Your place to share stories on and off the bus.
Fresh from the New York Transit Museum, here’s a little holiday cheer! Brooklynite Cheryl Berkowitz has cleverly turned the subway map into a menorah! Oh, and can somebody make this Dr. Dre dreidel a part of your evening in the next couple of days?
If you’re into maps like I am, here’s a sleek San Francisco transit map you might like.
It almost doesn’t matter whether you ride every day or just from time to time: Muni isn’t the cleanest place in the world. And the question then, for germophobes and non-germophobes alike, becomes: Is the risk of contagious diseases on public transit higher, the same, or lower than it is in other public places.
Buried somewhat in an article on the topic by the Public Transport page on About.com, Christopher MacKechnie has this tidbit:
The risk appeared to be more focused on occasional transit users, with regular riders being somewhat less susceptible to falling ill. One theory is that regular riders may develop protective antibodies against the kind of infections likely to be found on public transit.
It’s a nice thought, and one that I more or less believe applies to everyday life, not just on public transit.
I stumbled upon the post thanks to Driver Doug. On Facebook, a few of Doug’s friends agree with me:
- I ride Muni to get my flu shot.
- Doctor’s orders: ride Muni one hour a day and take two aspirin and some lozenges.
That made me curious: Have you ever been sick and blamed Muni? If so, do you ride more or less daily, or do you dabble in it?
Photo by Tantek Çelik
NextBus is least accurate during peak commute time, with the 82X, 28, Muni Metro Bus Shuttle, 81X, and 39 routes ranking the lowest in prediction accuracy, according to a new study by Swyft, a mobile transit app. The study looked at NextBus prediction data from August 2015, comparing it to actual arrival times, and defines accuracy as “if the actual arrival time of the vehicle is anywhere between 30 seconds earlier and 4 minutes later than the predicted arrival time.” The study found that the most accurate routes were the 6-Haight/Parnassus, 35-Eureka, the 88 BART Shuttle.
The annual survey of Muni riders found that we’re all a little happier this year, with nearly two-thirds of survey respondents saying that they would rate the transit service as excellent or good, according to SFGate. And guess what else we like? Our fellow passengers! Seventy-one percent of those surveyed said that most passengers are considerate (such as leaving uplifting messages for each other!), while 27% disagreed, probably thinking of this guy. Does this explain why our WTF section has been a little thin lately?
Let’s see what your fellow happy Muni riders like the best:
What do people say they want? In order of preference:
SFGate has the details on the survey, conducted this summer of 568 randomly selected Muni riders.
Just because we don’t drink a big glass of haterade for breakfast any more doesn’t mean you don’t have any Muni stories worth retelling. Our inbox is always thirsty for your slice of life in San Francisco.
Photo by @yourmario
In a swift defeat of what could very well be the dumbest idea to hit San Francisco ever (and there sure is stiff competition in that realm), the Super Bowl planning committee has withdrawn their own plan to remove Muni’s overhead trolley wires around Justin Herman Plaza.
The SF Examiner has the story:
A representative of the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee apparently said in a phone call to Supervisor Jane Kim’s office that after some analysis the committee decided it would not move through with plans to remove Muni wires.
There was no mention during the phone call of the public backlash to the plan, according to Kim’s office.
Great news, although, as Market Street Railway points out, the F-Market route will essentially be cut in half, with bus substitutes running west up Market Street and streetcars remaining along the Embarcadero. Several bus routes will be rerouted as well.
About the wires, though, Kim had this to say:
“I’m gratified that the Super Bowl 50 committee took another look at the idea of removing overhead Muni wires for the Super Bowl festival, and decided not to pursue that idea. The impact on commute times and work productivity for the folks that make San Francisco work would have been burdensome, not to mention the possible consequences for bicyclist and pedestrian safety. Those were my greatest concerns, so I’m happy that this was resolved.”
You can read the whole story over at the Examiner’s site.
Done and done. No need for the petition. But please don’t stop sharing your rad photos of Muni wires!
Photo by Lynn Friedman