cabs in the Sunset. One's options are to wait for an N, or to walk. Imagine the women you know, family or close friends. Would you want them walking home, alone, at 12:30 at night? So why is that acceptable for any of the passengers of the transit organization you oversee?

Continue reading "Reader Mail - More Trauma and Drama on the N-Judah Line" »

Posted by Greg Dewar at 01:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

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 02:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (12)

Courtesy of SFist, I found this link to a faux ad for MUNI that was somewhat amusing. Check it out!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 03:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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 08:26 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 03:51 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 (2)

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 supersitious! ( 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 03:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

When An Apology Isn't An Apology

Posted by Greg Dewar at 04:05 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 06:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)

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 09:36 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 02:31 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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)

Whenver 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)

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)

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 09:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (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 07:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)

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)

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 04:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

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 03:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

After a couple of weeks of less-than-stellar weather, it was a nice belated birthday present to see the sun come out here in the Inner Sunset. As Comcast Internet is down at home, it gave me yet another reason to get out of the house and post away at the Canvas Gallery, one of the many free WiFi spots here in the neighborhood.

Don't let those tales of MUNI woe or those mean folks on wheels get you down - get outside and get to the park and enjoy our remaining days of summer!

Also, loyal reader Steve Rhodes alerted me to the Bernal Heights Outdoor Cinema, which will be showing the short film N-Judah by Sam Green, on September 2nd. Apparently the short is available as a features on this DVD as well!

Thanks for the heads up, Steve!

Posted by Greg Dewar at 11:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

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 01:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

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)

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 05:51 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 09:34 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 06:54 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 08:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)