Your place to share stories on and off the bus.
Photo by AgentAkit
Muni rider Katy G. asks the following:
I am trying translink for the first time and was wondering if there are any demagnitization issues with the cards. I carry an electronic ID for work, a smart phone and would like to avoid that hassel.
Surely they’ve got to be better than BART cards when it comes to demagnetization. Surely.
Any TransLink cardholders out there care to weigh in?
Rider Joanna told us about a website called StreetSounds that chronicles the sound landscape of U.S. cities to a “sound map.” You can upload audio clips from your everyday life and download clips from other users. Joanna, who does outreach for the site, also happens to be a public transit fan. “Anyone who lives in San Francisco knows that Muni is a big part of the sonic world here,” she says. In fact, one of her first uploads was a clip recorded from the 21 Hayes, she told us.
StreetSounds is an offshoot of The Smalls, an online “curator” of independent films. StreetSounds says that there will be an independent film competition based on the sounds submitted, so stay tuned for that.
I checked out the site and heard clips of BART swooshing by, a spoon scraping the bottom of a cereal bowl, a sidewalk musician playing keyboard, and boots clicking down Jackson Street. I love the idea of an audio cross-section of the city, sort of like the Muni playlist that we did awhile back. We’ve gotten some great and always unexpected sounds from your daily Muni rides, like a Metallica singalong, mispronounced street names, and a music video incorporating the sound of an articulated 71 bus.
So what are some of your favorite sounds of your life in San Francisco, and aboard Muni? StreetSounds and Muni Diaries want to know!
Sunday’s 22-Fillmore accident is like a really bad Rube Goldberg situation. We’ve got a customer falling out of the wheelchair lift, sustaining unknown injuries, then 20 minutes later the bus lurches forward and the wheelchair lift nails a fire hydrant, lifting it off the sidewalk, hitting a Muni inspector, and flooding the area.
From SFMTA’s official statement:
At approximately 5:45 p.m., a customer exiting a 22 Fillmore electric trolley bus fell from the extended wheelchair lift of the vehicle, which was stopped (pointed southbound) on Fillmore Street at Haight Street (the northwest corner).
The customer was transported to the hospital with unknown injuries.
At approximately 6:05 p.m., the Muni bus moved forward and the wheelchair lift hit a fire hydrant and sheared it from the sidewalk. The cause of the bus’s movement is under investigation.
The fire hydrant reportedly struck a Muni Inspector who had responded to the incident. The Inspector was treated at the scene.
Water from the hydrant reportedly caused flooding in at least one nearby building.
The intersection of Haight/Fillmore was closed by the SFPD and Muni buses serving the 6 Parnassus, 71 Haight-Noriega and 22 Fillmore were re-routed around the affected area.
Per normal procedure, the Muni Operator will be placed on non-driving status and tested for drugs and alcohol.
The scene cleared and regular Muni service was restored at 7:35 p.m.
Matt Baume and Eve Batey at SFAppeal put together a great report on the incident, complete with a slideshow (above). Someone from the city was handing out claim forms to people who own buildings or stores in the area, Matt reports.
All photos by Flickr user jjutt
Well, despite today’s accident involving the M-Ocean View and a car, it was a way better week for Muni. Right?
Don’t forget to make your voice heard concerning the upcoming MTA budget. Town hall meetings are being held tomorrow and Tuesday. Meetings will be held at 1 South Van Ness Avenue, 2nd Floor Atrium at 10 a.m. Saturday, and 6 p.m. Tuesday.
In other Muni-related news this week:
Closer to the site, we’re thrilled to have an amazing new contributor to our Muni Photos Flickr pool: Meet jjutt, whose photos adorn this week’s Weekend Photos. Have a nice one. See you Monday!
So I just straight-up took this photo from Amy (augustincic)’s Twitter feed without asking. Sorry about that. Just too gal-dang cute to pass up. All that Amy had to say was: “Following Muni rules!” Damn straight.
As the owner of a snout-deficient pooch myself, this absolutely kills me.
Jim Herd from San Francisco Citizen sent us this warning that “day time dating expert” Jeremy Soul is holding a one-day Pickup Artist Bootcamp this Saturday, when they will go out on the streets and find some hot ladies in the Union Square area. Specifically, the advertisement suggests that the smooth talkers find themselves a hot date on Muni.
Yeah. You read that right. More from Jim:
All right, here’s the elevator pitch for Saturday’s workshop. And, oh yes, “tram” is English English for MUNI.
“Find a HOT Date next time you’re on the Tram! Find out how.
Modern men lead such fast paced urban lifestyles they don’t have time to go out after work and meet women. Through a combination of classroom and in-field training, men can learn the latest skills and techniques to meet, attract and date beautiful women in any setting during the day – all in about 8 hours!
“Meeting women in daytime environments, aka Day Game, is scary to most men. But Jeremy Soul and his elite team of Day Game coaches have spent years learning this skill and can teach it to you.”
(Read more about this on SFCitizen, including a link to Jeremy Soul’s promo video. At your own risk, ok?)
Oh “Pickup Artists.” That is so…2005. According to SF Citizen, the classes are $1500 per person. The classes look like they are only for hetero males (yes, ladies, lucky us). When a reporter joined Jeremy Soul for one of his day time bootcamps, Mr. Soul reportedly charmed a woman on the street by commenting on her “smooth skin.” Creepy!
I wonder what Mr. Soul would say about this pickup line:
“Is your shirt expensive? Because you look so hot in it, I would totally rip it off of you right now, and I would totally replace it, if it’s not too expensive.”
True story. Someone actually used this pickup line on me and I nearly peed my pants in delight thinking about retelling it to my girlfriends. And this Saturday, ladies, you’ll have the same opportunity. If you spot any of the Pickup Artists Bootcampers, be sure to tell us about it. I can hardly wait.