Muni Gone WILD | Every ride is a trip

Seth likes to go fishing, generally for anything that bites his bait.  He finds they tend to bite on the N Owl, around 3:30 am.  You can find him at the back of the train.

Overheard on the 108 inbound from Treasure Island:

Mother: Mommy almost went to jail.

5 year old daughter: Why?

Mother: Because Mommy punched a man.

5 year old daughter: Why?

Mother: Because he was trying to grab Mommy.

5 year old daughter: Did the police beat you?

Mother: Yes, the police beat Mommy up.

5 year old daughter: Why?

Mother: Because Mommy tried to run.

The Transit Effectiveness Project, Muni’s $2 million study to overhaul the entire system, has finally produced what MGW has been waiting for: WILD changes to the Muni map!

MGW has evaluated the proposed changes on its scale of WILDness:

1. Discontinuing the 26? About fucking time! Not so wild…
2. Running the 33 on 24th Street? Clever, somewhat wild…
3. Connecting the 18 and the 23? Now we’re talking, that’s Wild…
4. Giving the 5 Limited buses? Shit! that’s WILD!
5. Turning the 19 into a circulator? ARE YOU NUTS? WILD WILD WILD!!!

MGW would like to take this moment to commend the brilliant ladies running the TEP show, both at Muni and the Controller’s Office.

Despite our enthusiasm, elsewhere in the city naysayers are frothing at the mouth at the thought of losing “my bus stop” or, even worse, “my bus!” MGW pledges our full support behind the coalition to improve Muni. Hopefully our Mayor will stick by his word and put some of that political capital where it’s needed.

You can read the report and check out the proposed new map on the SFTEP site.

Mary Brown, who recently finished her Geography Master’s thesis from Berkeley, has put together a website presenting her thesis. Her paper deals with the changes that have occurred in the Mission District over the decades to accommodate the automobile, specifically the installation of garages and driveways (”curb cuts”).

Her research brings up some interesting points. For starters, each curb cut has about a one-for-one reduction in on street parking. In other words, if the garages and the curb cuts were removed, there would be just about the same amount of total parking.

When a homeowner installs a curb cut, only he can legally park in front of his driveway. This “privatization” of the curb is a whole other can of worms we won’t open here. We will point out, however, that her research reveals that 49% of garages are not even used for storing cars!

The fine folks at the SF Department of Parking & Traffic put out a Transportation Fact Sheet each year. Among the statistics in the 16-page document:

• There are 519,545 driver’s licenses issues in the city; there are 49,772 disabled placards (that does not count temporary placards)
• The City absorbs a 35,400 net increase in vehicles each day (mostly commuters)
• There are 946 miles of paved streets
• The steepest street, 31.5%, is Filbert (parallel to Lombard)
• 40.5% of SF residents drive alone to work, 10.8% carpool, 31.1% take transit, 0.9% rode a motorcycle, 2.1% bicycle, 9.4% walked, 4.6% work at home, and 0.7% were “other”
• There are 7,200 intersections, and 1,148 of them have traffic signals; the first was installed in 1921
• There is one operating jitney in the city, as permitted by the SFPD.  Where is it?
• There are 317 budgeted Parking Control Officers who issue 1,902,673 parking tickets over 320,000 on-street metered spaces, which brings in $88,174,228 in revenue.  Compare that with $29,687,616 in revenue from meters ($1,173 per meter) and $5,492,633 in revenue from Residential Parking Permits
• The most common parking violation, at 34.9%, was Street Cleaning; 2nd was Expired Meter at 20.7% and 3rd was No Residential Permit at 10.3%.

Welcome to the newest blog about San Francisco’s beloved and beleaguered public transit system, Muni. Unlike many blogs related to Muni, MGW does not aim to bash, humiliate or ostracize. Rather, the purpose is to celebrate the Muni lifestyle; MGW sincerely believes that riding can and should be a delightful facet of the urban experience.

What if residents looked forward to riding Muni? Could a trip on Muni be stimulating, productive, whimsical, erotic? MGW will encourage dialogue that furthers the notion of a WILD time on transit.

Please hold on!

Here at MGW, we hold two dates with special reverence each year.  First is December 28, which commemorates that day in 1912 when the A-Geary streetcar began service.  Not only was it Muni’s first route, but Muni was the country’s first publicly-owned transit system.  You can bet Mayor “Sunny Jim” Rolph, who conducted the first car, threw down that night.

Speaking of throwing down, the second X on our calendar is the third Sunday in May, San Francisco’s raison d’être.  Bay to Breakers is Muni’s opportunity to do what it does best: cram smelly, drunk people into a bus and inch them through an obstacle course to an elusive destination, before too many people vomit or fight.

In recognition of Muni’s incalculable service rendered every race day, MGW is constructing what will undeniably be the greatest B2B float EVER.  All those who share MGW’s passion for the Muni lifestyle are welcome to join the show.  While vast preparations have already been completed, MGW has nothing to show for it here.  Check back here frequently to keep abreast of MGW B2B developments. 

Greg loves the quiet hum of the trolley bus. You will find passed out in the back of the 14.

Rebecca came all the way from Montana just to ride the 5-Fulton.  The best stop is the end of the line at the Transbay Terminal, where there’s always someone looking to party…

Chance is a rottweiler/hound mongrel and the creator of Muni Gone Wild. His favorite Muni lines are the N and the 5, because they go to the beach. When Chance isn’t having a WILD time on Muni, he likes chasing rabbits and belly rubs.