Horrible Budget Ideas from the Geniuses at Muni (SFMTA)

On February 4th, the SFMTA Board of Directors had a special meeting covering various issues and topics.  One of the topics they covered is the upcoming fiscal year budget by showing a PowerPoint presentation.  Thanks to the public disclosure laws, we are able to view the materials the board gets to see.

To view the budget presentation, click here.

A lot of the material was all blah blah blah that wouldn't matter to me, but I found a chunk of information that made me quite frustrated that SFMTA employees would try to make the Board even think about accepting.

If anyone recalled the Mayor Frank Jordan era, Muni decided to implement a new fare structure where passengers had to pay an extra 50 cent fee to ride express buses or pay for a premium Muni pass, and eliminated all transfers.  The citizens hated it so much that Muni decided months later to restore transfers and kill the premium fees for all express buses.

So here's the stuff that made me go nuts:

Page 10: Automatic Indexing
The SFMTA is going to raise the price of its fare products by 3% for the 2015 and 2016 fiscal years.  What this basically means is your Muni fare will increase from $2 to $2.25 ($0.75 to $1 for youth, seniors, and disabled), and monthly passes will rise two dollars for adults and one dollar for discount passes.  Some of the fare products like visitor passports and cable car fares will remain the same.

#Muni wants to consider making the F-Market equal to the Cable Car single ride fare ($6). Are you FUCKING NUTS?
— Akit (@AgentAkit) February 5, 2014

Pages: 15 and 16: Possible Revenue Sources
I thought they've gone insane by proposing these ideas to generate extra money:

1. They want to raise the price of riding the F-Market historic streetcar line.  On top of the regular Muni fare, a premium surcharge will be $1 per adult, and $0.50 discount for eligible people.
2. Or instead of a surcharge, one idea is to charge passengers the equivalent fare that Cable Car passengers pay at $6 per single ride on the F-Market.
3. For passengers who ride the limited lines and peak express bus lines, a surcharge on top of the regular single ride Muni fare of $1 for adults and $0.50 discount for eligible passengers.
4. A policy to ban "M" Muni Only adult passes to ride the limited and express bus lines, therefore forcing those passengers to either pay for a "A" Muni premium pass or pay the FULL MUNI FARE + SURCHARGE if they only have the "M" pass.
5. A plan to increase visitor passport fares by $1 or $5.
6. A plan to increase the "A" pass $2 above indexed price due to BART's increased cost for rides within San Francisco.

However, since the Clipper card would be responsible for many of the fare and pass transactions, it will come at a big cost to Muni to modify the fare structure.  They estimate it will cost more than $250,000 to have the Clipper software rewritten with the new rules, but also have to tackle the Title VI equity analysis.

#Muni also wants to charge extra fare for express buses & limited lines? Or if you have "M" pass, pay FULL FARE?  Are you FUCKING HIGH?
— Akit (@AgentAkit) February 5, 2014

Pages 17 to 20: Possible Revenue Reductions
So by raising money (as seen above), the agency also wants to lose money in their real stupid ideas:

1. The SFMTA wants to continue the free Muni for youth program at an expense of $2.7 million for the 2015 fiscal year, and $2.8 million for the 2016 fiscal year.
2. The agency also wants to extend the free Muni for youth program to include 18 year olds which will balloon the program's expenses to $3.6 million for 2015 FY, and $3.7 million for 2016 FY.
3. If the agency considers number two, they will also have to rewrite what "youth fare" means for passengers.  By redefining it to say it's good for 18 year old passengers, Muni is expected to lose up to $2.1 million in fare revenue.
4. If the agency decides to eliminate Sunday meter parking fees, the loss would be about $9.3 to $9.5 million a year in revenue.  This takes into account the agency's estimated 'cost savings' for killing the Sunday meter program.
5. If a proposal to give free Muni to seniors and disabled passengers is approved, upon the assumption that 50% of citizens are eligible, Muni is going to lose at least $4 million in revenue, and if it's increased to 67% are eligible, Muni is going to lose at least $6 million.

Free #Muni for seniors where up to 50 to 60% would qualify?  You got to be kidding.  75 cents a ride is damn cheap. Cost program: $4M to 6M.
— Akit (@AgentAkit) February 5, 2014

Akit's Angry Opinions
I've never seen such stupid ideas in my life.  So let's go down the list of their bad ideas.

1. New adult fare at $2.25 a ride will definitely slow down the system for passengers paying the farebox; although, the agency would consider giving passengers who pay with Clipper a fare discount as a way to encourage more usage and speed boarding times.
2. I really don't like the idea of charging any premium fee for the F-Market route, especially for those who live near the F-Market line along the Embarcadero.  Why punish the average citizen who can't afford the parking rates and make them pay extra to get to their house or workplace?  The F-Market has been the perfect alternative for visitors and citizens to get to Fisherman's Wharf without paying the insane Cable Car single fare fee of $6 a ride.
3. What I hate even more is if Muni charges a $6 fee for the F-Market, equal to the Cable Car fare.  If anyone recalls the 74X CultureBus, a premium Muni bus service, they were charging a very high premium fare of $7 a ride (went up to $10), and because of the high fare for passengers, died a horrible death because of severe lack of ridership.
4. I am very against the idea of making all limited lines and peak express lines a premium fare service.  If anyone recalls this, I reported back in 2010 that Muni attempted to make the express lines a premium fare service and rejecting "M" passes, but finally decided in September 2010 to not go forward with the idea.  Some people have to commute long distances on Muni, and the limited and peak express buses helps get them to their destination in a respective amount of time.  If there's a premium fee, it will force people who can't afford the extra cost to take the much slower local buses.  But how about the people who live west of 43rd Avenue and Geary?  The only bus line from 48th Avenue to 43rd is the 38L-Geary Limited inbound line, and will you force the elderly and disabled who live deep in the Outer Richmond district to walk several blocks just to save money?
5. If Muni says okay to a premium fare for limited or express buses, I'm very against having "M" pass passengers get their passes rejected and being forced to pay the regular fare PLUS the premium fee.  At least give these people some respect by either honoring the pass and charging a small surcharge or honor the pass as full fare with premium.
6. I've never liked the idea of giving out free passes to kids.  I applauded the MTC board for saying screw you to the kids on the idea of spending public money for free rides for the youth, only to have the SFMTA board decide to spend its own cash for the pilot program.  And the youth responded by humiliating themselves in the news media by getting angry (here, take a look at a Chronicle picture of a kid so upset he's not getting free rides on the bus).  Renewing the program comes at a huge expense to us taxpayers.  Remember kids, the price you pay for Muni rides today is the best offer versus all the other major transit agencies in the Bay Area.  And, you get a FREE TRANSFER.
7. Oh, and let's not forget the idea to give seniors and disabled passengers free rides too.  Where do you think that money comes from?  The public's pockets.  I wonder how many people will try to fraud Muni and the MTC who issues the disabled IDs.  Get a crooked doctor to sign-off paperwork and why not apply for a shot a free rides on Muni for life?  Sounds similar to people who cheat the disabled parking placard system.
8. Last but not least, let's talk about the end of the Sunday meter fees.  I think charging for Sunday meters is a great idea because business districts gets more turnover (more customers), there's more available parking, and for anyone who doesn't want to pay the meter fees, can opt to ride Muni as an alternative.  When Sunday meters was free, visiting neighborhoods with major parking issues like Irving Street from 19th to 27th Avenue was horrible; cars wouldn't move for hours and some people would double park forever waiting like a vulture for an open space.  So keep the Sunday meters running.

A lot of times, Muni's 'smart people' likes to rattle the cage and think of these harebrained ideas, including restoring programs like charging a premium fee for express buses when it utterly failed in mere months over 20 years ago.  Some of these ideas won't likely be implemented because it will anger the public, but some might fly without a doubt like continuing to give the kids free rides.

When Muni pulls these ideas out of their ass, I'm very grumpy.  I would spit on their grave if there was one (can anyone find the CultureBus gravestone?), but for now, it's just ranting on this blog.

If you feel the need to express your opinions about Muni's ideas to raise money and give out more free crap, contact your city supervisor.

Youth Clipper Card Applicant Process Streamlined - Photo Requirement Eliminated for AC Transit 31-Day Pass Eligibility

New word from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission is all youth Clipper card users can now obtain their AC Transit 31-day passes without the need to have a specialized Clipper card with their photo on it (only issued by AC Transit).  This also allows all youth card applicants to be able to apply through any transit agency's ticket office, email, or fax.

The Commission stated the AC Transit Board of Directors eliminated the photo on card requirement because it was a hindrance to all youth in the transit service area to get a specialized card to be eligible to purchase the 31-day pass.

In the Past
Before the change in this policy, any youth needing to purchase a 31-day pass for AC Transit must obtain a special Clipper card that's only issued by AC Transit.  The special card requires the youth to have their photo taken by AC Transit staff and put on the card.

For youth without the special AC Transit endorsed Clipper card, the passenger did not have the option to purchase a 31-day pass on their card, but was still eligible to pay the youth single-ride fare with e-cash.

For youth needing the specialized card, this was a frustrating process for them.  No other transit agency required youth card applicants to go through the additional hoops, and that caused massive delays for AC Transit, upset parents who could not get the cards in time for the school year, and youth forced to pay cash fare and spend more money than the price of a pass.

Also, for any youth cardholder that lost their card, the card can only be re-issued by AC Transit, unlike the various and easier methods to obtain a replacement for non-AC Transit youth card users.

Akit's Opinions
It's a great step to streamlining the process, but the question I want to ask AC Transit is: Why did you create a policy to put a photo on each youth card?  They knew the Clipper card program will be reaching millions of Bay Area citizens and the number of applicants was going to explode when the 31-day youth mag stripe pass was to be eliminated and only be sold on Clipper cards, and other transit agencies don't take a photograph at all.

What was really the point?  Prevent parents from stealing the card and riding the buses for cheap?  Like the bus drivers even care to look at one's card or ask questions.  They hear the single beep, and all is well.

The possibility of card abuse is real.  But by not streamlining the youth card applicant process that's universal with other transit agencies, it definitely outweighs the number of adults abusing the youth card's special privileges.

What's Worse Than Nail Clipping on Muni? Using Your Speakerphone

The annoying ass perp in pink.

I've blogged in the past about people who have done some annoying stuff on Muni (see questions and thoughts while riding Muni).  Number one was nail clipping because the sound is so irritating, but I think I found my new number one annoyance while riding Muni.

If you've watched the season premiere of South Park, it showed an irritated Kyle who is frustrated at Eric Cartman for having conversations on his cell phone by using his speakerphone everywhere he goes.

But while that happened in the animated television world, it happened on Saturday early afternoon when I was taking the 44 bus going northbound.  When the bus was in Golden Gate Park to stop in front of the Academy of Sciences, I saw a woman pull out her smartphone and was making a phone call.  All seemed normal at that point until I started hearing the automated telephone greeting through her speakerphone.

The entire back half the bus can hear the automated message on her phone and she was able to connect to a telephone operator to ask questions and get responses.  To make matters even more amusing, it was a conversation with the operator that would be confidential or a private matter, such as calling your credit card company or your doctor.  She continued having the conversation back and forth between the operator, and I can hear the conversation while I was listening to music with my headphones.  I snapped a couple of pictures of her so I can humiliate her on my blog, Twitter, and Instagram accounts.

Get off the bus and chat.

The people around me was rolling their eyes at her while the conversation kept going on, and it finally stopped when she exited the bus at 6th Avenue and Geary.  Thank my patience for not outbursting and telling her to shut the hell up or stop using the speakerphone, because I was getting close to doing just that.

Are some people so oblivious these days they'd pull a stunt like that on public transit?  It's a private conversation you fool!  Even the automated message on the bus reminds passengers to refrain from using their cell phones to prevent crime; it should also be a crime to yack on your cell phone with the speaker on.

The Ten Annoyances Akit Experiences Almost Daily

I haven't blogged in weeks!  Things have been quite busy at my job and now I have a little relief to blog again.

Being a native San Franciscan has its perks, you always know the fastest way on Muni and alternate routes to get to where you need to go, you know the restaurants that are good and pure crap, and you have a bullshit alarm.  I'm quite an observant person and that bullshit alarm goes off a ton of times for people doing some stupid crap on the streets of my city; so I want to highlight them:

(1) Idiot Pedestrians - There's nothing worse than the entitled pricks who thinks it's absolutely okay to cross a street against a red signal or jaywalk; and then there are those super entitled pricks who cross in front of an approaching car, as shown in the video above.

(2) Nail Clipping - Nail clipping ain't cool in public.  Just yesterday while riding the 6-Parnassus, a lady sitting behind me was clipping her nails during for about 10 minutes.  After she finished clipping her nails, I could hear her feet shuffle and her hands sweeping from her clothing; SHE WAS LITTERING HER CLIPPINGS ON THE FLOOR!

(3) Hogging a Muni seat, WITH YOUR FEET - Come on people, don't put your feet on the seat, especially when the vehicle is standing room only.  You look like an asshole, and if it was legal, I'd slap you in the face.

(4) Parking #FAIL - It's something I always take with my cell phone when I'm walking the streets.  People think it's absolutely fine to park illegally where ever they want.  There might be that lucky chance the fine folks at the SFMTA will be around to give a nice fat ticket to the car, but likely car owners will get away with it; and even if they get a ticket, they'll say it's well worth that fine.  In the photo above, I caught this car on Saturday parked on 9th Avenue in front of Kiki's restaurant; having a disabled placard is not an excuse to park like an idiot.

(5) Bad bicycle riders - There are some good bicycle riders, then there are the ones who deserve to get hit by a car.  On Saturday, I was waiting my turn to cross the street directly across from the Exploratorium at Pier 15 and I see two bicyclists decide to go through the intersection while an incoming car was approaching and had the green light to proceed through the intersection.  If it wasn't for the actions of the driver to slam his brakes, swerve, and blow the horn, the two helmet-less bicyclists would have been likely dead.  Just yesterday, I can't believe how many people blow the stop signs on the bike route known as "the wiggle."

(6) Illegal U-Turns - Ever since I moved into the Inner Sunset district, I'm not too far away from the 9th Avenue business district.  I see tons of drivers making u-turns in the middle of the block, and most of the time, do it unsuccessfully in the first attempt.  It turns up to be more like a nine point turn.  But as you see in the video, making a u-turn in a business district is a traffic violation, and especially since 9th Avenue has metro rail tracks, those who u-turn might as well be lucky a train hasn't slammed into their car, because in the battle of Muni metro versus a car, Muni metro wins with a flawless victory.

(7) Bad neighbors - I hate my next door neighbors because they don't shut the hell up.  They like to talk loud with their window open at 3AM.  One night, the idiots decided to crank the music so loud, I can feel my walls vibrate.  At least when I yelled at them that I would threaten to call the cops, that's when they stopped.

(8) Stopping at intersections - Driving my car is stressful, especially when approaching an intersection.  I always follow the rules, such as stopping completely before the limit line, and at an all-way stop, making sure to go when it's supposed to be my turn.  But you always see those who pull a "California stop" by only slowing down at the limit line, but then hits the gas and goes through.  There's also those who go out-of-turn at the all-way stop intersections, which frustrates me because they know the basic rule: First come, first served, and if two vehicles stops at the same time, the right vehicle goes first.

(9) Last minute lane changes - Another instance of why I hate driving.  People try to make a last second lane change because they don't want to be in the turn lane they are in.  Here's a bad one I was nearly a victim of: Three lanes, a Muni bus in the far left lane, and I'm in the middle lane.  At the green light, the Muni bus speeds forward to cut me off and cut from the #1 lane to the #3 lane to reach the curb for the bus stop.  Not cool.

(10) - I'm leaving this one blank for you, my blog fans.  What would you suggest for number ten?  Leave a comment.

Parked Car Sticking Out Like a Thorn in Street - My Awkward Encounter with the Driver

This was the worst I've ever witnessed, but not any more.

If you follow me on Instagram or stare at my Twitter feed, I sometimes take photos of the most awkward parking fails I find.  Normally, it's those who takes more than one parking space at the local shopping mall by parking crooked, but this one I encountered sure beats the rest.

Sticking Out Like a Thorn
On my way home from work today (Monday), I was approaching my block to find a parking space, and noticed an older Toyota Carolla with its front end sticking out and blocking half of the traffic lane and its rear right tire into the curb.  When I saw it from a distance, I thought the person was just trying to parallel park the car, but after looking at it for several seconds, it didn't move.  Other vehicles had to turn wide just to avoid the car.

When I passed by the car, I saw two people in it, just sitting there doing nothing.  There was no hazard lights flashing and the engine was off.

Luckily, there was a parking space about 100 feet ahead and I parked my car.  When I was unloading my trunk, the car was still sticking out like a thorn in the roadway as I saw more cars having to swerve out of the way.

The Conversations
A lady with her baby carriage was walking down the sidewalk and looked at the car and the drivers.  As I walked up the hill, I spoke to the lady and she thought it was awkward that the two occupants are doing practically nothing with the car sticking out.

I walked towards the car and noticed a male driver and female passenger sitting shotgun; they looked like college age students around 18 or 19 years old.  Fearing the couple may be having some trouble, I asked them:  "Are you okay?  Is your car working?"

They looked at me with no answer.  I explained to them that they are sticking far out into traffic and said, "I pray to god you don't get hit or cause an accident by having other cars swerve into oncoming traffic."

As I walked into my house, I heard their car engine turn on, therefore the car wasn't in any trouble, and they just drove away like nothing ever happened.

That was just totally odd.  Were they high or stupid?

SF State/19th Avenue & Holloway Muni Metro Stop: Passengers Jumping from Platform

Would you dare to jaywalk across three lanes of traffic on one of San Francisco's busiest streets?

Let's take it up a notch, would you jump off a Muni metro platform and jaywalk across three lanes of traffic just so you don't miss your bus?

The fact is, this does happen.

View Larger Map

Take a look at the Google Maps image I've posted.  This is the metro platform stop for the M-Ocean View line at 19th Avenue and Holloway, in front of SF State.  You are looking at the east side (inbound) platform.

On some mornings, I notice passengers who just got off the inbound M-Ocean View line decide to jump off the platform and run across those three lanes of traffic just so they can take a shortcut to the bus stop that's on the sidewalk to catch the 17, 28, or 29 lines.  The first time I saw that, it was older Chinese women who was doing this, by risking their own life trying to make it across without getting hit by an incoming car.

While it's entirely possible to jump the platform and make it to the other side, the west (outbound) platform has a fence to prevent people from jumping, especially SF State students finding a cheap way to get across without walking down the ramp and using the crosswalk.  The city has installed fencing from Holloway to Winston to prevent jaywalking, especially at the track junction that was wildly popular and very illegal to get from one side of 19th to the SF State campus.  The city had to install the fencing because there have been some instances where people walking on the tracks was hit by a train or university police had to chase down someone on the active rail tracks.

It makes me wonder, why isn't there any fencing to prevent jumpers for the inbound side of the platform?  I wouldn't dare to attempt to jump from a platform and run across three lanes of traffic on the busiest and most dangerous road in San Francisco just to catch a bus.  I'd rather walk down the ramp and use the crosswalk, even if that meant missing the bus.  It's better for the city to prevent people getting mowed by a car than installing the barrier after the fact when someone's dead or in a coma.

Maybe I should text a tip to SFPD the next time I see it happen; never mind, since they don't read it in a timely manner.

Clothing Donation Bins Blocking City Parking Space & Meter - SF 311 & DPW Doesn't Care

For the past month, I've been noticing these white donation bins at the corner of Portola and Evelyn.  There used to be just one bin dropped off, but a second one showed-up just a couple of weeks ago.

What's unusual about this is the bins are dumped in a city parking space and in front of a city operated meter.  Since both bins take over a majority of the width of the parking stall, no vehicle can park there, therefore the city cannot generate any money on the meter.

My basic knowledge about these donation bins is they are supposed to be on private property with the permission of the land owner.  But this is on public property and I know the city would not welcome this, especially if its blocking a parking meter that makes money for the SFMTA.  If this bin was in a public metered parking space on Irving Street, you'd get a lot of ticked off people.

Contacting 311

I sent a tweet to San Francisco's 311 with the same photo you see on this blog entry.  I was expecting the city to give a proper response to get those bins removed as soon as they can... But here's the response I got back:

@agentakit As per SF DPW, they don't go out and collect the bins. You can call the 800 numbers on the bins. Thank you.^KH
— SF311 (@SF311) January 28, 2013

Seriously?  DPW wants me to call the bins in?  Wouldn't it be more effective for the city, SFMTA or DPW to make the phone call and demand it to be removed from public property?  The city's voice is much more powerful than a citizen making such a request.

311 got on my nerves.  Here's my response to those lazy pricks at 311 and DPW:

@sf311 I'm not calling them, the city should because they are losing parking revenue on a city meter.
— Akit (@AgentAkit) January 28, 2013

UPDATE 8:27AM:
It looks like I got the city's attention real fast:

@agentakit Issued SR#1944688.The City's goal is to inspect within 5 business days and require the responsible party to correct
— SF311 (@SF311) January 28, 2013

@agentakit immediately and/or issue a Correction Notice or Notice of Violation of the Public Works Code.Thank you. ^jr
— SF311 (@SF311) January 28, 2013

Akit's Opinion

I'm very disappointed at 311 for their laziness and DPW for making me do the job of calling them.  I reported the problem, and they should make the effort to remove it.  For all I care, get a forklift and remove it if the company who dumped it there in the first place doesn't take it away in 24 hours.

I don't know what kind of people the city hires to respond to 311 requests, but I've had my share of idiots responding back.  Here's one idiot who can't read where exactly the problem is:

@agentakit Please let us know which N stop specifically, and what type of pavement defect. If a pothole, how large, deep etc.Thank you.
— SF311 (@SF311) December 22, 2012

SF's 10 Cent Checkout Bag Ordinance - It's Stupid & Let's Repeal It

Why I shop in Daly City, SF continues to suck ass.

Starting on Monday, October 1, 2012, a revised city ordinance will change the way we shop and purchase items in San Francisco.

All plastic bags issued by all San Francisco retail establishments will be banned and will only be allowed to give out paper and reusable bags.  The law also requires a minimum ten cent charge per bag given to the customer.

The money collected by the vendors for the bags will be kept for their establishments to compensate for the higher cost of paper bags; none of the money collected will be given to the city.

Fines for non-compliance of the no plastic bag rule and failure to charge a minimum of ten cents per bag will range from $100 to $500 per violation.

On the other hand, restaurants in the city can still issue plastic bags with no fees attached until the ordinance affecting them will kick-in on October 1, 2013.

People can avoid paying the minimum 10 cent per bag charge if they bring their own bag, or do it Costco style by not taking a bag and just stuffing it in their coat pockets.  Those using WIC or Food Stamps are exempt from the 10 cent per bag fee.

Akit's Opinions
I personally think the 10 cent minimum charge per paper or reusable bag law sucks big time.  Why force retailers to charge a ten cent fee when establishments should be making their own choice?  As the city doesn't collect any money from the 10 cent minimum policy, establishments can just decide to absorb the cost or slightly raise the cost per item to compensate for the mandatory use of paper bags.  In the past, IKEA decided to charge for every plastic bag at the checkout, but was not forced with a gun by local city governments to charge a mandatory fee, they did it independently and it worked.  People decided to leave the individual items in their carts (like what many do at Costco) or buy one of their 99 cent huge bags.

The other problem I hate about the 10 cent minimum charge is being told to carry my own bags.  That's fine for me when I drive my car to go shopping as I carry a variety of bags in my trunk for big and small things.  But how about those times I may take the bus and I see in the store window something I like?  Do I carry bags in my coat pocket?  No.  There's no room in my pockets as I have other items like a tissue packet, hand sanitizer, and my glasses case.

It makes practical sense to eliminate plastic bag usage, but sometimes plastic is better than paper; for example, when the ban goes into affect for restaurants, paper bags are not the best item to hold hot food.  When the city banned styrofoam food containers, the new paper containers did not work great on items like steamed rice, spaghetti, and anything that uses some kind of sauce like gravy or curry on rice; the container would get so soggy, you could poke a finger into the container.

I've lived here in San Francisco my entire life and will continue to do so, but I'm getting real tired of the city government and it's Board of Stupidvisors turning us into a nanny state telling us what aspects of our lives should be good and bad.  We had clowns pass a law saying that kids toys can't be free in their fast food meals, and now we're forced to pay a fee for every single shopping bag?

I'll be happy to do one of two things: Vote for any city supervisor candidate who will repeal the 10 cent minimum charge law, or get it repealed by getting it on the ballot.  Angry citizens should unite together and lets kick this city's government's ass.

And while I'm angry, I don't mind continuing to shop in Daly City and Colma, San Mateo County is happy to accept my sales tax money and doesn't have a stupid 10 cent bag charge.

For information about the new ordinance: http://sfenvironment.org/article/prevent-waste/checkout-bag-ordinance

Central Subway - The Subway to Nowhere

When you think of the Central Subway, how do you feel? In my point of view, I think the subway is a poorly thought out project.

It's truly a "subway to nowhere." Why would the city decide to build a subway that ends in Chinatown? Sure, it helps the infamous overcrowding of the 8X, 30, and 45 lines, and the horrifying traffic on Stockton, but that's mostly it.

Just Chinatown?
Why doesn't the line go any further than Chinatown? The city is installing a stop in tourist infested Union Square, but what's the use of stopping there when tourists have only one place to visit, Chinatown?

Can't the line go further to end at Fisherman's Wharf?

Getting to the Wharf from downtown is a total pain in the ass, you either have to wait at a Cable Car stop and pay an outrageous $6 fare or be sardine packed on the F-Market streetcar. By having a light rail line going underground from Union Square to the Wharf, tourists and residents alike can get between these areas in record time, and it helps reduce the overcrowding on the F-Market and Powell cable car lines.

If you can shuttle more passengers to the places they need to go, Muni stands to make a bigger cut of money from their farebox revenues and get people from end to end in record time. Even the residents of North Beach and Wharf areas would benefit too with quick metro service to downtown.

Common sense! A lot of the general public has it, except for most of our city politicians and people coordinating the subway project.

Stay Off The Yellow Strip! Stupid People on Sunday Who Risked their Lives

When you ride any rail transit agency, you always know to stay behind the yellow line or edge of the platform.

Well... just yesterday, I saw two really dumb things happen.

My normal journey on a weekend to AT&T Park for a Giants game is to take BART at Daly City, and transfer to Muni metro at Powell. Let's learn what happened:

At Daly City BART's platform #1, a ten car train usually stops short of the platform and the driver has to manually adjust to move it to the end of the platform. Since the train stopped short and didn't line up with the black tiles (indicating it's a doorway), a bunch of girls decided to walk on the yellow safety strip, and the train just started to move. While they didn't get hurt, it just shows you shouldn't attempt to board a train car until the doors open.

At Powell Muni metro station, I was waiting for the next train to the ballpark, and just about 200 feet was a train approaching. I saw a college age woman standing on the yellow strip with her back facing the approaching train. She was waving her tote bag over the tracks and wanting to pose for a picture, and when the train was less than 100 feet away, I yelled at her to "get off the yellow strip!" because nobody else was doing shit to get her away from the fast approaching train. It was either, yell at the stupid woman, or if the operator was paying attention, hit the emergency stop button and sound the horn. She heard me and quickly moved away.

The Muni metro incident was much worse than the girls at the BART station. In the event nobody did anything, her head would have slammed into the metro operator's mirror that sticks out along the side of the train.

Sigh... safety, people!

Muni Patron Filming Open Metro Door Considered Pushing Emergency Stop Button - Decided to Film Incident

A lot of you might have watched the video of a Muni metro door that was open while in the subway on your local news or favorite local blog site.

It's shocking to see an open train door while the train is operating at full speed down the subway tunnel. One wrong move and a passenger could have been thrown out the door. Just to make it more amusing, none of the passengers filmed didn't do anything; they just stood there like the door was shut.

But what's so shameful about this is a report from KPIX news. The news reporter interviewed the person filming the video and he said:
"My first thought was somebody push the red button, stop this train, this is dangerous, somebody is going to fall out of here..."

On the next paragraph, the KPIX reporter said:
"Merenkov did not hit the button himself because he wanted to document the dangerous situation."

EXCUSE ME? Did I just read that correctly? In the interest of "news" the guy just films a dangerous situation like that and contemplated taking action by not taking action? What would have happened if a passenger fell off the train and got killed or seriously injured? That would be something that would haunt the recorder for the rest of his life because he had the chance to prevent it.

The guy filming it should have made the decision to activate the emergency stop button or inform a person nearby to press it immediately.

This is terrible, and a total disgrace. People ignore the problem, and the person filming it could have taken action to stop the incident from happening, but instead, films the damn thing?

Is there an "idiot of the month" award? I'd like to hand it to that guy.

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Just to refresh everyone's memory, I wrote a blog entry mentioning about an incident on Muni metro where a man fell face first on the train and was bleeding all over the floor. When the train stopped at the next stop, I got the driver's attention and he called the paramedics to check on him, and had to put the car out of service because of the pool of blood on the floor.

What I didn't tell you is the other passengers who helped the guy who had the gash on his eyebrow said not to inform the driver. I first said to them, I need to get the driver's attention because of the blood on the floor and the risk of pathogens, but the two passengers helping him said NO.

What the hell is wrong with people these days? Blood on the floor is a serious health risk; just like the open door incident, that's also a major risk to the public. People who see incidents like this should inform officials immediately and not wait around or get some major public exposure by filming the problem.

$829,000 for Two Muni Sales Booths? I Thought the Agency was Broke

On Thursday, December 16th, the SFMTA's public relations department published a press release mentioning about opening a new "customer service" location where the public can purchase various Muni fare media and handle Clipper card transactions, and replacing the existing sales booth at the Powell cable car turnaround.

Total cost of the new booths: $829,000, and all paid for by grants. Ouch, $414,500 per booth? What is Muni smoking now?

Other than replacing the booth at the Cable Car turnaround, a new booth will be established at Geary and Presidio, home to the Presidio Yard where the trolley buses are stored and serviced.

But why a new booth? For you long time San Franciscans out there, you've always known the Muni 2nd floor revenue office at Geary & Presidio was also the sales office to purchase all the Muni pass media. The old location closed when they moved all pass sales to their new office at Van Ness and Market.

But, who even likes going to the SFMTA office down at Van Ness? Since April 1st, Muni has been tacking on a $3 surcharge at that location. Nobody is that dumb to pay that kind of price when vendors like supermarkets don't charge such a stupid fee (except those "My Transit Plus" booths like at Embarcadero station loves charging 85 cents for using a debit card).

So why spend $400,000 on a booth when the SFMTA can simply restore the old sales location or refurbish an office space in their facility on Geary? Does the booth also include a gold toilet? If Muni wanted a new booth, they could spend at least 75% less and still get the safety and security it requires.

The new booth opens on December 27th. I wonder if anyone is even going to notice it or just how soon will the agency also tack a $3 surcharge just for using it.

Money down the toilet. That's the Muni way for ya.

Wanted for Misconduct & Fare Evasion: Muni Employee & Union Rep Should be Fired

Misconduct in the workplace is not a good thing, especially when your boss wants to grill your ass. You'd be lining up at the unemployment office while the clerk tells you have been denied for gross incompetence.

In my previous posting, I mentioned about a KRON news report showing how people can evade the new Muni metro gates with the movement of their hand. Yeah yeah yeah, just a way to break the law. I won't get into that morals crap right now, just a little bit later.

When watching the video, the person who really demonstrated in detail about how to break the law was a Muni employee, who is also a station agent union representative by the name of James O'Brien (photographed).

Mr. O'Brien violated the law, by demonstrating how to break the law TWICE:

1. A violation of city law, article 7, section 7.2.101 (better known as Traffic Code 127) - Fare Evasion. Mr. O'Brien demonstrated twice, on video, how to evade fares. He did not tag his Clipper card, swipe a monthly pass, use a limited use ticket, or show his employee badge to the station agent. Even if he had a legal fare media in possession, he still walked into the metro system illegally.
   
2. A violation of city law, Article 7, section 7.31 - Other Fare Evasion and Passenger Conduct Regulations; subsection "B" - Interfering with the turnstile or fare register. Mr. O'Brien also demonstrated, twice, on video, interfering with the proper operations of Muni turnstiles by waving his hand over it to enter the metro system illegally.

Let's count up his fines (as stated in Article 300, section 302 of the traffic code):

• For fare evasion: He owes $75 for the first offense, and $250 for the second offense within a year.
• For misconduct (tampering with gates): He owes $75 for the first offense, and $250 for the second offense within a year.

A grand total of: $650.00. Ka-ching!

So if you think getting caught on camera won't get you punishment, think again... Let's all remember, cameras that catch crooks in the act do get a nice ticket in the mail or arrested by cops in the near future. Red light cameras gets a nice fat ticket in the mail, 38-Geary Muni buses have cameras that catches people parked in the bus lanes on Geary and O'Farrell, and even this news report of Alameda County parking cops at a BART station taking photographs of cars parked in a bus stop if they can't issue the ticket in time.

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Time for some good old "morals, honor and respect" talk:

Just being a Muni employee does not exclude you from breaking the law. I've called the cops at times when Muni buses blatantly ran the red light at dangerous intersections just so they can get a head start.

As Stanley Roberts of KRON 4 says: Mr. O'Brien demonstrated his law breaking talent and "who just happened to be present when the flaw was discovered." So basically, Mr. O'Brien did not get permission from the SFMTA to demonstrate this to the press (this is why there are PR departments who do this stuff), but he did anyway, and demonstrated to thousands of Bay Area residents on how to break the law.

My moral gut tells me, James O'Brien shouldn't have done that on video. By showing a Muni employee (also a union rep) demonstrating something illegal, in which others may follow is just plain wrong. Remember the saying, "monkey see, monkey do?" Yeah, well the king monkey (James O'Brien) just demonstrated to the chimps (the general public) how to break the law.

Let me get straight to the point: James O'Brien should get that $650 ticket, and have his ass face Nataniel Ford for firing. He ain't no whistle blower as he "happened to be present," there's a formal process to complain and receive legal protection status. As I stated before, there's a reason why Muni has a PR department, they handle talking to the press, not unauthorized people like James O'Brien.

There's some criticism that KRON should have not shown this report, as thousands of viewers will follow along and break the law. At the same time, exposing it to the mass media is a good thing as Muni's well... response time to issues is just outright slow. Kudos to KTVU's 10PM news for not demonstrating it on video, as they have a very high viewership and fare evasion will get even worse.

(Photos are screen captures from Stanley Robert's YouTube video footage)

Who Created This Stupid Muni Ad on Fare Evasion?

Muni is on some kind of crazy campaign to remind people to pay their "fare share" or get a nice $75 fine. They plan to return to the classic "saturation raids" starting Thursday.

When I look at this Muni advertisement on the buses and on their website, I can't understand why the fare inspectors are citing a SEA LION!

A sea lion for crying out loud. Do they carry passes or transfers? No; nor do they ride the worst transit system in the nation. Plus, why a creature whose primary transit is on the water? Can't it be someone like SFMTA chief Nat Ford getting caught without payment?

What's next? Write a ticket to a pigeon for eating on the bus? Whoever created this ad should be fired for incompetence.


Photo from SFMTA website.

What Annoys Akit - Inconsiderate Shoppers at Costco

I'm going to take a break today from the Muni and Clipper entries and talk about one of my annoyances, idiots at Costco.

I got the motivation to write about this one today from "The Poop" parenting blog on SFgate, and I was reading about the author's experiences at Costco when the free sample tables are out there giving away food to try.

Free samples, one of the features of going to Costco. That little piece of pizza, or a sample of their bagels; sure, they are tasty, but it doesn't beat that $1.50 hot dog.

I hardly ever go for samples because I'm only there to get in and out as quickly as possible. I've got my shopping list and coupons in hand before entering to zoom down the aisles to grab what I need and find the shortest checkout line.

When the samples are going out, that's when it gets nasty. There are a bunch of inconsiderate people who wait in line for a sample and leave their unattended shopping cart in the middle of the thoroughfare or aisles, thereby blocking others who want to just pass by and continue shopping.

Gees, a little taste of an item a person will unlikely buy, and being an asshole at the same time by blocking the aisle. At least move your cart away from the sample tables.

I haven't done it yet, I sometimes feel like grabbing their unattended cart and moving it far away just as punishment. I'd bet those I'd snatch would not even know their cart is missing.

SF Muni FAILS to Provide Information on Re-Routes Due to SF Marathon

The SF Marathon is tomorrow and it will cause a world of hell for everyone in the city, especially those who have to drive through Golden Gate Park, cross the Golden Gate Bridge, and get in and out of the Inner and Outer Richmond via 26th/27th Avenues.

With all these marathon routes, you'd expect Muni to be up to date with the latest information about any re-routes or changes because it does affect a lot of people who are trying to get around the city. The answer is NO.

I've got proof, the photo I've attached is the "updates" page of the SFMTA's transit section and was taken at 9:10AM on Saturday, July 24, 2010. There is NOTHING specific on how the marathon course will affect transit lines.

I even gave 311 a call to get information. The operator admitted he could not find anything on the SFMTA website, and he looked through his other resources. He told me one of the lines I'm interested in more information will be "going around the [Golden Gate] park." I asked for his source of information and he said he was reading it off a flier given to the drivers. I also asked him if I can get that information in writing and the answer was a big fat NO.

What the hell is wrong with this city government? As a citizen, I have the right to know what is going on and how it affects my movement around the city. The SFMTA should have posted the re-route information at least a week in advance prior to tomorrow's event, but they FAILED.

The reason why I'm arguing this is because I am meeting a co-worker tomorrow at the Academy of Sciences on Sunday, and I will have to take the 44 line in order to get there. Since the marathon goes through Golden Gate Park, I'm worried I won't make it there in time as Sunday service on Muni is far less frequent than weekdays.

The Food Police Hates You in Livermore

I don't usually report on items outside of San Francisco or the transit sector, but I felt this blog entry was important enough to report on because I'd get upset too at the way people are being treated.

In Livermore's downtown district, there is a live concert program known as "Concerts on the Green" (a.k.a. "Tuesday Tunes") that has been happening in the area for the past six years every Tuesday evening during the summer. The downtown business association who runs the concert series obtains all the permits and items needed to operate a free concert at an outdoor public venue at Livermore Plaza.

But it seems the concert series is turning the public's faces red since the "food police" has been checking if the food and beverages they bring to the concerts are only purchased from vendors from the downtown business area. The way they check on the food and beverages is by reviewing the receipts issued.

People in Livermore are mad. A Facebook page was created for people to vent their frustration on the issue because the tradition has been people have been allowed to provide their own food and beverages from ANYWHERE, even if it was purchased outside of downtown. People have also protested this policy by holding a separate picnic near the actual concert site where they bring their own food, regardless if purchased from downtown or not.

The banging of pots and pans has received the attention of the Contra Costa Times with a front page article and KGO-TV news. The people on the Facebook page mentioned the KGO report is not entirely correct stating the outside food ban includes merchants/vendors outside of the business district, not simply city limits.

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The downtown association's message is to "buy downtown" in which I want to defy that rule. Why should I purchase food from some kind of monopoly at a free public concert on public property?

This is really discouraging for visitors who attend the concerts. Within the city limits, there's a Trader Joes and Safeway, and yes, the tasty sandwiches and bags of chips are banned at the concert. There is a KFC within the downtown limits and that's OK, but bringing other KFC from another Livermore location is banned too.

I'm one of the many people who would throw away their receipts in the garbage can upon purchasing an item, unless if I paid it with a credit card. If I buy a few bottles of soda before I go have a picnic with my friends, do I carry my receipt? Not likely.

How about I bake my own goodies? What's wrong with homemade stuff to share with friends? Want a cookie?

The situation would be different if the event was held on the streets with businesses surrounding it (e.g. Fillmore Jazz Festival and Union Street Festival). It would be totally unethical for festival/concert organizers to hold an event and say they won't allow food purchased from vendors just steps away from the concert stage or purchased from vendors not "on the block." Sure, the festival/concert can have their own food booths (usually overpriced), but people have a choice to buy locally or bring in their own goodies and enjoy the booths and free music.

People who Can't Park Their Car Annoys Me

A lot of things annoy me (and maybe you too), from Muni buses running late or no-shows, to those who feel it's OK to cross the street against a red light. Those are puny versus what annoys me the most in this city, those who park like dimwits.

You've probably seen them before and they'd likely frustrated you when you are hunting for a parking space; they enjoy flouting with the law, and unlikely to get a ticket from the parking cops since it's not street cleaning day. I've already had a few close calls with illegally parked cars, especially in narrow streets like on Fulton near USF where the lanes get so narrow, that if a car parked in a tow-away zone, I'd likely lose my passenger side mirror.

My only relief from these parking clowns is to humiliate them on the internet by posting a photo of their car on Flickr. Call the parking cops? Haaa haaa haaa, yeah right.

Here's some great ones I caught on camera:

This idiot thought it was cool to pin me in my legal parking space while he/she decided to also park in a tow away zone next to Forest Hill Station.


This BART station agent at Daly City thought it was cool to park in two reserved parking spaces. Just to make it more amusing, I caught BART officials four times at Daly City and continued to humiliate them online until they changed their ways.


There's a general rule about street parking, if the other cars are parked 45 degrees, drivers shouldn't park 90 degrees. This idiot alone took out the parking space on the left. I've been begging the city to paint 45 degree parking stripes along Font Blvd. near SF State for a long time.


I'm waiting for the day the SF Fire Department has to smash the windows of a car parked next to a hydrant to run a hose through it. Other agencies have done it before.


Parking hogs are the worst ever. Sure, they can comply with the laws about parking legally (e.g. curbing wheels and no more than 18 inches from the curb), but the unofficial rule is to never take more than one parking space. In this photo, one of my neighbors is an asshole and it really pissed me off because there was no other spaces available on my block.

Want to see more photos I've taken to humiliate people?

• Parking hog photos
• Idiot parking photos

9 Really Bad Habits People Do on Muni

After reading the popular posting on SFgate called: "Heinous crimes to commit in San Francisco" that has a list of basically annoying crap that people do on the streets of our city, I thought to myself, I can make it a step better by making a list of my own.

So on my way back home on the 18-46th Avenue, I wrote down a bunch of ideas down. Here's what I got...

Really Bad Habits People Do on San Francisco Muni

1. Boarding the back door. Just today, I took the 8X-Bayshore Express from the Hall of Justice (jury duty) to Market street, and I'm trying to exit the bus, but this old Chinese lady boards and continues shoving me while I'm trying to exit. She crushes me against the center handrail and nearly destroyed the proximity card I carry to work.
2. Take a shower asshole, because you smell like one. On my ride home on the 18, this guy carrying a couple of grocery bags smelled like pee, really nasty pee. The passengers were opening windows, and I was near the point of puking. If you smell bad, or you put on too much cologne/perfume, do me a favor, call a taxi.
3. Clipping your nails. If you read my blog, it's one of my popular entries. Clipping nails is one of the nastiest things to do while on the bus. Littering the ground with nails, and the loud noise it generates just pisses people off, but no passenger has the balls to stand up and say: "do your shit at home!"
4. Yak yak yak on that cell phone. Please do me a favor, either hang-up or talk so silently that the person next to you can't hear a thing. I don't need to hear that your prescription Viagra didn't work.
   
5. Carrying porno on the bus. I don't want to know that some star is doing their first (censored!). I remember several years back and I was riding the 38 Geary and this guy was hiding porno behind his jacket and it accidentally fell to the floor. How embarrassing!
6. Farting. Also known as passing gas and the dutch oven. If you are old and fart on the bus, it's time to use one of those bathroom stick ons near your butt to cover the smell.
7. Ringing the bell late. There is no excuse if you ring the bell with just feet to go before the next stop. Half a block please.
8. Stealing all the info pamphlets from the bus. If the pamphlet holder says "take one," it doesn't mean TAKE THEM ALL! There's this jackass on the 18-46th Avenue bus in the mornings who steals all of them, every single pamphlet (no matter how useless the info is). When Muni did serious re-routes on December 5th and published colorful pamphlets, that asshole took every single one of them from every single holder, and did it again the next day.
9. Paying the fare box with coins, other than quarters. I want to get to work, or get to a nice place for dinner, so please don't waste my time by feeding the farebox with nickels and dimes. And for those assholes to pay with pennies, it's time you went to a Coinstar machine.

Here's your opportunity for your annoying observations, post a comment!

SFMTA Customer Service Center Service Fees - I Refuse to Pay

I was taking a look at the Muni updates section of the SFMTA website and it states the following:

"Effective April 1, 2010, there is a $3 fee charged at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Customer Service Center for the following services:

-- paying parking and transit citations.
-- purchasing fare media (except Senior/Disabled Pilot Pass and Lifeline Pass).
-- purchasing Parking Cards.
-- enrolling in Project 20."

Great... another way to steal money from the public. In my opinion, this idea totally sucks.

There are very few places that actually has all the Muni media available in one place, and now they want to nail you with a $3 surcharge? The SFMTA customer service center is one of only a few places in the city that accepts COMMUTER CHECK VOUCHERS.

Let's also remember that if you purchase Muni token tickets with commuter vouchers (for those folks who don't need to use Muni every single day), you are definitely screwed. The SFMTA customer service center is the only place in the city that you can buy it, plus, you now get F***ED in the ass paying a $3 fee too.

It makes me curious... say I'm the manager of a summer camp of 50 kids, so now I'd have to pay an extra $150 in service fees just so I can buy the passes? No grocery store in the city would even be able to sell 50 passes of the same type; only the SFMTA customer service center has the stockpile.

This is your way to make more money? What a joke.

SFMTA CHIEF NATANIEL FORD: RESIGN NOW. GET OUT OF OFFICE.