Muni Diaries

Ever wonder how the gods see Muni? Us, too. Eric Fischer has gone and outdone himself with the above image. According to Mr. Fischer:

“Average speed at each location according to NextBus, April 13 – May 21, 2010. Black is stopped (less than 3 mph). Red is slow (3-5 mph). Blue is normal operating speed (5-9 mph). Yellow is fast service (9-19 mph). Green is rapid movement (faster than 19 mph).”

Who knew Muni data could be so purty? I’m going to think of this next time I’m stuck on a metro car in a tunnel.

Oh, but our boy Eric isn’t done just yet:

“Average speed at each location according to NextBus, April 13 – May 21, 2010. Each level of gray represents a speed increment of 0.1 mph, up to a threshold of 24 mph.”

24 mph, eh? I’d like, just once, to be on that bus.

Photo by chainsmokingbluemonkey

Sean at Noisebeard is newish to San Francisco and not at all fazed by the schizophrenic relationship we riders have with the beast we call Muni. Instead, Sean has chosen to embrace the crazy.

Most people I know who also have to ride the bus around often complain about it. It’s crowded, slow, and pretty unreliable sometimes, especially on weekends. I don’t need to defend any of those claims because they’re 100% true. But I think what people overlook is the social complexity that Muni offers.

People of all sorts ride the bus for whatever reason. At any time of the day, the buses are pretty crowded. Living in a city with around 900,000 people in the “proper” area, there’s never a dull moment.

I love riding the bus. I like the weird people that join me in the ride. I see something new every day. I see the same drivers on my routes looking totally complacent and care-free. I see the old Asian men and women carting home their bundles of Chinatown goodies. I see the mid 20s hipster chicks with their denim-painted tights and iPod/iPhone headphones dangling around their scarf. I see the Tenderloin crack heads holding onto mortality and falling at every lurch in the bus’s path. I see it all. Every social paradigm someone could conjure up ends up on Muni eventually. It’s the ultimate people watching venue.

Continue reading Sean’s post at Noisebeard to find out how this newcomer avoids Muni frustration.