Here I stand by the Twitter HQ where the 21 Hayes merges onto Market between Tenth and Ninth. Having a bike rider count of 1700 by 4 p.m. was an average good day here in December of 2014. I’ll be interested to take a peek at this counter next week and see what effect the …
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Getting Ready to Get Ready
We admitted we were powerless over alcohol–that our lives had become unmanageable. This is the first step of Alcoholics Anonymous, and apparently, it’s the only step that has to be done perfectly. Yet, the first thing I hear during the first reading, ‘How It Works,’ is that on our journey in recovery from alcoholism, we’re …
As Above So Below: Not really
Dear Rider, In San Francisco, the new Bus Rapid Transit Lanes on US Hwy. 101 are complete, and there will be no transit delays during any of the SOMA Street Fairs at the end of September, or during the Blue Angels Day in October. Why? Because Muni city buses have their own dedicated lane of …
Entitlement v. The Shit Show: The 1 California or the 14 Mission
How does a Muni bus driver pick his run? A lot depends on the equation, personality over paperwork! A common phrase at the General sign-up or Barn sign-up is what line to work and when to work it. This is unofficially called, ‘Doing your homework.’ Not all runs are created equal, especially on the 1 …
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Meet Doug
Driver Doug works as a transit operator. He loves moving around town away from an office. He stayed that way for a while, but over time, something changed. Although Doug loved being on the road, he began to realize some passengers didn’t know where to stand or how to ride on a bus. People would …
Giving up the Car
If you look at the facts and figures of the quantity of precious metals and resources needed to go into producing all electric cars, it becomes obvious exploration, digging and drilling, must be increased. If inflation persists, and job shortages linger, we may be headed towards a future where fewer households can afford to purchase …
‘Summertime’ in the City
The inability to see or read the head sign of a bus, or to know where to stand based upon stalled traffic or double parked vehicles notwithstanding, one detail that usually does not escape notice in our fair city is when our air temperature is not fair. The afternoon fog moves in, the temperature drops …
Roll Out the Red Carpet
At long last, the Muni Rapid Lanes are complete on Van Ness! Although critics imply the time savings for riders is only a few minutes in comparison to the lane revisions and bus stop closures over years of delays, I’m here to point out the real advantages these twin rapid lanes present to the future. …
Puddin’ Pants
Having left the raucous Receiver’s office at Potrero Division for the quieter Presidio Division, I thought material for my next book would suffer a drought not unlike the one Northern California had been experiencing for the last several years. As I write this chapter, snowpack is 160 per cent of normal, and the folks …
Call the Police
A phrase or action you never use or make when on the bus in San Francisco; at least until respectful help is extinguished, or the threat of injury or death is dramatically demanded in most uncertain terms! Good luck substitutes include: Can you hold on for two more stops? The drama Queen and “victim” will …
The Dao of Doug: A Bus Driver's Perspective 