Photo Diary: Generations on Muni
Photo by Justin Beck.
Be Mindful When Riding Muni With Your Bike
Photo by Pete Boyd
Amy requests your attention, especially if you transport your bicycle on Muni buses:
When I was getting on the bus, the driver told me they’ve had a rash of bikes being stolen off the front of buses.
I had my U-lock going frame to wheel but from the way he was trying to pick it up, his intentions were to run off with it, not ride it away.
I’ve heard of bikes being stolen from buses before, but dismissed it as a rumor or rarity. Clearly this is not the case.
The few other times I’ve used Muni to transport my bike I’d watch it but not as closely. If the arm on the bus wasn’t broken it would have been gone in seconds.
Be careful out there, Muni-riding cyclists.
A new type of crime on Muni?
Photo by kurafire
Brian sends the following dispatch:
Just a quick note about a new (or new to me?) type of crime on Muni.
. then he came out later with a few items.. possibly the stack of transfers and something else? He was definitely NOT a MUNI employee. Afterwards he just sort of walked away, nonchalant like nothing happened. I think most of the other people on the platform were confused like me.. thinking, “Wait, did that guy just break into a active train?”
We’re checking with SFMTA and SFPD about whether this has been reported. Stay tuned.
Have you seen anything like this?
Twins out and about via Muni
Rick shares some photos his children’s caretaker shot of his twins riding Muni.
[One is] shot of them on their way to Dolores Park on the J looking like Buzz Lightyear and Mae West.
[Here] they were on their way on the 44 from Glen Park to the Academy of Sciences.
Both shots were taken by our caregiver, Sydney Shannon on her iPhone. The three of them take lots of trips out to lots of places on Muni and BART.
They are happy transit kids.
We approve. Thanks, Rick!
Who has a case of the Mondays?
Photo by Beth W.
Ah. Very well, then.
Chasing Muni for the Endanger Bus Photo Contest
Photo by Todd Gilens
We’re extending the Endanger Bus Photo Competition until May 20th because the buses are going to be in circulation for a few more weeks! That means you still have the chance to win $150 and publication in Bay Nature magazine. These beautifully wrapped buses are the results of a brilliant idea by artist Todd Gilens, who chased down a few of the buses and had a Muni diary of his own:
Buses move slowly when you are on them waiting to get to your destination. But they move very quickly when you are trying to photograph them – and it’s amazing how chaotic the streets are. I was chasing the Butterflybus on the 71 down Noriega toward the beach. A friend was driving; we kept passing the bus, jumping out, then letting it pass us while trying to get a good background, light, etc. Trucks would pull up, the bus wouldn’t stop where we expected, poles were ending up smack in the middle of a shot, it was hard to tell if we got anything.
At the end of the line the driver asked me what we were up to. I told him about the project and about endangered animals and insects. He said, oh yes there used to be a lot more different kinds; now mostly ants. Ha, we both laugh – Argentine ants, he adds. Transit is also an ecosystem, I said. The bus driver agreed and said that the competitors are mostly cars. Time to go; we shake hands, “Nice talking with you!” and off he goes. The light behind me now, I try to get a few last shots as the bus turns onto 47th heading back downtown.
Did you see an Endanger bus today?
Details:
Find the Endangered Species buses and catch them with your camera in motion or at rest.
Enter up to four images by emailing them to endangerbuscontest@baynature.org (minimum 1500 pixels in length or width)
To find the buses, use the real-time bus tracker on Bay Nature’s Endanger Bus page.
Prizes
First place receives $150 and publication in Bay Nature Magazine.
Second place receives two tickets to the San Francisco Zoo and two $10 Clipper Cards.
Five other entrants will be picked at random to receive $10 clipper cards.
ENTRY DEADLINE: 11 p.m., May 20th, 2011.