49-Van Ness demolishes bus shelter

MissionMission reader Blake sent that site photos after a 49-Van Ness plowed into and destroyed the bus stop at the corner of 24th Street and Mission this afternoon. No one was hurt, according to NBC, and the driver was placed on non-driving status. No word yet on what caused the bus to jump the curb. MM commenter “Mulch” says he was on the bus, and that no one was injured. Thank the Flying Spaghetti Monster!


All photos courtesy Mission Mission reader Blake’s friend Renna’s Facebook page

Weekend Photos: First of 2011

Civic Center MUNI Station, San Francisco
Photo by Franco Folini

What’s new in the world of Muni in the first week of the year? Here we go:

  • Muni’s got a deficit — brace for more parking tickets (SFGate)
  • San Francisco settles 11 Muni lawsuits (ABC 7/KGO)
  • New year, same old problem; SFMTA faced with $21 million budget deficit (SF Public Press)
  • What Would an Ed Lee Administration Mean for Sustainable Transportation? (Streetsblog SF)
  • Nearly half of Muni drivers are unavailable on any given day (SF Examiner)
  • Hearing scheduled on Muni switchbacks (SF Examiner)
  • Leona Bridges Sworn in as SFMTA Board Director at City Hall Ceremony (Streetsblog SF)

Enjoy your weekend and these photos, and don’t forget to keep your diaries coming!

East Meets West
Photo by Jeremy Brooks

Folsom Street Platform
Photo by tofuart

market at 5th
Photo by Meligrosa

International Public Transit Rules

taipei MRT
Photo by Jennifer

A little holiday traveling to Taipei reminded me that, just like there are unspoken rules in gyms, there are unspoken rules on public transit all over the world. For example, when riding the subway in Taipei, you’ll see that nobody sits in the reserved seats no matter how crowded or empty the train is. And if those seats are taken, everyone seems to offer up their seats when an elderly person gets onboard. Everyone seems to stand on the right side of the escalator even though the city’s transit authority had stopped encouraging standing on right hand side some time ago. I saw a sign encouraging riders to hold on tight to the escalator handrails: “The handrails have been sanitized regularly.” Hmm.

I thought about unspoken rules on Muni:
– Move back.
– Watch your backpack so you don’t hit people in the face.
– Step down to exit and yell “Backdoor!” for the uninitiated.

What else?

Letting out at Sacramento and Fillmore

Project 365 — 5/365 — Sacramento Fillmore Muni Stop
Photo by Roshan Vyas

Roshan has this disgusting and far-too-common story to share:

This shelter is at Sacramento and Fillmore in Pacific Heights, in front of the Marc by Marc Jacobs store. One morning last summer, when the old shelter was in place, I was walking to the stop to take the 1 to work. The sun was still rising and blinding anyone walking up Sacramento, so I was squinting when I approached and noticed no one was actually standing under the shelter. Usually one or two people are, even on a nice day.

As I got closer, I noticed why no one was standing there: In the middle of the covered shelter area, someone had left a giant pile of poop. This was no dog dropping either. This was human. Everyone was rightly standing outside the shelter and I joined them there.

Checking my phone while waiting for the 1, I noticed the following email from my other half, who had left for work 10 minutes earlier.

Subject: Alert! Poop at muni stop!!!!!
Body: Watch out!

Indeed. It was quite the harrowing experience and made for a great story.

As the day went on, questions like “Who would do that?!” and “Who is responsible for cleaning that up?!” came up. Was it the City? Was it a neighborhood association? Was it Marc?

When I got home that night, the pile was gone, but a giant stain remained. Not only that, some of the substance was also left behind as footprints walking away from the pile. Someone had accidentally stepped right in it! How could that happen?! My theory is that it was someone getting off the back of the 1 during the day, who just jumped off the Muni looking forward to getting some Peet’s coffee and maybe a $50 dog bowl at Jonathan Adler.

Little did they know that their day, their summer, was about to be ruined.

That person’s experience is why I now take a moment to look down before jumping off the Muni. If you are waiting behind me, now you know.

You were warned.

Share your Muni stories, photos, video, and ephemera here on Muni Diaries.

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