For what it’s worth, Mayor Lee’s spokesperson later told StreetsBlog SF:
In the next four years, Mayor Lee will partner with Ed Reiskin and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) to boost Muni’s on-time performance and run it more efficiently with work rule reforms, new technologies and our Transit Effectiveness Project. We will invest in refurbishing tracks, buses and railcars. And we will expand the City’s public transit system for the future, with express bus lanes on Geary and Van Ness and the construction of the Central Subway to link jobs and housing in SoMa and Mission Bay to neighborhoods north and south.
We hope that now that he’s got his next four years settled, Mayor Lee will reach out to the community of people who care about Muni.
Muni and bike rider Helen watched her bike get crunched falling off the bike rack on Muni the other day.
I am curious to know from other bike riders if they have ever put a bike on Muni and had if fall out and then run over by the bus?
I put my new Fuji Absolute Hybrid 3.0 with all the bells and whistles on it. I had only rode it for two weeks. It was rainy and dark, and the bus driver didn’t make much eye contact with me. I put the bike in and put the lever lock over the wheel at about 1 or 2 pm. I shook it to make sure it was stable. Then when we were going downhill I heard a HUGE crunch.
Sadly, my bike is really messed up, but the frame is still ok. I do have renter’s insurance, but that has a $250 deductible. Has anyone had any luck getting a claim money back from the City Attorney’s office for a bike falling off of the rack? The Muni supervisor on scene stated that it happens. I’m so bummed out because I loved my new bike and spent a lot of time fixing it up. It also had all of its original components. On Muni’s website it says that you use the bikeracks at your own risk and they aren’t responsible for any damages.
The SFMTA’s “Bikes on Muni” page has information on how to put your bike on the racks, with an accompanying video. We posted a how-to rap video in 2009 here on Muni Diaries. And Helen was correct that you’re putting your bikes on the Muni bike rack at your own risk, even though we’ve known helpful Muni drivers who lend a hand. Cyclists have also told us about bikes being stolen off the racks. Be careful out there, everybody.
Update: A benefit concert and radio tribute are planned for this Friday, Nov. 11, and Sunday, Nov. 13. Details.
We’re saddened to get word that Jesse Morris, whom you may know as “Punk Rock Johnny Cash” and one of the most beloved BART buskers, died on Sunday. This morning, our own Ed Casey alerted us that friends and fans on Reddit and Facebook have been posting tributes to Jesse. We also heard from several of Jesse’s friends about the sad news.
Many of you have seen Jesse performing at BART — we first wrote about Jesse in 2009 on BART Diaries. Jesse was interviewed by BART.gov and talked about why he likes playing in BART stations:
“The acoustics are good down here, the people are friendly,” he says. “They stop and listen, they tip, they smile … I have a good time down here.”
Although Morris has a night job at a bar, and writes and plays original material with his band, Jesse and the Man Cougars, he keeps coming back to play at BART.
“I consider it a job,” he says. “Just like some people might work in an office, I work at the station entertaining people. I get to do what I love, and I can make a living at it.”
How did you name your band? Jesse came to rehearsal and teased the “old guys” for having young, beautiful girlfriends, saying, “You guys are like a bunch of man cougars.” And the name stuck.
Photographer Bill Cendak shared this photograph of Jesse with us, taken at a band practice at Lennon Studios on Nov. 2, 2011. Jesse Morris and the Man Cougars were due to play at the Uptown this Friday. Cendak has been photographing Jesse Morris and the Man Cougars ever since the band started.
Jesse’s presence made a big impression on photographer Troy Holden, who pointed us to this portrait of Jesse at the 24th Street BART station.
“I see this fellow once each week playing Johnny Cash cover tunes. When I asked him if I could take his portrait, he flipped me off. Not until later did his gesture register with me.”
Jesse was referencing this iconic photo of Johnny Cash, taken in 1969 during his San Quentin performance.
Reader Jenner sent us a photo of Jesse and the Man Cougars at Bender’s earlier this year.
Here’s an older photo of Jesse at the Montgomery BART station.
If you are a friend, family, or fan of Jesse Morris, we would like to hear from you. Please comment or email us at muni.diaries.sf@gmail.com and help us honor a great musician who brought light to our daily transit experience.
Update (3:21 p.m.): Sad news, you guys. The victim, whose name hasn’t been released, has taken a turn for the worse. SFGate reports that her condition has gone from serious to critical.
Original post: An M-Ocean View struck a pedestrian at 19th Avenue and Junipero Serra yesterday evening. According to Bay City News (via SF Appeal):
The 19-year-old pedestrian was struck by a Muni vehicle on the M-Ocean View line. She suffered head trauma and was taken to San Francisco General Hospital, where she was in serious but stable condition as of this morning, according to police.
It’s unclear whether the vehicle was an M-Ocean View light-rail or shuttle bus; SF Weekly reports that it was a bus, while SF Appeal says it was an LRV. We’ll update as we learn more about the incident.
