Beach and Broderick

If there was ever a more tranquil and restful terminal on a busy line, it would be the peaceful residence location of the 30 Stockton terminal when I was working at the Presidio Barn a few years ago. Since I left the 30 Stockton Presidio Division line, the terminal has been moved to Divisadero and Chestnut, a location I thought was a better place. It has a switchback near here, on Francisco, and has a double track of wires for coaches to pass, unlike the single track at Beach and Broderick, which still is used on the head sign of the 30’s out of Presidio, since it does more accurately describe the furthermost stop near a major tourist destination such as the Palace of Fine Arts.

So even though this missive may be somewhat outdated, the problem of headway and timing seem to still be a problem. And some of the problem about this terminal has nothing to do with the fault of management of the line, but in how we communicate with one another about need. And one of the important needs here is having a place to go to the bathroom, or water closet. Hot water, soap, and paper towels, are a precious commodity for a San Francisco transit operator.

Businesses, schools, or residences, and the people who run or live in the buildings close to our terminals have numerous fears about why there should be no bathroom for operators. And this seems to be related to the NIMBY symptom throughout our country. Not In My Back Yard, and I will go to any length to prevent a structure or permit for anything new or different near my house or school or business. And in seeing what the situation is like at other terminals, the fears of these neighbors seem unwarranted and selfish given the lack of problems around the placement of our other bathrooms. The sense of community and purpose for the common good has been lost in our society, and seems to parallel the rise of the car class as the means of travel.

Back in the streetcar days, we would travel together on transit lines that were more numerous and frequent. Most old timers alive today, and those of us who like trains, agree with a certain amount of fondness for the way things were. A lack of congestion on the roads is apparent in most old films and photos of this bygone era. Most would agree these simpler times held a higher quality of life. And some of the seniors who were young and alive then, are the most adamant about not placing a bathroom near their house. And this baffles me. Would you rather we urinate in to cups and pour our tinkle in the gutter by your house? Do you think trash is diminished simply because there is no bathroom?

The old woman who would peer out of her house when our terminal was at Beach and Broderick, I was told was the main source of discontent for having a bathroom there. But doesn’t the convenience of having a terminal outside your door count for something?

The return of the placement of the terminal back to Divisadero and Chestnut makes sense, but still NIMBY-ism is in full force with challenges to install a bathroom. No one seems to be transit oriented today. Those making the call to keep a bathroom for operators away, must not ride the bus and lack any sense of gratitude for why a carbon free mode of mass transit is better for the quality of our life. It is not that they are malicious, they just don’t know.