December 02, 2005
Routemasters
Next week marks the last regular run for the bus emblematic of London: the double-decker Routemaster. Some Routemasters will continue to circulate on so-called heritage routes, but most are being dismantled for parts or repurposed as tourist buses in other cities. And some of the legion adoring fans of the red double-decker (the first LEGO kit I built, in fact, was of a Routemaster) have made the best tribute site ever. For Routemasters, that is. Back on the domestic front, a new less-than-admiring site about MUNI promises the lewd low-down on a lifestyle reliant on MUNI (is'n't that tautological? style and MUNI?). Can municide's author, Doug, pull off anything to compare with munihaiku dot com? With anonymously-contributed gems like "Waited forever. / And then you showed up for me. / Seven in a row.", it's hard to top for the title of "Best Onling Writing About Public Transit". For non-Lower Haight residents, those 17 syllables can only describe the ineffable 22-Fillmore. SFist notes that it's more fun to walk in the rain than stand around waiting for MUNI in the rain. Word to that. To MUNI's credit, the agency is working with the community around Geary Boulevard to determine whether bus rapid transit will work. Forgive me for stating the obvious, but yes!, it will work: the 38 Geary is one of the most heavily-used lines in San Francisco (and thus, the Bay Area), and used by commuters, tourists, and vagabonds alike. It cuts across the entire northern part of San Francisco, and provides access to key densely-built and populous neighbourhoods (Pacific Heights, Japantown); business areas (Downtown, Civic Center, Tenderloin); and the beach. It runs on a wide roadway. This route is an ace in the hole for rapid transit. Politicos, planners, and plebians alike will all win big if this is built. Rapid Transit along Geary Boulevard will make people happy; in fact, it has the potential to change the way the city moves, for the better. But it will never be, because this is California, USA, and the agency in charge is MUNI, San Francisco MUNI, which cannot maintain its headways, cannot fit into its budget, and reduces service while increasing fares. Buses all over the country honoured Rosa Parks, who died recently, with black ribbons and posters, as well as by designating the front seat of the bus as a quiet, symbolically empty, space. MUNI put up very nice posters on buses a few weeks ago, but they were all stolen within minutes of installation.... Read more
November 30, 2005
In which we have a story problem
A pretty girl leaves Union Square at 1730. At the same time, a man with a hat begins walking west-south-west on a one-point-three-mile route home'ards, a route that exactly matches several MUNI routes. At the height of rush hour, who will reach their destination first? Answer: Our man is faster than a speeding MUNI bus. And he had time to stop at the shop and pick up some fiery orange-red lilies. I am still a little perplexed as to how surface transit moves at an effective 3 mph during rush-hour. No, wait, it's coming to me: bus routes run on secondary roads, and so are subject to stops at each intersection. Some times the buses need to stop for traffic control on one side of the intersection, and then a bus stop on the other side of the intersection -- two stops in three bus-lengths.... Read more
November 08, 2005
In which I told you so
------------------------------- ** Saturday, November 12th ** ------------------------------- BEAT MUNI CHALLENGE! 10:30am, Glen Park BART Station In this bike ride, we will experiment with the age-old question: is cycling really faster than Muni? As everyone knows, beating Muni is often a cinch, but can you match the fabled 24 line? If you can beat this line, you can beat any line. The person who passes the most busses gets a free lunch. Meet at Glen Park BART and we'll ride together to the start of the 24 line. Wear a helmet. Contact brandonbaunach@dbarchitect.com for more info. A terrible, terrible map of the 24 route is on the 511.org site. Do you remember that stifling summer when MUNI automation meant that Mayor Willie Brown walked the stretch of Market between City Hall and the Embarcadero faster than any of the LRVs?... Read more
October 23, 2005
In which density proves troublesome for trash
The New York Times has an article on the Sanitation Department's meagre cost-savings efforts underway in New York. As the world's largest garbage-collection entity (25,000 tons, or eight full floating barge-loads, daily), they should be able to find efficiency in operations and methods -- but no, the automation of curbside collection is hamped by street parking (probably a major source of revenue for the city, and thus an obstacle that cannot easily be overcome). They're trying to squeeze a sponge that's already pretty dry," said Ben Miller, a former sanitation official and author of "Fat of the Land," a history of New York City trash. "At this point, reducing crews and increasing automation much more would probably slow things down in certain parts of the city." Under the proposed contract, which still must be considered by the union's members, one worker would operate each of the city's so-called roll-on trucks, which collect the 15-ton steel containers often used in public housing projects, public schools and city hospitals. Currently at these stops, one worker drives the truck and handles the hoisting controls while the other helps guide the truck back into position and then attaches a cable to the Dumpster, which is dragged up the rails on the back of the truck. For the biggest savings, the mayor would need to consider moving to one-person collection crews not just for the city's 50 roll-on trucks but also for the 2,200 rear-loading trucks, which are used to collect the trash that city residents leave curbside. Mr. Miller said that one way to make such a change would be for the city to switch to fully automated side-loading collection trucks. These trucks use a side-mounted mechanical arm to pick up special metal containers and they enable drivers never to have to leave the wheel. But that would be easier said than done. Side loaders, which are already being used in certain neighborhoods in Los Angeles, would be difficult to operate in Manhattan, where parked cars obstruct access, Mr. Miller said. The trucks might be an option, however, for certain sections of Staten Island, Queens and Brooklyn, he said. I saw the Los Angeles trucks in action recently. San Franciso has both automatic curbside collection and single-person crews on many of the trucks working residential routes. Barcelona's Neta has many specialised trucks and crews for overcoming the challenges of narrow streets, and also relies on public coöperation to collect trash in community bins, as does Dublin.... Read more
October 17, 2005
In which we check the record
The Bikes on Transit database has a new home and plenty new features. The San Francisco County Transportation Authority will hold another public session on the Van Ness Bus Rapid Transit Corridor tomorrow: ( more after the jumpity jump jump )... Read more
October 16, 2005
In which finding the cross street is a story-problem
The NYC Street Finder contains more complex rules than many spells of legerdemain: "Drop the last figure of the address you are looking to find, divide by 2, and add or subtract according to the chart below. The answer is the nearest numbered cross street. (This formula does not apply to Broadway below 8th Street because of the many streets with names instead of numbers). ... For Riverside Drive, divide house number by 10 and add 72, up to 165 St."... Read more
October 12, 2005
In which vector graphics appear
Eyebeam research (great name, that!) have added vector-graphics support for Google Maps. Their proof-of-concept application is a New York City Subway map. I like this better than the transit-maps-on-ipod widgets of a few months ago: different medium, yes, but easier to design programmatically, and more functional ( alpha portability, I suppose).... Read more
October 09, 2005
In which we age, and the country with us
Nicolai Ourousoff had a great piece in today's New York Times about American's failing infrastructure, as shown by the failures of recent technology in New Orleans. The last paragraph was especially moving: Already, some have voiced a fear that this is the city that we will be left with - a Creole Disneyland, reduced to its traditional boundaries, surrounded by a sea of decay and poverty. Sitting in the dark outside his restaurant one recent evening, an entrepreneur suggested that this might be ideal. He joked that the flooded neighborhoods should be transformed into golf courses. Such cynicism has been reinforced by the government's disastrous response to the storm, when the Superdome was famously transformed into a teeming refugee camp. Clearly, the pump operator's America - the America built by people like Wood and Mulholland - is an anachronism. Today, the true descendants of these visionaries are more likely to be working in the Netherlands or Spain than in a major American city. Bilbao, for example, may have gained cultural cachet from the success of its Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim Museum. Yet the strongest evidence of the city's enlightened planning is the enormous investment it made in a new high-tech subway system designed by the British architect Norman Foster. It's hard to imagine a similar undertaking in an American city today, especially when the federal government seems more concerned about doling out private contracts than reversing decades of neglect. The challenge we face is not just about infrastructure. It's about reknitting the connective tissue that binds us into a functioning society. This cannot be accomplished by retreating into a haze of denial; what's needed is an honest acknowledgment of what's brought us here. New Orleans was a warning. A similar viewpoint comes from the Ball State Daily News, which notes that not only has the United States failed to make advances in maglev train technology, but also in spreading the gospel of Wi-Fi. Both problems devolve to policy issues: imagine spending five years plodding through the government bureaucracy which constrains the $1bln allocated to a magnetic-levitation project, only to have one's proposal reach "draft" status. Wikipedia has an illustrated entry on Magnetic Levitation trains which details the underlying technology and current implementations.... Read more
October 07, 2005
In which we relate the parable of the builders
Three men were discussing the beauty of the human body. The electrical engineer claimed that Man must result from one of his brethren, for how else one explain the perfection of muscles, tendons, and joints? The electrical engineer protested: the nervous system testified that only God must have been one of his ilk. And then then the bartender looks over and said, "Nah, it must be the urban planner. Who else would put a sewage line through a recreation area?" This is how I feel about Octavia Boulevard: too short, too narrow, too few signs, and too abrupt with pedestrian interactions. I see confused drivers steered onto the freeway, and turning incorrectly across multiple lanes of confluent and cross traffic; I see pedestrians frightened to cross the too-short lights, and waiting uncomfortably on the awkward median (who thought to put benches there? who in their right mind would sit on a median amidst four lanes of 60kph traffic?); and I do not see signs noting that once you are on the road, you cannot turn until Fell (northbound) or are totally committed to Highway 101 (southbound). And why does the Boulevard not connect with Geary? A longer roadway makes more sense for moving traffic and for creating a true cross-town route.... Read more
October 05, 2005
In which The Governor tells pedestrians and cyclists to keep it local
The Governor vetoed AB 748, which would prohibit tolls for cyclists and pedestrians on state roads. He also vetoed the bill to maintain the current level of state funding for the Bicycle Transportation Account. The Governor's veto means that the funding for bike facilities, bike parking, and signage, et al., will decrease to $5 million/year, from the current $7.2 million per annum. The Governor's veto does note the benefits of cycling and walking, but suggests leaving management of the toll to the local districts. My response: I strongly support Assembly Bill 748 and any efforts to prohibit bicycle tolls on all public bridges and roadways, and I was disappointed to learn that you vetoed it. You are sending a message to Californians that cycling has the same environmental effect as driving, and, implicitly, that cycling and physical activity are not especially important. Not only does cycling promote useful physical activity, an interaction with one's community and environment, it is less wasteful and costly than driving. As fuel prices continue to rise, I am dismayed that you do not come out strongly in favour of low- and no-emissions, renewable transportation. Walking and bicycling reduce traffic congestion, vehicle emissions, and oil dependency. In addition, bicycling and walking provide the kind of physical activity necessary to fight the growth in obesity, diabetes, and asthma. AB 748 will encourage Californians to take advantage of the most sustainable and healthy modes of transportation possible, and ensure that they are not penalized for cutting down on traffic and harmful pollution. I ride across the Bridge several times each month, to commute and for recreation. Were the toll in place, I will be less inclined to do so: I will ride elsewhere. Placing a monetary toll on activities which are good for tourism, the environment, and place little additional stress on the bridge infrastructure is simply not a good idea. I also use my feet as my primary mode of transit, wherever I am. I walk and cycle to work, to almost all my errands, and around my neighbourhood. I strongly oppose the Golden Gate Bridge District's efforts to penalize people who walk and bike on the Bridge. Please support AB 748 and a healthier, safer Bay Area. Please reconsider your veto, and send a positive message that walking and cycling are special to California.... Read more
September 30, 2005
In which we zero-nize
The Times describes a personalised public-transit system, operating (with much hand-waving) autonomously-guided buses via magnetic indicators in the roadway. The buses, summoned by mobile telephone, sound much like a jitney service dressed up like a taxicab, but the just-in-time aspect of providing transit to people when they need it is very appealing. Toyota have some similar research on the low overhead of autonomous buses, but stopped short of the personalised aspect. They have some splendid buzzwords: Toyota is striving to achieve this objective by addressing the two challenges of "Zero-nize" and "Maxi-mize" simultaneously. "Zero-nize" refers to the eradication of the negative effects of "traffic accidents", "traffic congestion", and "environmental impact", while "Maxi-mize" refers to the "enrichment of the heart" to the fullest extent through the fun, excitement and comfort that people seek in automobiles. MUNI is pretty close to this goal already, as long as you are travelling at 7.45 between 3rd and Geary and downtown. They pretty much have that route nailed. [ via wmmna ]... Read more
September 26, 2005
In which we all slag on MUNI
Just when I think I am unduly hard on MUNI, sfist backs me up. They do rightfully point out that for once NextBus is doing something cool, with their widget that integrates their gps tracking with Google Maps. On the other hand, what good is staring at a map when really you want to be flying across town to go somewhere, see someone, do something? Nuts. I sent my letter to Mr Sunshine vowing not to ride MUNI so long as they hike fares and cut service. One or the other, but not both. I can get around this 7x7 city on my two feet and two wheels. And, irritatingly, The President of the United States has called for people to take public transportation. Does he know that it is hardly a viable alternative? And if I say that from the perspective of a citizen of a relatively small metropolis, with reasonably accesible transit lines, how are suburbanites -- who perforce have the greatest distance to travel -- going to manage to take public transit? Yet another piece of the neglected infrastructure of America.... Read more
September 24, 2005
In which MUNI goes all retro
Struggling to keep up with the retro BART station in Duboce Park, MUNI puts service cuts in effect today. Truly, service cuts in addition to the second 25¢ increase in three years. Some buses are now scheduled every 30 minutes, rather than 20, in an attempt to bring actual service capacity in line with posted schedules. Activists who have been protesting an increase to $1.50 in the Muni's general fare that began Sept. 1 strongly disagree. They argue that cutting back on service now is simply adding insult to injury. "You will find that riders are pissed off," said Riva Enteen, who helped organize a protest in the Mission District on Thursday. "They will not pay more for less." Muni rider Tonie Brock was at the protest to argue against changes to the 52-Excelsior line, which she said would eliminate a bus stop while creating a new one at a dangerous intersection. "MTA," she said, referring to the Muni's parent organization, the Municipal Transportation Agency. "Misery, trauma and anguish."... Read more
September 21, 2005
In which no-one is surprised
No-one, perhaps, except for the pot dealers. Matier and Ross go on about the new Octavia Boulevard's baffling traffic flow: It's your typical "only in San Francisco" story, one that pits cars against bicyclists, politicians against planners -- and right-turn bans against reality. The issue: a $26 million Central Freeway on-ramp, at the foot of the newly built Octavia Boulevard, that you can't turn onto from the city's main drag, Market Street. It took 14 years of debate, three ballot measures and a dozen designs before Caltrans crews set to work demolishing the earthquake-damaged Central Freeway and turning Octavia into a $62 million, tree-lined boulevard. Once work got started, bicyclists -- a potent force in city politics -- took aim at what they saw as a menace to the two-wheel crowd. That menace was the plan to let cars make a right turn off Market, across the most heavily used bike lane in the city, onto the new on-ramp. City traffic officials didn't buy into their demand for a right-turn ban. So the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition and others took their case to the Board of Supervisors, where then-board President Matt Gonzalez carried legislation in August 2004 to ban the right turn -- at least on a trial basis. Upshot: The only way to get onto the shortened Central Freeway from Market is to shoot past the ramp, make a series of turns around the block and hit the ramp directly from Octavia Boulevard. Well, that's the only legal way. The reality is that motorists are saying "to heck with this,'' and are making the turn anyway. At least one bicyclist has been hit by a right-turning car since the ramp opened two weeks ago, and there have been scores of close calls. "Stand there five minutes, and you will see 15-plus cars ignore the no right turn and make one,'' Peter Surlly wrote this week on a Craigslist post. "Where in hell would someone who doesn't know the city try to find (another) on-ramp?'' Our own inspection of the intersection this week found good reason to be concerned. No sooner did we arrive than a Yellow Cab ignored the "no turn" sign and whipped right onto the freeway without stopping. Even Derek Martin, the bicyclist who was clipped by a Jeep Wrangler last week (he's OK), said the city should allow right turns. "The original design for the intersection would have been safer," he said. Representatives of the Bicycle Coalition agree that the intersection is unsafe and say a redesign is needed, only they have an entirely different plan in mind from what car drivers might prefer: a crackdown on motorists. Andrew Thornley, the coalition's program director, says the city should make it even "harder to turn onto the freeway.'' Plus, he says, there should be "video cameras to catch people and strict enforcement with pretty harsh fines.'' Stuart Sunshine, the acting head of the Municipal Transportation Authority traffic agency, says the no-turn law was meant only as a six-month experiment and that his department could propose eliminating it down the line. But San Francisco Transportation Authority boss Jose Luis Moscovich, whose office administers most of the city's transit funds, said, "I thought it was a permanent thing." It sure looks like it's permanent. San Francisco and Caltrans just put the finishing touches on an elegant new, palm tree-lined plaza at the intersection. And while Moscovich said permitting right turns would be as simple as taking the sign out, the Department of Public Works figures it would mean reconfiguring that plaza -- to the tune of about $140,000. Whatever they decide, we did find at least one bicyclist who likes the new freeway ramps landing at Market Street. Sistar Aquadivina, who works at the ACT UP SF pot club on upper Market, says, "It's great for business.'' Meanwhile, a massive campaign in the Republic of Ireland aims to reduce drink-driving, increase seatbelt use, and get people to look where they are driving. The ads are gruesome, grim, and passionate. And pull no punches. Have I complained about Octavia Boulevard lately?... Read more
September 13, 2005
In which I have a yard-stick
One measure I use for determining how cosmpolitan, or how traveller-friendly, a city is: ease of getting between the airport and downtown. San Francisco: not so much, despite the much-anticipated wetlands preservation BART-to-SFO project. Other cities: thanks to the International Air Rail Organisation, and their database, I can find out online, including such details as: does the Shanghai maglev really vibrate at speeds about 200k?... Read more
September 12, 2005
In which we are not equal under the law.
Today's Examiner discusses community-planned intersections: Most importantly, the studies will seek input from the community on those improvements and then offer suggestions on how to make them a reality within five years, by identifying funding and resources for the project, said project manager Julie Kirschbaum, who works with San Francisco County Transportation Authority. "We want to create a tool kit so neighborhoods can help themselves," said Kirschbaum, adding that there could be many more similar projects in the future. "And we want to focus on showing real returns for implementation." Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval, whose district includes Mission Terrace and the Excelsior, has lobbied hard for the project and other traffic-calming measures. He said the area is especially dangerous because both Mission and Geneva streets are used as thoroughfares. Five years? That's all we've got? I mean: that's how long it takes to implement traffic-calming solutions? In other intersection-related news, an Oregon bicyclist was charged with manslaughter: A bicyclist was charged with manslaughter after he ran through a stop sign and struck and killed a 71-year-old woman, police said Monday. Jean Calder died at Good Samaritan Hospital after she was struck Friday night as she crossed a street at an unmarked crosswalk, Corvallis police Capt. Ron Noble said. Christopher A. Lightning, 51, was charged with manslaughter and reckless driving. "A car and a bicycle are both vehicles and if they are operated in a way that could be criminal, then charges are filed equally in both situations," Noble said. "He was going right through a stop sign." Lightning was being housed in Benton County jail with bail set at $57,500. He will be given a court-appointed lawyer at his arraignment in Benton County. I do not believe that a motorist would be incarcerated or even charged for a similar offence. I know this to be fact in San Francisco, Marin, and San Mateo counties.... Read more
September 01, 2005
In which MUNI receives a warning
Jay's report on MNUI's shortcomings and coming problems appeared in the SPUR newsletter (link to pdf).... Read more
August 28, 2005
In which a hackie makes an appearance
Last night I spent about half an hour first waiting for a cab at the corner, and then slowly walking towards my destination, three miles away, keeping an eye peeled for a cab with its "For Hire" light illuminated. I walked for twenty minutes and saw not a one; I walked through densely-populated areas: the Lower Haight, the Castro, the Mission, until I pounced on a cabby who pulled over to make a telephone call. From a four-year-old SPUR report: The most pressing complaint about the San Francisco taxi system over the long run is its extremely poor reliability. According to the Police Department Taxi Detail’s annual survey for 2000, if a passenger telephoned for a cab, there was only a 40% chance that one would arrive. Of 588 test calls made, 170 were not even answered, and 20 callers were told there was no cab available. Of the remaining calls, just 237 cabs arrived, and there were 161 ‘no shows.’ The City of San Francisco Taxicab Commissionhas taken decisive action, but there are still no goddam cabs. And what we have are too damn expensive.... Read more
August 27, 2005
In which we shed no tears for Denver
I have previously made snide comments about the baggage-handling system at Denver Stapleton International, and lo! it is done, and answers Brian Aldiss's question: Who can replace a man*? Apparently not this automated monstrosity. Why didn't they use the technology Louis Borders developed for Webvan? The New York Times' headline: Denver Airport Saw the Future. It Didn't Work. * I must make that reference to one of my favourite short stories, a strong philosophical tale about a pack of automata roaming a world in which they have eliminated all humans.... Read more
August 26, 2005
In which I had bad luck with cars.
Shuffling through filesystems past, I found this: a photograph from the (late) San Francisco Examiner showing the white whale, the Volvo waggon (a 240 GL) nicknamed Moby, which I drove for just about a year until it met its untimely demise as the fulcrum of a tree that laid itself down across Fell St. just in time for the evening rush-hour. This of course was when everyone driving home'ards from Silicon Valley came up 101 north to the Fell Street exit, and dispersed across the north part of San Francisco. Where was I? Drinking sangria around a long table at Timo's. Of course.... Read more
August 25, 2005
In which it is a contrast!!!
The Caltrans traffic cameras have really grabbed my attention. Other traffic cameras around the world: Atlanta, London, Toronto, Toronto, New York City, and others.... Read more
August 23, 2005
In which I find the manufactured landscape
I have been watching traffic on 101 all day. I find the grainy motion of the cars soothing.... Read more
August 20, 2005
In which we can't pay and we won't pay!
The organisers of a social strike against MUNI have this to say: ... over $9 million was "discovered" for Muni in late May. The SF Board of Supervisors, according to an article on BeyondChron.org, "could have stopped the 25 cent fare increase simply by restoring the parking fine and fee increased to the levels originally proposed in the MTAs budget." They didn't. And about half of the $9 million was used to reduce fees for parking and fines. A few supervisors are friendly to the interests of working class people, but that’s not enough. It is decisive action by the riders themselves that will turn heads -- and the table. The businesses that benefit most from Muni should pay. Downtown San Francisco, long a haven for tax evaders and enemies of people in the city, needs to pay for what it uses. Muni functions as a lifeline for those companies, bringing countless people to their service sector jobs that are generally underpaying them anyway. Corporate America's billions in revenue makes its claims of poverty ring hollow. and Common Ground magazine says this: ... a fare hike is an attack on the jobless, carless and fixed-income poor (MUNI fares have shot up 50% in the past two years). “Studies show that raising fares and cutting services drives customers away,” notes Jeremy Nelson of Transportation for a Livable City (). A look at the scheduled cuts reveals how MUNI places corporate interests before community needs. Cutbacks have targeted cross-city routes, residential service and weekend travel while sparing the commute-hour traffic that delivers the daily workforce to the steps of the companies like Chevron, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Bechtel and the Carlyle Group. “The real problem is that mass transit is a jumbo-sized free ride for the bosses and billion-dollar corporations,” Keven Keating argued in the March edition of Fault Lines, the Indymedia tabloid. Note that the Mr Nelson quoted now works in the private sector for " title="Offsite: San Francisco Examiner">transit consultancy Nelson\Nygaard. Goddammit, MUNI is raising fares again. Glad I am that I have a stash (of tokens). $1.50 from $1 in three years. This comes at a harsh time, consider the recent quarterly audit of MUNI shows that they have an appalling on-time record and no feasible plan to improve capacity or meet headway.... Read more
August 16, 2005
In which we discover a savvy use for the ipod
William Bright put together a site where users can share transit maps designed for iPod Photo. UPDATE:Okay, this is a little lame because it does not actually provide an interface that takes advantage of the scroll-wheel function on the iPod, but instead relies on the user to know how to manoeuvre about the city anyhow.... Read more
July 21, 2005
In which others write of walking to work
I do not walk to work, but many others do.... Read more
July 15, 2005
In which private industry gives the locals a run for the money
The Chronicle reports that Zipcar, flush with $10mm in VC largesse, are bringing their act to San Francisco. This is direct competition for the uppity local (and gov't-funded) City CarShare. “There are hundreds of thousands, if not a million, people in San Francisco, Seattle, and Portland who could benefit from Zipcar.” In the Bay Area, for instance, Zipcar sees the potential for as many as 1,000 cars. City CarShare now has about 90 cars available for sharing in San Francisco, Oakland, and Berkeley. Zipcar uses the Internet, phones, and wireless technology to make cars available 24 hours per day to its members. Here’s how it works: Each member gets a card, called a Zipcard. When a member makes a reservation online, or on an automated phone line, the member’s card is activated. When the member waves the card at the reserved vehicle’s windshield, the car unlocks. Reservations can be made anytime between one minute and a year in advance. Members pay $8.50 per hour or $59 per day, and like most car-sharing programs, the price includes gas, insurance, cleaning, and maintenance costs. The technology and policy are very similar to City CarShare and to Portland's FlexCar program, but perhaps having additional resources available will spread the use of carshare programs, rather than decimating the public service. Or then again, perhaps the West Coast is not capable of sharing cars?... Read more
July 14, 2005
In which Caltrain hits the mark, again
Caltrain commuter-rail service is expanding services again. Caltrain, unlike many other of the twenty-odd Bay Area transit agencies, focuses effectively on their bottom line. They realised last year, with the introduction of the Baby Bullet service, that they had hit on something that made extremely effective use of resources: each train was filled to capacity. The trains fast and on-time; and they are a cost-effective alternative to driving (and to other public transit services!). ... and one of the newly-added trains leaves San Francisco southbound at 9 AM. Suits me fine!... Read more
July 02, 2005
In which bad news for BART means good news for downtown hotels
If you cannot stand the commute without BART, the agency helpfully suggests spending the night in a downtown hotel. ... I imagined that they would publicise Casual Carpool a little more. At least the agency mentions it, and will provide space at its parking lots for carpools to meet. They also suggest taking a vacation.... Read more
July 01, 2005
In which we are on track for safety
Despite the appeal for common sense on the Houston Metro web site, the light rail in Houston has acquired the unwelcome nickname "Wham-bam tram!" (and accompanying Dashboard widget). Didn't Barcelona suffer through something similar on the recent expansion of their surface-tram system into the suburbs?... Read more
June 30, 2005
In which the whole is less than the sum of its parts
An interesting counterpoint to the "If you build it, they will come" school of mass-transit development is the BART to SFO extension. Much anticipated, this BART extension has yielded disappointing ridership Its impact has been more than low ridership or lower-than-expected revenue for San Mateo County: commuters who relied on SamTrans, which cut bus service from the Peninsula to San Francisco International Airport, now find that they pay higher prices for less-frequent service. One cannot obtain a weekly or monthly pass for BART, either, unlike with SamTrans. Thus concession and airline employees commuting to the airport to work found themselves paying more for services not necessarily convenient for them. Also, who is number one? Ironically, one reason the SFO/Millbrae extension is struggling could be competition from Caltrain, which SamTrans also helps to finance. A year ago, Caltrain began running Baby Bullet trains between San Jose and San Francisco, making far fewer stops along the way. Since then, Caltrain weekday ridership is up more than 12 percent. But that's a healthy trend for the two rail systems rather than a discouraging one, said Mark Simon, special assistant to SamTrans CEO Michael Scanlon. "They complement one another," he said. "They give people more options to get out of their car." He said the only reason people are disappointed with BART ridership is those old projections, which were made at the height of the economic boom. Ridership at the stations from Colma south is up 8.4 percent from the first quarter of 2004. "Any other system, if it was sustaining annual growth of more than 8 percent, that would be hugely successful," Simon said. Still, because of the Baby Bullets and because all Millbrae BART trains go through SFO, Caltrain riders now can get to many areas of downtown San Francisco slightly faster and for less money by staying on the train instead of switching to BART in Millbrae. Many BART projections have assumed that lots of Caltrain riders would switch in Millbrae, but it isn't happening. BART's spokesman is named Linton Johnson.... Read more
June 29, 2005
In which number one takes a break
BART workers are threatening a strike next week, which would throw Bay Area transit into utter disarray -- trebling commute times and creating incapacitating gridlock -- according to a BART-commissioned UC Berkeley study (original in PDF format). One of the assumptions: that the 155,000 riders who take the the Transbay Tube each rush hour would instead create instant gridlock by hopping into their cars and slugging it out over surface streets at 9 mph. Lest I forget: BART is still proud to be the "number-one transit system" in this country (between the horus of 0600 and 0000, 0800 and 1100 Sundays and holidays).... Read more
June 27, 2005
In which I do not take our resources for granted
Thanks to a hookup from the CTA (akahttp://keepchicagolandmoving.com/), I received a neatly-rolled package of posters bearing images of an apple, a plastsic water bottle, a gas-pump, and a CTA train, with the legend "Let's not take our resources for granted." Very nice. I am sending a copy to my Supervisor, Mr Ross Mirkarimi, with the intention that he use it to better understand how to push San Francisco's transit-first agenda.... Read more
June 09, 2005
In which the grass is greener
Pittsburgh shows its progressive attitude: "We need to make transit equal with highways." quoth Mayor Tom Murphy. The project will extend the light rail system from Steel Plaza to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center and, through twin tunnels under the Allegheny River to the North Shore. As part of the full-funding agreement, the agency must demonstrate its ability to operate and maintain the light-rail system for the next 30 years to get capital improvement funds -- not an easy task when the governor has been forced to transfer millions of dollars in highway money to forestall record fare increases and service cuts. And meanwhile, The Chronicle's John King props up London (again): Livingstone's speech here Friday concerned his 2003 imposition of a charge any time a car enters an eight-mile-square chunk of central London. As a result, 50,000 fewer cars now enter the city on a typical weekday. Many commuters instead ride the 3,000 new buses that make mass transit more enticing. But this unabashed socialist also has used his office to help clusters of towers sprout in central London -- including a slender glass pyramid that will rise 1,000 feet smack next to London Bridge. That way you keep the financial service firms close by (the better to tax them with). You put a dent in London's estimated demand for 30,000 new housing units a year. You even cut down on traffic -- people can walk to work.... Read more
June 02, 2005
An admonition to eat, rather than throw, the veg
A Caltrain anecdote from some months ago -- probably mid-winter, when daylight was sparse -- Caltrain 246 depart SF 8.37 at Hayward Park, a disheveled young man arrived on the platform at the same time as the train. He hurried to buy a ticket, stabbing at the buttons, but heard the train doors closed and turned to the conductor with a plea. The conductor shook his head and the train pulled away. The young man spat at the departing train; he wheeled and threw his lunch bag against the ground with such force that vegetables went flying everywhere.... Read more
May 22, 2005
BIM
I can hear the pleasantly monotonous voice of the Viennese light-rail system's electronic train announcements: "Mariahilferstraße ... Westbanhof". But, my word! their web site reeks of a fat government contract with no oversight. Much more straightforward and functional is this Flash-based timetable. The sound effect is quite nice, too! Web sites notwithstanding, Vienna's trains and the service are magnificent, and apparently carry small cargo flats as well as passengers.... Read more
May 21, 2005
More successful than anyone thinks
The NYTimes, soon to begin charging for online content, has a story about the MTA's $3 million in missing revenue. As it turns out, the Metrocard is more popular than expected, and more riders are buying the deeply-discounted 30-day electronic farecards.... Read more
April 23, 2005
On the shortcomings of Bay Area transit
While Caltrain declares a fiscal emergency, the state delayed a vote for funding high-speed rail in the Los Angeles-to-San Francisco corridor, and regional transit agencies in the Bay Area still do'n't have their act together. Amtrak's once-heralded Acela express in the heavily-travelled Northeast corridor was stopped dead in its tracks, the result of poor design and planning. News analysis runs alarming stories with screamers like "Transit shortcomings put more cars on the bridge": "Improvements such as the extension of Caltrain into downtown, the construction of the Third Street light-rail system, reconstruction of the decrepit Transbay Terminal and a Chinatown subway are touted to dramatically improve downtown transit interchanges. A major ferry system expansion is in the works, and BART has plans to ramp up service in the long term." -- all of these projects have faced severe delays, with planning, funding, and execution. BART service changes? Doubtful. BART service area expansion? Unlikely, considering that one of that project's strongest advocates was pushed out last week. American needs efficient rail service. The service should be urban and rural, although the need is greatest for intra- and inter-urban routes. American legislature does not feel pressure from lobbyists, most of whom are grassroots rather than industry, and for this reason under-funds and hamstrings the national and civic rail infrastructure. As recent experience in Britain, which privatised its rail service to the frustration of most, has shown, rail must be run as a loss-leader of sorts: in order to save money in the long term, investments in rail must be taken now. Failing to make this commitment now will result in higher long-term costs for development, for highway infrastructure, and less-efficient commute times for Americans in dense population areas.... Read more
April 22, 2005
On the 'Goldilocks price' of parking
Donald Shoup presents his economic theory of parking. The "high cost of parking" is a favourite topic of Professor Shoup's.... Read more
April 15, 2005
Salt into the public-transit wound.
The esseffessist nails one of the other good things about MUNI when they proudly show off the view from the N Judah as it exits the Market St. Subway and turns down Embarcadero. Gorgeous. ... but this is all for naught given MUNI's latest plan: raise fares and cut service (what a winning combination!). I've already written to my supervisor. I will happily support a higher fare for the same level of service. I will not suffer higher fares for cuts in service. MUNI service is so bare-bones as it is, I ca'n't imagine less. Even though I live on a corner with 4 bus lines, I usually walk down to Civic Center. The 25 minutes is equivalent to the wait and ride on a 6/66/7/71[L], even at 7.25. Oh yes: Rescue MUNI is a great resource.... Read more
April 13, 2005
The wrong sort of good news
Caltrain are adding more express service, but addressed the press with the headline "... more bullet trains to help fiscal crisis: Caltrain Adding Two More Bullet Trains to Help Fiscal Crisis Caltrain will begin operating two more of its popular Baby Bullet trains May 2 to generate revenue as quickly as possible to help offset a fiscal crisis that threatens the survival of the rail line. Responding to requests for an express train later in the morning and earlier in the afternoon, the additional Bullets will depart San Francisco at 8:11 a.m. and San Jose at 3:47 p.m. Take ones with the schedule will be available later this month; the schedule also will be on this website by Monday, April 18. The two trains will make the same stops as Caltrain’s other reverse-peak Baby Bullet trains: San Francisco, 22nd Street (San Francisco), Millbrae, Hillsdale (San Mateo), Palo Alto, Mountain View and San Jose Diridon. The two trains are being rushed into the Caltrain line-up two months ahead of a planned schedule change in July in the hope that they will chip away at Caltrain’s looming deficit. Since they were introduced in June 2004, Caltrain’s 10 Baby Bullet trains have been extremely popular, most of them operating at capacity. Not only that, they generate nearly twice as much revenue as local trains, which make all local stops. If service continues without significant changes, Caltrain will have to close a projected deficit of $13.6 million. Caltrain’s policy board, which includes three members each from agencies in San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, faces the formidable challenge of finding ways to close the deficit. Caltrain does not have a dedicated funding source of its own and gets about 30 percent of its revenue from passenger fares and the remainder as subsidies from the three member agencies.... Read more
April 05, 2005
Let's get multi-modal
It's not like we need the Transbay Terminal or anything. After years of ballot initiatives and endless wrangling by state agencies, San Francisco has no multi-modal transit center. The Caltrain depot features the most half-hearted attempt to bridge MUNI, requiring passengers to cross a freeway onramp to move between the N-Judah light rail and Caltrain heavy rail; downtown BART is two blocks from the ferry terminal; and BART and MUNI themselves rarely play well together outside of the Market St. subway. So I don't care that the new Transbay is on hold (again).... Read more
April 01, 2005
Precedents for pedestrian zones
The Vision42 Project, a tightly-organised group of Midtown activists, have a great page about the precedents for their proposed pedestrian zone along 42nd Street (and its accompanying light rail). In many ways, creating an auto-free street is largely a political, rather than a technical decision. A main stumbling block to the reintroduction of light rail in New York has been a reluctance to take any street space away from automobiles. In Manhattan, where only 23% of the households even own cars, perhaps a different set of priorities ought to obtain.... Read more
March 21, 2005
The human (rat) race
The Examiner started its series on congestion in the Bay Area. The first article deals with the maze, the maze, the ever-beloved maze. Last night Jay, Jimg and I chewed the fat on making congestion worse: slow down car traffic, increase congestion, and demonstrate the value of public transit. Jay pointed out Market St, Geary Blvd, and Van Ness feature no disincentive for drivers other than congestion.... Read more
March 16, 2005
Full of beans in sun-shine like this.
Aram and I hung out at the café this morning and discussed our respective vices: coffee, wine, and fixies. Of the hundred or so bicycles that rolled past the interesection of Waller and Steiner, more than a quarter were fixies, old road-bike conversions and track frames alike. Nuts. The only cyclists who came to a complete stop were two girls riding matching yellow hybrid frames. I'm quite excited that Caltrain has proposed to cut the number of stations it serves, and accompany this with a radical shift in the local/limited train design. From the preliminary proposal, they are responding to the ridership patterns shown and to requests from passengers ("more express trains"). Furthermore, they are taking the sensible approach of reducing service where it is least cost-effective and where it will affect the fewest riders (how many trains still stop at Paul Ave., anyway?). One note of caution: they are quietly considering elimination of weekend service in order to bring the agency out of its increasing deficit. The community meeting will be next Thursday, 23 March, at City Hall; the public hearings will follow a week later. Caltrain is one of the few local transit agencies to responsibly deal with its ridership: it provides great facilities for cyclists on- and off- the train, offers rapid connections during peak hours, and tries really hard to keep facilities clean and functional (no, I'm not talking about the chain sandwich shop that opened in the 4th and King Station a few weeks ago).... Read more
March 15, 2005
The Real Underground
The Transport for London web site has a very well done map (Flash required) showing the geographic and schematic perspectives of the tube system.... Read more
March 12, 2005
Inappropriate use of quotation marks, Pt. II
Long have I admired MUNI's use of quotation marks on their advisory stickers. I finally snapped one th' other day:... Read more
March 08, 2005
On the foolishness of double-turn lanes
From Transportation for a Livable City's current action items: Tell the City to remove dangerous and unneeded double turn lanes. WHAT'S AT STAKE: Double turn lanes are notoriously dangerous for pedestrians, bicyclists, and other motorists. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) says that double turn lanes pose significant "liabilities" to pedestrians and bicyclists." The State of Oregon's 'Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan' and the City of Portland's (OR) 'Bikeway Design and Engineering Guidelines' state that double turn lanes should be allowed "only if absolutely necessary" to prevent gridlock, should be "closely scrutinized", and should be "avoided whenever possible." Despite there known dangers, there are approximately 80 double turn lanes throughout the City, and while many of these are no longer serve any significant traffic control purpose, they continue to endanger pedestrians and bicyclists. Thankfully, DPT has undertaken an initiative to remove these dangerous and unneeded double turn lanes throughout the City, and several of these have already been approved for removal (http://livablecity.org/pipermail/news_livablecity.org/2004q4/000050.html). Unfortunately, a city committee called ISCOTT recently refused to approve the removal of a double turn lane at 6th & Harrison, despite the fact that DPT's analysis showed no significant impact on auto traffic (http://livablecity.org/pipermail/news_livablecity.org/2005q1/000055.html). This Thursday, ISCOTT will consider DPT's proposal to remove 4 more double turn lanes and this Committee needs to hear that you believe pedestrian and bicyclist safety should always be a higher priority than potential concerns about adding a few seconds of travel delay for drivers. TAKE ACTION: - E-MAIL DPT c/o Ricardo Olea (mailto:ricardo.olea@sfgov.org) and ISCOTT c/o Conrado Magat (mailto:Conrado.Magat@sfgov.org) and let them know you support DPT's efforts to remove dangerous and unneeded double turn lanes. Sample language is below: "I am writing in support of DPT's proposal to remove double turn lanes at the following locations: * Beale and Mission Streets (Agenda Item #2) * California and Kearny Streets (Agenda Item #3) * Bush and Kearny Streets (Agenda Item #4) * Battery and Clay Streets (Agenda Item #5) I believe that ensuring the safety of San Francisco's pedestrians and bicyclists should always be a higher priority than concern about adding a few seconds of travel delay for drivers. Double turn lanes are known by transportation professionals to be dangerous and should only be used when they are absolutely necessary to prevent significant auto traffic congestion from occurring on a regular and ongoing basis. To allow double turn lanes to remain in place simply to reduce delay for motorists by a few seconds is both inhumane and negligent, is a violation of the City’s Transit-First Policy, and would seem to expose the city to substantial liability. I encourage you to step up this effort to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety by bringing forward all the unneeded double turn lanes throughout the City for removal." - ATTEND the ISCOTT hearing in person this Thursday, 3/10, 25 Van Ness Ave., Suite 345, 3rd Floor Conference Room.... Read more
February 22, 2005
All of a sudden / it's too late
"a pedestrian appears out of nowhere!" it's like being in a horror movie, isn't it? Salve for the satanic soul of the urban driver.... Read more
February 13, 2005
I shot the law
The SFPD, amongst others, harassed someone taking snaps of MUNI. San Francisco has no law against taking photographs of public transit, of transportation infrastructure, or of people using transit -- unlike some cities. Know your rights. UPDATE: The SFist blog describes the incident in breathless and semi-literate style. And Boing Boing posted it as well.... Read more
January 27, 2005
!(Take the A Train)
I'm still bewildered by the sudden disappearance from our lives of the MTA's longest subway line, the A. Will the A and C lines be out of service for five years? or nine months? Did a transient take down the daily commute for more than half a million New Yorkers? Or did ageing antiquated electronics do them in?... Read more
January 22, 2005
A redress of grievances
I'm furious because MUNI wasn't running today. Buses are stopped on Market Street, where the police have cordoned off the section between 5th and the Embcardero; this stretch of Market St. is arguably the cornerstone of the surface transit in the city, where the 38 Geary, the 21 Hayes, the 5 Fulton, and all of the Haight/Page St buses (6, 66, 7, 71), as well as the tourist-friendly F Market all run. To add insult to injury, after walking down Market to the Ferry Building to catch a Wharf-bound F, I found that the obstruction had moved with me, and that the F was stuck as well. The city decided to shut down all of the downtown transit area as part of the Walk for Life, an anti-abortion fundraising event, and the accompanying pro-choice rally (question for later research: how can men advocate against abortion?). The choice not only disrupted transit for merrymakers and shoppers alike, but curtailed many cross-town routes and left buses in the lurch just north of Market St. No signs were posted ahead of time, warning of the disruption. Aside from the inconvenience, I think it was poor judgement on the city's part to allow a march (or parade) licence to the various groups, and to allow a few thousand to disrupt the activities of many. ... On the other hand, were our lives not disrupted, we may not be aware of the 32nd anniversary of Roe v. Wade (aside: polish dancing shoes, as Chief Justice Rehnquist looks poorly), nor would we understand the importance that people attach to this issue. Of all the places to hold an antiabortion rally, why San Francisco? (Antiabortion marchers were bused in; pro-choice activists cycled along the protest route.) What is the role of the city in allowing a single group to take over a public thoroughfare? This was an important issue during the Republican National Convention in New York City this past August, when protestors were denied the right to assemble where they wished. I understand the "right to peaceably assemble" means not just that you're law-abiding and whatnot, but that you're not inciting others, not driving them to frustration through inconsiderate civil disobedience. Doesn't make sense to corral all protestors et al. into Civic Center, though. Man, I'm mad at the city and MUNI for not handling this better.... Read more
January 18, 2005
You can't get there from here
In order to travel 5km in San Francisco, when time is a premium, do you a) hail a cab b) walk c) hop a bus d) take light rail e) drive a private car Well, the answer is (b): walk. Not only are (a) cabs in short supply (and expensive), private cars expensive to own and operate, but I had a trick answer in there: (d). There's no light rail. I hardly call four southern routes and one rustic 9mph shuttle "light rail". To get from my place in the Lower Haight to a soon-to-close cinema in the Richmond, I spent 75 minutes on two buses, during which time I could easily have walked from Point A to Point B.... Read more
January 11, 2005
Make-over, ess-eff stylee
Will Sirron Norris' work be the new face of BART?... Read more
January 10, 2005
On the right track
Thieves steal underground track Czech police are investigating after more than 1,000 feet of railway track was stolen from the Prague underground. Police say they suspect a group of homeless people were behind the theft of the track in the Czech capital's Prague 10 district. They said the 12 tons of track would have been worth about £1,500 on the scrap metal market, local media reported. Not quite reminiscent of A J Deutsch's outstanding (and under-anthologised) story "A Subway Named Möbius", but still quite an interesting problem of logistics.... Read more
January 04, 2005
Fell St. Bicycle Lanes Hearing Next Monday
From the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. MAKE THE FELL ST. BIKE LANES PERMANENT! - HEARING MONDAY: If you're wild about the Fell St. bike lanes between Scott & Baker Streets (and what urban bicyclist isn't?!), we could use your help next week to make sure they stay put. You may remember that when the Fell St. bike lanes passed, (after years of SFBC members' pushing and prodding), they were only approved as a trial measure. Well, we think they work just great, and so does the City, who is recommending that they be made permanent. We need a few supporters to help make that case this Monday, January 10th at 1pm at the Board of Supervisors' Land Use Committee hearing at City Hall, Room 263... Read more
December 30, 2004
Bollocks to your hybrid
Although hybrids are all cool, what with Hyperion offering its employees a cash incentive to purchase 'em, you still cannot drive a hybrid in the high-occupancy vehicle lane, which is good news in my book. The HOV lanes should encourage congestion reduction and emission reduction, not only the latter. Why choose? Legislate in favour of both. And offering employees an incentive to get another car encourages more short-term thinking: provide shuttles for the employees, provide incentives to cycle or walk to work, give them bus passes, but don't encourage more consumption of new vehicles.... Read more
December 26, 2004
Turning your orbit around
The sure-fire, crowd-pleasing, rolling-around-in-tourist-dollars E-Embarcadero line is on hold, due to a budget shortfall. If I read my legislation correctly, this damn thing should already be operational. Although this streetcar service would provide a link between the ballpark and the Wharf, as well as a romantic ride down an aesthetically successful urban thoroughfare, MUNI won't take it on due to their $15 million budget shortfall -- despite the fact that they'd get maintenance of the rolling stock for free through the non-profit Market Street Railway. MUNI has already proposed raising fares again, to $1.50; mix in an intrasigent Transport Workers Union, a clueless Board of Supervisors, and a constantly-changing service plan, and MUNI is on the route to disappointing San Francisco. The E-Embcardero would have made use of $10 million from a state transportation measure to open a route that included Aquatic Park and the Fort Mason Tunnel.... Read more
December 21, 2004
"Dear John ..."
If you're feeling the love for BART, send 'em an essay telling them why they're "America's #1 transit system" (self-aggrandization complete with stickers), and you might win $500 of BART tickets (which are invalid if damp, bent, or in your wallet).... Read more
December 11, 2004
A Story Problem
Anna, Max, Jen, and Salim want to get from Holloway and 19th to Bernal Heights on a Friday evening. They have amongst them a credit card, a debit card, a $5 bill, four $1 bills, and a pocketful of change (about 75¢, not including pennies). Find the best route. 10 points. Bonus:Find the cheapest method, considering time at $8.50 per person per hour. 5 points. We are standing at a major intersection, where a bus and streetcar stop. Possible Solution A Take the streetcar to Balboa Park BART ($1.25), and buy separate tickets for BART to 24th Street ($1.25). Walk six blocks to the party. Travel time: 30 minutes. Possible Solution B Take the bus to Daly City BART ($1.25), and buy separate tickets for BART to 24th Street ($2.15). Walk six blocks to the party. Travel time: 45 minutes. Possible Solution C Take a cab. About $3 per person (not including gratuity; cash, credit cards accepted), and 20 minutes. Possible Solution D Take the M inbound to Church and Market ($1.25), transfer to the J (free) to 24th Street, walk 10 blocks. Travel time: 45 minutes. The solution? We spent several minutes rassling with getting the $5 bill into the MUNI ticket machine, although we realised that it wouldn't conveniently dispense four single-ride tickets. We needed the change, as we didn't have four singles and quarters per rider. We finally wrangled change and tickets from the second machine (the first was ornery about our singles), but in the process of doing so missed the first M that came to the platform. We waited for the next train, and were alarmed when the "End of the line!" call came as we looked out onto a dark, busy street. The MUNI streetcar stopped in the middle of the roadway, so we had to cross a lane of car traffic just to get to the sidewalk -- a sidewalk which had a PCC eerily parked across it (which turned out to be live, although the interior was darkened; just after we walked in front of it the car began rolling into the intersection). We made our way to what seemed like the crosswalk, but were still on the diagonal from the BART station. Why doesn't MUNI have a more formal terminal at the end of its line? Or connect conveniently with the BART, with which it shares a nominal destination ("Balboa Park")? Instead, the M and L lines abandon riders on the far side of their only possible destination, the BART station. We walked to the station and descended to the ticketing area, and bought four single-ride tickets (non-refillable; does BART somehow re-use or re-cycle these tickets?) to ride three stations to 24th Street. I was impressed to learn that BART vending machines issue multiple tickets in a single transaction; dismayed that MUNI's cannot; irritated at the difficulty of transfer between systems; and satisfied, although not impressd, with the economy of public transit in the Bay Area.... Read more
December 09, 2004
F Market loses control, smashes cars
The F Market lost control on Market Street at Valencia, careening into five cars. Traffic was snarled around the area for hours afterwards, exacerbating the Market Street / Hayes Valley congestion problems.... Read more
A Natural Experiment
This study published in the Journal of Public Transit describes a natural experiment in which transit users were able to set the value of headway and wait-time for bus service.... Read more
December 07, 2004
MUNI II: Fiscal boogaloo
You've got a small car? Perhaps even a fuel-efficient model? Contra Costa County sez 'Bollocks' to you. Meanwhile, San Francisco's MUNI has declared a second fiscal emergency, and prepares for service cuts, another fare increase (the base fare increased 25% in September 2003). I am writing to MUNI's Michael Burns, the Board of Supervisors (who oversee MUNI's authority to institute fare increases and service cuts), my Supervisor (incoming: Ross Mirkarimi; outgoing: Matt Gonzalez), and the Mayor's office with my recommendation that the city impose new vehicle fees, increase downtown parking rates, and otherwise make life difficult for private drivers during commercial hours. Some service cuts to MUNI, especially in older, neighbourhood lines, may be inevitable; however, a second fare increase will only further weaken our public-transit infrastucture. For crying out loud! This happens for want of, what, $60 million? Transportation for a Liveable City has posted their recommendations. The economist Charles Komanoff, writing in today's NYT, says, Getting the United States off oil and other fossil fuels is nothing like the Apollo program. No rocket science or new technology is needed. What's missing is the political will to internalize the huge social costs of energy use in the prices of fuels and electricity through fuel taxes. We know how to make windmills and bicycles, compact cities and compact fluorescents. Choosing them instead of gas-guzzlers and sprawl development requires market incentives that only higher energy prices can create.... Read more
December 02, 2004
BART to pigeons: Come on feel the noise
BART spends $150,000 annually to combat the noise of rock doves, better known to city dwellers as a rat with wings. The current approach, apparent at the 16th Street Station and others, is to blast them with the sounds of predators. The name of their spokesman, Linton Johnson, caught my eye. Why not play some dub instead? I wonder how much BART spends on ridding the 16th Street Station of dirty needles and used crack vials.... Read more
And miles (per gallon) to go before we sleep
According an open letter to Bill Ford from the Rainforest Action Network, published as a full-page advert. in today's New York Times, Since the oil crisis of the 1970s, the EPA has ranked Ford last in overall fuel efficiency for 20 out of the last 30 years, and Ford’s fleet today gets fewer miles per gallon on average than the Model-T did 80 years ago.... Read more
December 01, 2004
Caltrain II: Electric Boogaloo
After yesterday's experience riding the Baby Bullet, I decided to see how much I could shave off the wait time. I rolled out of work at 16.34 and arrived home at 18.01, for a one-way door-to-door time of 87 minutes. That's pretty swell. Turns out that my arriving at the Mountain View station at all early was moot, as the new stock wasn't in service for this express run; the older carriages, which accomdate 32 bicycles, were. And I was all set to bellyache about how I prefer the old to the new! Should we, the public, spend $185,000 per (new) passenger to electrify Caltrain? Encourage the Dumbarton Rail plan? Extend BART to San Jose? Which will happen fastest? Portland took a quick-and-dirty route to laying short-term rail: this encourages people to use transit, but means that the lines may not survive for a generation.... Read more
November 30, 2004
Was it worth it?
After weeks of hearing Greg sing the praises of public transit, I finally rode Caltrain's Baby Bullet express service today; it's the first time my bike and I have actually ridden this service. My door-to-door time was one hour and thirty minutes, including fifteen minutes' waiting time at the Mountain View platform, where a Stanford psychology student tried to engage me in some sort of study. If I take the limited in the evening, the door-to-door time is about fifteen minutes longer, or, barring wait time, as much as half-an-hour longer! Caltrain has a progressive policy towards bicycles on board: no additional fare and ample space for bicycles and gear. However, with the Baby Bullet, Caltrain has really let down cyclists. The rolling stock is significantly less bicycle-friendly: we have to move bicycles through the seating area to place them in cages which are significantly less roomy than the racks on the older carriages; the capacity has diminished, so that only 16, rather than 32 or 64 bicycles, fit -- as a result, cyclists line up 20 minutes early to board the Bullet, thereby negating much of the speed gain. The faster travel time of the Bullet is due to its less-frequent stops; it runs at a top speed of about 70 mph, just as the regular locals and limiteds do, but stops only four times between Mountain View and San Francisco (irritatingly, at both 22nd and 4th streets).... Read more
November 21, 2004
War on war
We have a war on drugs, a war on poverty, and a war on terrorism, but why don't we have a war on single-occupancy vehicles? Maps, 8-second maps, more maps, and advocacy are just the beginning. We should make transit free within the downtown -- Portland and Seattle already do. Federal regulations require a 25% farebox revenue contribution towards overall operating costs (and, in fact, most transit systems barely manage that!). Why not make MUNI free in the downtown area? Or across the entire system?... Read more
November 17, 2004
Cup runneth over in King County
Seattle has to choose from a monorail, dedicated (and sometimes free) busways, and a light-rail system. Or a combination thereof. I'm jealous.... Read more
November 14, 2004
More on hax0ring the MTA
from disinformation: Apparently the exploit is a result of the system being unable to read bent or damaged cards. To compensate for that error there is a built in fail safe that if a card is swiped 3 times and the computer reads a certain code that tells them it was damaged, on the 4th swipe it lets the swiper through. I guess they figure if someone is using a empty card they they wouldn't swipe it 4 times. Guess again! Here's how it works: 1) Bend the bottom right corner of your metro card up to the f (f part of the word facing). It is a 45 degree angle. Close the bend hard 2) Swipe it 3 times and it says "please swipe again" 3) On the 3rd time it says "please swipe again at this turnstile" 4) Swipe one more time with the bend open and it says balance= $0.00, previous balance $2.00. GO 5) Go. How many MetroCard exploits are there?... Read more
November 12, 2004
hax0r pub|1c trnzt
The New York Daily News reports that pretty girls don't ride the subway: A scrolling marquee sign in the West 4th St. station was even less helpful than usual, after it got pwn3d by some hax0rs. Sez one rider: "I'm pretty, and I take the subway every day." Word. And you're probably also rich. UPDATE: This meme turned up everywhere: engadget, Gothamist, usw.... Read more
November 09, 2004
An embarassment
The Department of Transportation's Transitweb project awarded four agencies special recognition for their web sites. Unsurprisingly, three are in California: www.bigbluebus.com, www.sfmuni.com, and www.vta.org. If these are the best, we're in trouble. Hell, we're in trouble anyways. Santa Monica's Big Blue Bus site stands out for its functional map. The West Virgina agency cited by Volpe, Mountain Line, doesn't even adhere to web standards. The information is poorly-organised, inaccessible to people with disabilities, and out of date.... Read more
November 08, 2004
Hey! You! You can't leave that on the train!
Who was the idiot on Caltrain #271 today, carrying a complete electric range with accessories?... Read more
November 07, 2004
Less is less
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that, for want of a shoe,the horse will be killed. ... the nation's 14th-largest transit system is proposing to become one of the nation's most expensive transit systems with a $2.50 base fare. ... the authority proposes to eliminate service on weekends and holidays, and drop weekday service after 9 p.m. unless Gov. Ed Rendell and the state legislature provide tax money to fill a $30 million budget deficit. The fare increases are to go into effect about Feb. 1. Service cuts, which include eliminating 70 of 230 weekday bus-trolley routes, would begin in early March. These changes, combined with cuts in Access program transit service for aged and ill riders, could mean $54 million in revenue and savings, thereby keeping the authority solvent for a while longer. The Pittsburgh area, which has a remarkable system of dedicated busways, has faced trouble over its transit spending the past several years; investment in infrastructure and reliable service is the way to increase reliance on public transit. However, when transit cuts fall too easily to the budgetary axe, people learn not to use public transit. Similary, San Francisco faces similar cutbacks in MUNI (and other) service, as well as higher transit rates.... Read more
November 01, 2004
Una más!
On the 10.37 Caltrain this morning, I sat next to a young father and son. The kid was about 2 years old, on his second train ride, and endlessly excited: "bicicletas! Una más!" he cheered as cyclists boarded. He said that he has taken the train to see baseball, and that was "awesome." He had quite a vocabulary! He pounded the palm of his hand against the window as we pulled out of the yard and saw trains undergoing repairs; his father explained that some of the trains need to be fixed so that we can continue enjoying them.... Read more
October 27, 2004
After a 28-Year Hiatus, Miss (er, Ms.) Subways Is Back
The New York Times ran a poignant piece about Ms Subway (née Miss Subway). The currently reigning regent staged a performance-art brunch on a southbound A train; lord knows, you have to wait ages for either of them (the brunch and the A, that is). Happy Hundredth to the MTA! I found an MTA token (RIP) in my bag today.... Read more
October 24, 2004
Some reading material
A bevy of articles (all PDF) about public transportation.... Read more
October 21, 2004
Dancing in the street(car)s!
Kim Epifano's Epiphany Dance company are using MUNI F-Market cars as the setting for their new presentation, Trolley Dances: All aboard for two electrifying days of modern dance in the streets of San Francisco! Travel along Muni's historic F-line trolley route to see four original dance performances in unexpected places. Guided performance 'journeys' leave from the San Francisco Public Library every 45 minutes starting at 12:15 p.m. and take 2 hours to complete. Performances are free with a valid Fast Pass or one-time fare of $1.25. The flyer (pictured on the website) has a stunning photograph of dancers at a Market St. platform. A few years ago, while riding the F line from 2nd Ave/LES to York St, some enterprising actors took advantage of line construction (and the weekend closure of East Broadway, in addition to Delancy Street) to perform two short plays in the subway.... Read more
September 27, 2004
A headline only a mother could love.
Today's Examiner has the banner "Fans arrive by land, sea Giants, Raiders rooters exhaust transit options" for their lead story.... Read more
September 24, 2004
This is Bliss
Carfree Week, and what does California's Governor do? He signs into law a piece of crap that allows single-occupancy hybrid cars to use the carpool lanes. When we should be seeking solutions to reduce freeway traffic and to eliminate highway congestion; at a time when we should promote alternative transportation and find ways to eliminate vehicle trips, the Governor and State Legislature have found a way to add cars to the already-burdened carpool lanes, and to let people think that driving one in a car is okay. It's not. The problem is not miles to the gallon, it's air quality, proximity of services.... Read more
September 23, 2004
To infinity and beyond!
While I admit to a love of infinity and of a certain cat, I never thought to combine the two. And a-propos of math, a research group at Berkeley will place puzzle placards on a quarter of MUNI buses. The puzzles will feature appealing math puzzles and offer rewards for correct solutions.... Read more
September 17, 2004
Gas leak shuts down BART
Just as BART were planning an emergency readiness drill for 26 Sept., Murphy struck: OAKLAND -- A gas leak at BART's main headquarters building in Oakland Friday forced an evacuation of all employees including the computer center triggering a shutdown of the rapid transit system. The evacuation -- which took place around 2 p.m. -- grounded to a halt all traffic on the BART lines including at least one train in the Transbay Tube. BART officials were trying to reboot the system from a remote location, but as of 2:38 p.m. the trains were still not running. No other details were immediately available. UPDATE: BART claim that trains were operational at 2.30... Read more
September 07, 2004
A route of one's own
Although it's been done (and perhaps in more style), four San Franciscans decided to ride all MUNI routes over the long weekend. It took them all weekend?... Read more
September 06, 2004
Spare the Air
I'm curious why the last two "Spare the Air" days have occurred on non-working days (Saturday last week; tomorrow, Labor Day). This means that public transit riders do not receive the discount that happens when the Air Quality Index rises above 100. If public transit is recognised as helping air quality, shouldn't drivers of private cars receive negative incentives? The Spare the Air web site says, " Most of the air pollution in the Bay Area is man-made, and results from industrial processes and everyday activities like driving ... ". And the first item under "What can I do to help reduce summer air pollution?" reads "The biggest action you can take is to drive less." There's also the ironic, tacit acknowledgement that households have more than one car: "Drive your most fuel-efficient car". This Monday, September 6, is a Spare The Air Day in the San Francisco Bay Area. Ground-level ozone air pollution is expected to exceed 100 AQI (Unhealthy for Sensitive Groups) tomorrow. Because it is not a weekday, there is no free commute on BART. Manana es un dia "Spare the Air." Por favor, maneje su carro lo menos possible manana. Clear skies, hot temperatures, a strong temperature inversion trapping pollutants near the ground, and light winds will combine to produce poor air quality for the Bay Area. People are being asked to: - Avoid the use of charcoal lighter fluid and barbecues - Eliminate the use of gasoline-powered yard tools like lawn mowers and leaf blowers - Exercise in the morning before air quality hits unhealthy levels - Postpone errands and link necessary trips - Use public transit whenever possible To monitor current air quality conditions, visit www.sparetheair.org... Read more
September 05, 2004
Empty breath, empty mouths
I live in a densely-populated area in the middle of an incorporated city, where I pay sales tax and property tax. I want the city to maintain the road from the main street to my neighbourhood, so that I can get in and out of my neighbourhood -- presumably, to contribute to the community by working and spending and volunteering. The city says: "Build it yourself. Or collect the money to build it, and we'll install it for you." Well, that didn't quite happen, since cars are involved. But suggest ditto for pedestrians -- that the city maintain a pedestrian walkway in order to accomodate citizens keen on participating in their community without cars -- and bollocks to you. The usually-noxious Chronicle Watch feature of the San Francisco Chronicle features a revealing piece about a city's priorities.... Read more
August 26, 2004
Understand your commute needs
I sometimes forget that Caltrain tries really hard to "to get people out of their cars and onto the trains." After the bad bicycle-related publicity of the past few months, they are undertaking a ridership survey to gauge what to do next: Wish list: Increase the bicycle capacity on baby bullets; promote conductor and rider awareness of the bicycle car; preserve the older rolling-stock bike-car layout, rather than the new ("Baby Bullet") rolling stock, which forces cyclists to move the bicycle through the passenger area; move the low-rise access platforms at bullet-train stations, which impede bicycle and passenger flow through the loading area (keep them at one end of the station, or in an area with an ample footpad; the Palo Alto NB platform is a textbook example of what NOT to do); provide more bicycle capacity during peak hours Use your own URL -- a redirect requires minimal effort and maintains a professional look! -- for the survey.... Read more
August 10, 2004
Compare and contrast
If I depart from the stoop at 09h50, I arrive in Mountain View: at 11h17 by bicycle + train (immediate cost: $4.50 for the CalTrain ticket); at 11h00 by bicycle + bus (no immediate cost); at 10h30 by private car (immediate cost: $5.00, for two gallons of gas); and, departing at 06h45 by bicycle, I arrive at 10h00 (but usu. need to shower).... Read more
July 23, 2004
Walk at your own risk; this is California
According to the Senior Action Network, and as reported in the faithful San Francisco Examiner, the most dangerous intersections in San Francisco: 19th Ave. and Holloway 19th Ave. and Taraval 24th St. and Potrero 3rd St. and Palou 4th St. and Folsom Bayshore and Arleta Columbus/Broadway/Grant Diamond and Bosworth Geary and 6th Ave. Geary and Divisadero Geary and Gough Geary and Masonic Geneva and San Jose Market and 5th St. Market and Castro Market and Church Market and Van Ness Mission and 16th St. Mission and 30th St. Mission and Geneva Mission and South Van Ness Ocean and Junipero Serra Silver and San Bruno Turk and Hyde... Read more
June 29, 2004
Anything but pedestrian.
Bless Santiago Calatrava for working on commission for pedestrian bridges. Despite how long an architect's rise to prominence can take, Calatrava has undertaken two of the more beautiful pedestrian bridges (one in Bilbao, and a new one in Redding).... Read more
June 28, 2004
Four syllables, or five?
Ever wonder about sensors">the physics behind traffic signal sensors? The sensors measure changes in inductance, but that still leaves a lot of issues, like ferrous vs. conductive, and contributions of frame vs. wheels. If you've got aluminum rims, your frame material doesn't matter, because they operate at high frequencies, where the key component is a conductive piece of metal -- not carbon fibre, you weight weenie -- that allows an induced eddy current (e.g. closed loop). Rims get closer to the wires than the frame, align the wheel with one of the wires, so the maximum number of magnetic flux lines pass through your rim. If the sensor is a figure-8 pattern, the middle wire is twice as sensitive as the edge wires. California has codes designed to address the engineering of cyclists in intersections. Isaac Asimov wrote an excellent short story called "Unique is where you find it" about a problem posed to an eager young chemist by his antagonistic professor. There, I've spoiled the story for you.... Read more
June 26, 2004
When pigs fly, they won't need bridges
From Chuck Shepherd's The News of The Weird: ... two proposed, marginally useful bridges for the state that will eventually cost taxpayers more than $2.2 billion. One, almost as big as the Golden Gate bridge, would connect Ketchikan (pop. 7,800) with a 50-resident island and the town's modest airport (and would replace a five-minute ferry boat ride), and the other, a two-mile-long span, would connect Anchorage, according to the Times, to "a port that has a single regular tenant and almost no homes or businesses."... Read more
June 25, 2004
Houston's new Metro hits the spot
An article in the New York Times discusses the poor integration of Houston's new light-rail into the street. Car drivers keep colliding with the light-rail cars, which build up speed over the long flat stretches bedtween stops in Houston. (San Francisco's MUNI does not have this problem, as it stops as frequently as twice each block above-ground, and rarely achieves speeds greater than 11 kph. I write in kph because it's a bigger number than the mph, which seems impossibly slow: 9 mph.) The article does not mention that a recent surface extension of Barcelona's TMB light-rail had similar problems; not does it explore why other cities, such as Sacramento, have successful (and relatively accident-free) surface-grade light rail. Happily, the article quotes Metro officials as saying: there are other reasons to build a train on street grade. It is more accessible and easier to use, and it fosters what Houston lacks: street-level development and pedestrian culture.... Read more
June 24, 2004
Can't take the N train?
In San Francisco, some MUNI stops have absolutely no indication of where to board to catch which train in which direction. I was getting off the inbound J at Church and Duboce, and heard a grandmotherly woman with a young kid in tow ask the driver where to catch the N; he said, "There, across the street." A moment later, the J had turned away and the woman was standing on the corner, confused. Platforms on either side of the street beckoned; one read "N, J lines outbound"; at the far end of another, a ragged sign read "Proof-of-Purchase line." But no clear signs, no direction indicators, nothing.... Read more
June 23, 2004
Take the (automatic) L train
The MTA will automate the L train. Reminiscent of the Alcatel / MUNI fiasco. BART and DC's trains have been automatically-controlled since their inception.... Read more
June 17, 2004
Always a Siren, steering you to ship-wreck
Caltrain's much-heralded "Baby Bullet" service made its début last week: Caltrain spokeswoman Rita Haskin, described the Baby Bullet's premiere as perfect except that the commuter railroad had to turn away a couple of dozen bicyclists after the bike storage areas, which have half the capacity of normal trains, quickly filled. "We had room for all the bicyclists but not for their bikes,'' she said. "But for commuters ... we think their expectations were met.'' Today, I arrived on the platform a full fifteen minutes before the train, but already a line of 12 cyclists had gathered. One was trying to arrange a queue to board the train -- only 16 cyclists per! -- and others, like me, disorganisedly waited on the platform. Ten days after services started, Caltrain shows no indication of improving service: mobs milled about the platform, but the handicapped ("mini-high") ramp impeded the flow of traffic from the platform entrance to the ticket-vending machines. And the impromptu queue of cyclists blocked the entire area between the platform entrance and the passenger area. The train arrived; the conductor hopped down from the train, announced "We have space for ten bikes," and a mad rush ensued. I stood back and watched as some cyclists ducked in one door while the conductor was trying to count bikes at the other entrance; when he walked down to help a wheelchair-bound passenger board, yet more cyclists leaped on. (And why, despite having new rolling stock and new platforms, platforms specially made for wheelchairs, do conductors need to intervene and help passengers board from the handicapped ramps?) Caltrain's sanctimonious press release shifts the blame for the rush to cyclists: Some cyclists did not seem to be aware of the bike capacity on Bullet trains and were not able to board these trains. Initially, we also had a problem when the Baby Bullet equipment was used in non-Bullet service during the commute and some waiting cyclists had to be turned away. Caltrain’s operations staff reallocated equipment so we can be assured of having at least 32 bike spaces in non-Bullet peak service. Caltrain held public hearings and conducted extensive surveys in preparation for this train's launch; surely they knew that demand would be heavy? Two things about this Caltrain project impress me favourably: that it was completed on time, and that it was undertaken at all. I hope that Caltrain reëvaluates the level of service on the Baby Bullet, and is able to accomodate its ridership. In order to meet the demanding growth within the state, we need to focus on massive public-transit infrastructure and not encourage the use of inefficient private transit. Palo Alto town fathers are stolidly considering high-speed rail across the Dumbarton, the stinkiest of bridges (the Golden Gate is the most beautiful, the Bay Bridge the most aggravating, the Richmond-San Rafael the most under-construction, the Carquinez the most industrial, and the Al Zampa the most engineered. The San Mateo isn't a bridge, it's a causeway, a causeway for alarm if you ask me). The Transbay Terminal has received final approval from the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, and requests for complete funding are underway, even though the railroad alignment and right-of-way are under dispute. Music: "There There" by Radiohead.... Read more
June 16, 2004
I know why the MUNI trains lock up
After an exhilarating morning cycle -- the breeze was delicious against the warm sunlight -- I took the train home this evening. The Embarcadero Shuttle was in full effect, minus the ticket machines (2 of 3 on the platform were out of order; 1 was cheerlessly rebooting).... Read more
June 08, 2004
bus (+big)(+blue)
This morning I took the Big Blue Bus. Really. It is big and blue (and a bus). And (excuse me while I search for the ¢ key) only 75¢. ... and on the bus I thought about adding Geotags to this blog, and got lost in looking at USGS pictures of San Francisco. Meanwhile, back at the ranch: Caltrain spokeswoman Rita Haskin, described the Baby Bullet's premiere as perfect except that the commuter railroad had to turn away a couple of dozen bicyclists after the bike storage areas, which have half the capacity of normal trains, quickly filled. "We had room for all the bicyclists but not for their bikes,'' she said. "But for commuters ... we think their expectations were met.''... Read more
June 02, 2004
From one coast to another.
While I've been belly-aching about the new CalTrain rolling stock for some time, the West Coast is trumped by the East: The Long Island Rail Road's new cars are "a total failure": Now, though, railroad officials are admitting that one minor miscalculation has snagged their dream of design perfection on the railroad cars of the future. The flaw? An armrest measuring four-tenths of an inch too long. Four-tenths of an inch might seem like a picayune matter in an 85-foot train car. Or, to a hand that would otherwise dangle from a longer-than-average forearm, it might seem like a godsend. But to the owners of countless pants, pockets and raincoats that have been torn on the armrests, four-tenths of an inch is a measure of frustration.... Read more
May 29, 2004
Heroic and extraordinary
This traversal in the Massif Central of southern France lays claim to the title of tallest bridge. The Millau bridge was constructed by Eiffage and designed by Sir Norman Foster, it stretches 2500m across the Tarn valley; its pillars will reach a height exceeding the 343m of the Eiffel Tower.... Read more
May 16, 2004
Poop-powered and then some
While organic dairyman Albert Straus fixes up the masses of manure into useable energy on his Marin County farm, the entire country of Denmark hopes to be fossil-fuel free by 2008. California has invested $10 million in a program to explore the use of biogas, primarily through methane-digesting systems such as the one in use at the Straus dairy: The tax incentives of the late 1970's and early 1980's encouraged the construction of approximately 18 commercial farm scaled digesters for energy production in California. Only 5 of those systems are running today and 3 of these are on pig farms and 2 of these are on dairy farms. Only 0.37 MW of power is generated from existing 5 digesters in CA although the total potential for animal waste to energy in California dairies is over 105 MW. Energy can be produced from different types of livestocks including dairy, swine, poultry, turkeys and sheep and lambs wastes in California. California dairies have 1.4 million milk cows and is the second leading state in total number of milk cows. There are 2,308 dairy farms in California with an average size of 602 cows. Currently, only less than 1 percent of the livestock manure generated in CA is utilized.... Read more
May 13, 2004
The oracle of MUNI
For the second day in a row, I found myself waiting inordinately long for the J-Church. An older man resignedly said that he'd been waiting quite some time: "The trains come every thirty minutes now. This used to be a good line." Despite the uncanny predictions of NextBus, the J hasn't shown up according to schedule three of the last three occasions I've waited for it; today when we finally boarded (based on predictions obtained at 0800, three J cars should have passed by), the carriage was jammed. A lot of the passengers were students, wearing signs in memoriam Ray Ray.... Read more
May 10, 2004
Pile-up at Church and Duboce
Where is the Church on Church St.? And what happened to the N-Judah this morning? Just before 0800, a 2-car N stopped outside the Market Street Subway entrance and sat there for several minutes. The next warning came from the destination sign: it started rolling towards "J" and then "F" and finally came to rest nowhere in particular. Two 2-car trains stacked up between the Duboce Park station and the intersection(*) of Sanchez/Steiner and Duboce; another two Ns were stopped between there and Church. Automotive traffic was not pleased: another reason for a transit-first policy on this stretch.... Read more
Old Men Who Get Fat In The Winter
A 50-year old mustachioed man, wearing shorts with the motto "Ride to Eat / Eat to Ride" ("It was a Father's Day gift from my wife," he said. "She thought it was a joke." I nodded knowingly), told me that the railroad right-of-way from Samuel P. Taylor out to Point Reyes Station will be made accessible as a bicycle path sometime this summer. Perfect for a summer weekend ride: spend the night out at a B&B, and then bike back the next day.... Read more
May 03, 2004
A modern-day Robin Hood
A MUNI repairman has been charged with stealing from the fare-box to the tune of at least $80,000. He also has "a bank account in his native country of Malta." Matier and Ross also report: Speaking of Muni: Muni riders have been catching an odd sight these days -- Willie Brown riding the bus. The 1-California bus, from his Nob Hill apartment down to his new Embarcadero office. Reason: "Have you seen how much parking costs in this town?" the former mayor asked. "They want $40 a day -- $53 with in-and-out privileges.''... Read more
May 02, 2004
April 30, 2004
Station to station
This is the first time I am riding Caltrain from its southern terminal, San Jose Diridon, to the northern, San Francisco. This is also the last northbound train of the day.... Read more
April 29, 2004
Sentimental hygiene
On the shuttle back from work this evening, Peter was handing out BART cards like candy. I noticed that he had an unusual card: turns out that this card was the first stock issued when the BART station opened. The unusually helpful and polite woman working the ticket counter at SFO looked around for more, but couldn't find them. Peter, always generous, gave me his.... Read more
April 27, 2004
Building transit centers
Although developers are fuming about the approval of the Transbay Terminal Environmental Impact Report, construction goes full-bore near BART. Meanwhile, back at the ranch: the Governator seeks to "borrow" from transit funds to feed the state's sapped resources: His budget proposal would transfer nearly another $2 billion in transportation funds to the state's general fund by suspending Prop. 42, which voters approved in 2002 and devotes sales taxes paid on gasoline to highway and transit improvements. ... In addition, the budget proposal also would end the Transportation Congestion Relief Program, the 181 projects that were guaranteed funding by Proposition 42 from the gas tax until 2008. "It would be like a highway pileup,'' said Randy Rentschler, spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the Bay Area's transportation planning agency. "Some projects could be salvaged; a lot couldn't.'' In doing so, he borrows from the Gray Davis playbook: Davis took about $2 billion from the state's transportation funds as well. Why is BART under-used? Will the Transbay rejuvenate public transit throughout the Bay Area? In California?... Read more
April 20, 2004
Adventures on Caltrain, Pt. 3
This morning I rode the bike to the CalTrain. In the seat across from me, a heavily-tattoo'd man hummed along with a Palaestrina score, miming the actions of a chorale conductor. The mutton-chopp'ed conductor hollered "High Ball! High Ball!" as the train pulled away from the terminal, precisely on-time. And I read about the (re-) construction of the Transbay Terminal ("An idea that has been in the works for 37 years"), a $2 billion project San Francisco voters approved in 2000.... Read more
April 15, 2004
Subways of the world, unite and take over
Subways to scale, but not (yet) including BART. I like being part of the crowd on MUNI in the mornings; seeing people stream on and off the trains invigorates me (and makes downtown San Francisco feel more vital).... Read more
April 12, 2004
If you have a cookie-cutter, I've an urban planning project for you
San Francisco's monumental Mission Bay project boasts more lofts -- 6,000 units -- than Alphabet City or Docklands, but more than half of all retail will be chain stores. Building a city neigbourhood, especially one from scratch, poses great challenges to developers. How to seed the area with enough retail that urban dwellers will feel engaged? Does a neighbourhood feel like a 'hood if it's got the same stores one would see at the other end of a BART line? At the other end of a plane ride? If Lofty Q. Public comes home to San Francisco one evening and home looks like Phoenix, will Lofty throw himself in front of the convenient MUNI or CalTrain? On the other hand, Jackson park callsitself a neighbourhood and now boasts a Wal-Mart on its main drag. Doesn't get more cookie-cutter formulaic than that. And then again, some places don't care for individuality: Jose Montaner, a Cuban refugee living quietly and cleanly on a city-owned island hurts the posh attitudes of his neighbours, who perhaps can't see because of the mote in their eye. They want him out (and a Wal-Mart in?). Barcelona is doing this with Barceloneta; London with Docklands;... Read more
April 06, 2004
The cloverleaf is the most popular flower.
Although a spotty-faced fifteen year-old like me could spot the fatal flaw ("weaving area? Why, that's stupid") in the cloverleaf design, only recently have engineers begun to reassess the stupid symmetry of America's national flower. Now, transportation engineers recommend cloverleaf interchanges only for rural regions where traffic is light. But that suggestion comes too late for Southern California, where at least two dozen cloverleafs contribute to congestion on major freeways. Moreover, the state's budget crisis has ensured that only a few of the interchanges will be replaced in the next decade. And while we're at it, get me off of this English Roundabout!... Read more
March 30, 2004
My way or the highway?
This morning, a signal failure on MUNI meant that the N-Judah was stuck at the entrance to the Market St. Subway for several minutes, while other trains (J-Church) piled up behind us, and two other Ns and the K-Ingleside idled in front of us. I reached the Caltrain station just as the 8.37 pulled away from the platform, noticed that three of the five MUNI vending machines are still broken, that two of the three TransLink readers are out of order, and then heard that a gas mains break was delaying Caltrain down the Peninsula. I gave up and called Danan for a ride. Soup to nuts, getting in to work this morning took four hours. UPDATE: The ride back was equally exciting. The 5.25 express arrived several minutes late, with the conductors waving cyclists away. Turns out one of the doors to the bicycle carriage was broken, and the conductors didn't think that a bicycle could fit through the other. The delays were due to the cyclists aruging with the conductors. Of course the bike could fit through that door. Wait for the next train. But we've validated our tickets for this train; they won't be valid for the next. Just explain to the next train conductor. Etc. Onboard, a placard advertised an obscure government web site; a similar paranoid message (" ... if something doesn't seem right, call 911") appeared on the information displays at the San Antonio platform. The information displays did not, however, note that the trains were running late.... Read more
March 29, 2004
A ticket to ride?
Kate arrived Sunday mid-day at San Francisco airport. She had left my instructions for taking BART from the airport to my place (one change, to either a local bus or to a taxi), and stopped at the Information desk. "What is the best way to Scott Street from here?" "You should take one of the door-to-door vans." ($13 - $17) "Hasn't the transit link opened recently?" "Yes ... but you've got luggage, it's too complicated, it'll take too long." One discouraging conversation later, she boards a shuttle rather than the BART. No wonder BART is having trouble meeting revenue goals.... Read more
March 17, 2004
Running 'round in circles.
The Page St. circles fiasco is coming to a head. After nine months (three times the intended evaluation period), residents of the Lower and Upper Haight will have the opportunity, once again, to voice their opinion on the traffic circles placed at 11 intersections. One of the traffic-irritating circles is at the intersection of Scott and Page, where I used to enjoy watching eastbound cyclists blow through the stop sign, self-righteously yelling at motorists who didn't anticipate their lack of courtesy (oh yes, and disregard for the law). These former four-way stops have been replaced with haphazard, ineptly-designed, and poorly-maintained roundabouts. The placement of the roundabouts increases the threat to pedestrians from cyclists and motorists, and undercuts the notion that pedestrians (the most fragile of the three groups) come first when planning high-traffic residential intersections. The advocacy groups WalkSF and the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition (of which I am a long-standing member) heartily endorse the circles, while acknowledging that they are imperfect. I've pasted their last email salvo below.... Read more
March 16, 2004
Check the record.
The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition have posted mock-ups of the Jefferson St. bike lanes.... Read more
March 15, 2004
Round-up and update.
This morning I used Aram's translink card to get me to work. One of the main reasons I wanted this card was that it covered the entire public-transit segment: if I take the N-Judah to connect to Caltrain, then I can avoid the constraint of having to board at the first car when paying a cash fare. I was thwarted, however: a nice morning, so I cycled to the Caltrain terminal. Once there, I tried convincing the Translink reader that I held the smartcard, but the reader itself wasn't working. I ran across the station to use the other reader, which charged me the full fare rather than the discount 10-ride fare. On board, the conductor only smiled when he came to check tickets and I presented the card; later he explained that he saw me swiping it at the station. I had hoped that he would use the handheld validator to check the TransLink card. Three of the five MUNI fare vending machines at the Caltrain station are still broken; it's been more than a week. One is entirely on the fritz, with a fuzzy screen; one has stickers indicating that it is out of service; a third has a blank screen. For additional inconvenience, the fourth doesn't accept bills. That leaves one (of five) fully-functional. If only MUNI made tokens (or single-fare rides, or even round-trip/day passes) more widely available; that the vending machines sell a single type of ticket is very frustrating. Oh yes: and Caltrain running the baby bullet? Or on weekends? Their home page still optimistically claims "Weekend train service returns in Spring 2004", but the agency now internally plans to launch in June. Possibly. Signal installation has delayed the service.... Read more
March 04, 2004
How to buy a MUNI ticket, part I.
At the 4th Street transfer point between MUNI and Caltrain, five ticket vending machines provide their mechanical services to riders. Correction: two do, but only one accepts bills. One of the machines (CT-5) has been wearing an Out of Service sticker for more than two weeks; another (CT-2) has a fuzzy screen; a third (CT-4) had a handwritten "Out of Order" sign that came off yesterday, although the machine is still broken. Which means that someone who wishes to purchase a MUNI ticket at this busy transfer point must wait in a queue for one of the two working machines; if you are in the wrong queue and end up in front of the machine that doesn't accept bills, you might well miss your train. MUNI doesn't provide a convenient way to purchase single-ride tickets ahead of time: all tickets sold through vending machines are stamped with a 90-minute lifespan. Tokens are available for a reduced price ($1.05 instead of the full $1.25), but through select and obscure vendors only (tobacconists in the Tenderloin). They are not typically available at MUNI stations. Although I feel a sentimental attachment to each of the varied shape of paper transfers MUNI sells, I'd much rather suffer through the availability and convenience of an electronic fare card.... Read more
February 28, 2004
SEA the city by boat, by train, by foot.
Walking down by the Port of Seattle, Anna and I hopped a ferry to Bainbridge Island. There we walked into the quaint downtown, replete with about six thousand different places to pick up an espresso, and found a chunky little paperback filled with pictures of bicycles around the world. Upon return to the mainland, we traipsed through the sunshine-filled afternoon -- and who would have expected that sort of weather in Seattle? -- we then rode the Monorail on a two-minute journey which arced prettily through a Frank Gehry-designed Museum.... Read more
February 27, 2004
SEA by 'plane.
Upon arrival at SEA, I wondered if one could get downtown by public transit. And it was easy: the online trip planner set us straight, for a $1.25 apiece.... Read more
February 19, 2004
The ring came off my pudding can.
The grand, bright metropolis of Las Vegas sports a shiny new monorail, thanks to the privately-funded non-profit Las Vegas Monorail Co. This represents a sensible investment for the hotels and businesses who will ease congestion on the Strip, which holds 14 of the country's 15 largest hotels1, hosts many vast conventions, and of course has the slot machines. The state hopes to appropriate $20 million in federal funds (highway funds?) to to build monorail extensions to downtown and the airport.... Read more
February 18, 2004
De-congestant.
London's Congestion Charge celebrates one year, with mixed success. Meanwhile, on the Continent, the Toll Collect consortium received a decision from Germany's transportation minister: scrap the entire toll collection plan. After significant implementation delays, the consortium, consisting of Deutsche Telekom, Cofiroute, and DaimlerChrysler, were told to abandon their project. Transport Minister Manfred Stolpe said the debacle was damaging to Germany's image and a blow to innovation. I had hoped, in my dreams of becoming Ye President, that this country might develop a similar system in conjunction with our beloved interstate highway system.... Read more
February 16, 2004
Re-developing Jefferson St.
The http://www.sfgov.org/sfport/planning/planning.html" TITLE="Offsite: SF Port">Port and the Bay Conservation and Development Commision have chosen plan D to improve pedestrian and bicycle access along Jefferson St.: The detail drawings provide a finer view of the interaction of parking spaces, bicycle lanes, and MUNI right-of-way; you'll need your imagination to fill in throngs of wandering tourists at the intersection of Jefferson and Taylor intersection and at the Jefferson and Powell intersection. The SFBC had endorsed a plan that " ... features (from north to south) a dedicated transit lane for the F-line, westbound bike lane, eastbound travel lane, eastbound bike lane, and parking. This would be the most high profile contra-flow bike lane in the city .... It is very important that we get a large turnout at the meetings because of the importance of a continuous bikeway along SF's waterfront." Bicycle paths, especially ones used less by commuting cyclists and more by casual riders, such as in the tourist-heavy Fisherman's Wharf area, cause me concern when they need to cross turn lanes. In this case, the MUNI F Line crosses the bicycle lane at Jones. Compounding the difficulty of this stretch of bicycle path is the occasionally-cobbled surface of the street, and the MUNI tracks themselves, a trap for the unawares cyclist. I biked this road almost every single day that I worked near the Embarcadero: one or two of my co-workers and I would hop on our bicycles and zoom down the Embarcadero bike lane, itself well-planned and -executed, and zip all the way along the waterfront to the base of the Golden Gate Bridge. A quick rest there, and then a sprint back through Crissy Field and a return to our desks within the alloted lunch-hour. Splendid.... Read more
February 12, 2004
As Havana, so Damascus.
A 1959 Cadillac Eldorado in the Old City in Damascus. A 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air in Santiago. The streets of Havana are famously adorned with gleaming old American cars; so, surprisingly, are the souks and alleys of Damascus.... Read more
February 05, 2004
Flat tire for Caltrain.
From the 5.05 from San Antonio: Just after leaving the Menlo Park Station, the conductor announced over the intercom that we had a flat tire and were slowing to a halt to see if we could fix it. Did I hear aright? The Atherton police seem to have blockaded the tracks ahead; we're stopped within sight, perhaps a hundred yards in front of, the Atherton platform. ... everyone is asking the conductor about debarking from the train. Of course, because we're before the Atherton station, no-one can get off. UPDATE: The area was taped off as a crime scene; a body bag was visible from the train. I took some photos, and we'll see if any of them turn out. UPDATE: From the Chronicle's local news roundup: A suspicious package addressed to President George W. Bush was detonated by a water cannon at an Atherton train station Thursday, authorities said today. A postal worker noticed the box in the mail drop at the Caltrain station around 5 p.m. and called police, who in turn called the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office bomb squad, according to sheriff's spokeswoman Bronwyn Hogan. Hogan said once it was discovered that the parcel was addressed to the president, the U.S. Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives were called in to investigate. Following an examination of the possible device, the bomb squad blew apart the box with a water cannon, Hogan said. Authorities are still investigating the parcel and whether or not it was an explosive device. No suspects have been identified. Trains did not stop at the station and were delayed for more than an hour during the operation, according to Caltrain spokeswoman Jayme Maltbie Kunz.... Read more
February 04, 2004
The reading habits of the SOMA-bound commuter.
On this morning's N-Judah, I noticed that everyone in the first car was reading. The woman closest to me had an asymmetric heart-shaped bookmark which she had to move each time she turned the page; the woman next to her was agitatedly reading "The Terrible Coil" and nervously looking around; the woman across from her was paging through the San Francisco commuter's treat, The Examiner (whose masthead, I noticed today, has a period after the name: "The Examiner."); standing next to her was a woman cooly reading a paperback. Everyone, that is, except me: no words in front of my eyes;I was rockin out to The Fall. I picked up an Examiner at the Caltrain station, though, so I could look at the three or four remaining comic strips (down from two full pages just a few months ago) and read the coverage of the Central Freeway development.... Read more
February 03, 2004
Reviving an extinct art.
How many ways do you know to scam MetroCard fares?... Read more
February 02, 2004
Belly-aching on the N-Judah.
This morning I stood at the counter of Coopers, drinking my "regular" (or, as Jeremy, the Monday-morning barista, calls it: "a medium double shot") and counting MUNI LRVs. A confusing number passed through the already-confusing intersection of Steiner, Duboce, and Sanchez. The 7.41, as expected; and then, close on its heels, another 2-car N. I checked the clock and then figured to catch the next, since it'd be the 7.55, and that would get me to my Caltrain connection well before its departure time of 8.37. But behold! a mere five minutes later, another N rolled past, and I polished off my drink and decided to walk down to the stop to catch the next one. And barely had I walked out into the rainy Monday morning when I heard the familiar uphill rumble of the train leaving the Duboce Park stop.... Read more
February 01, 2004
Detour, boss, detour.
Beginning tomorrow, Octavia Boulevard is in full effect. Construction will continue around the elevated Central Freeway; a new offramp will be built down past Zeitgeist on to surface-grade at Octavia.... Read more
January 31, 2004
It takes a village.
Do transit villages have any foundation in reality? Fruitvale has built one; a multimodal station was recently completed in Millbrae; Nevertheless, the Embarcadero of San Francisco has a shameful sight every Saturday: in the middle of a homegrown transit village (MUNI's F-Market, the Golden Gate Ferry, BART, and Amtrak), car-driving patrons receive discounted parking.... Read more
January 28, 2004
Trendytransit is in the house.
Not if, when, according to the California High-Speed Rail Authority. On the front page of today's Examiner, and scattered through other news sources, many reports about the proposed 700-mile (and 220 mph) bullet train linking San Francisco (representing Northern Cal) and Los Angeles (So. Cal) noted that our Governator has voiced strong opposition to the $37 billion project. As an alternative, the state could build 3,000 miles of new freeway (according to the 2,300-page draft environmental report) and build at least five new airport runways. Given the debacle over the proposed expansion (and bay infill) of San Francisco International's runways, that seems unlikely. (The runways would probably need to be in places like SFO, LAX, SAN, and SAC, where population is growing most rapidly; the study says, "intrastate demand will grow 63 percent and population will grow 31 percent, mostly in the Central Valley, they found bullet trains were the best option".) Co-incident to this, the Federal Aviation Administration has announced plans to triple air-control capacity in the next 20 years -- the same time-frame as the high-speed rail plan.... Read more
January 27, 2004
Presidential dreams, Nr.2
If highways weren't freeways, and if the Federal and State governments held them to financing standards similar to other public transit ... Toll roads everywhere: automatic, electronic metering for cars and trucks. Discounts given to pre-purchase, bulk travel (interstate hauling? regular commuters? carpoolers, or those who can demonstrate that they carry three or more people from ~1 mi of origin to ~1 mi of destination?). This would create disincentives for ad-hoc trips, perhaps, and certainly not encourage people to commute long distances for work. Exemptions for those who make under a certain amount per household? This might reduce charges of economic unfairness. Discounts for drivers with more fuel-efficient cars? This could be deeply tied to state automotive registration. Of course, data would need to be anonymized at some level, so that the government could not track movement in a scary way. Perhaps the data could be put in escrow with a trusted independent auditor or bank, in the same (shudder!) way that Verisign holds the domain registry? Perhaps two banks or auditors.... Read more
January 24, 2004
Stationary transit.
The City of Berkeley once again faces parking-meter vandals, surly Reinos, and cascading lost revenue, all due to its technological approach to parking enforcement. Although this doesn't immediately fall under the rubric of "transit," the concept of spending $3.3MM to maintain $1.9MM in revenue seems ridiculous. Could the money be better applied towards incentives for the use of public transit, and towards more effective bus and BART schedules?... Read more
January 16, 2004
No transit left behind.
What we lose while California's debt mounts.... Read more
January 15, 2004
The revolution will not be magnetised.
China will open its first maglev train line next week. This opening co-incides with the Chinese New Year. It's the Year of the Monkey. There's an extensive blog on this topic. Read on for do-it-yourself Maglev instructions!... Read more
January 09, 2004
Clang clang clang goes the trolley.
Several people drew my attention to a New York Times story on Bob Diamond, who maintains the shortest trolley line in Brooklyn. I've seen these tracks several times at the Van Brunt end of Red Hook, and now I know the sad story behind them.... Read more
January 07, 2004
Rubber-necking.
This morning hitched a ride in to the office park, but our speedy progress was thwarted first at Grand Ave, by a crashed big rig and then near Millbrae, where a single car was resting quietly in a bed of succulent ground cover. We came to an almost-complete stop to gaze upon the wreckage, prompting an angry honk from the driver behind us.... Read more
January 06, 2004
Invitation to a public forum.
Caltrain are inviting public comment on revised time-tables for the upcoming Bullet Train service.... Read more
December 19, 2003
That barefoot girl could run too fast.
New rules mean that the lonesome lowing of the train whistle will sound a little quieter.... Read more
December 15, 2003
Traffic flow in Lower Manhattan.
An article in today's New York Times discusses traffic flow around the rebuilt World Trade Center. What is the Level of Service for the area around the site?... Read more
December 10, 2003
Riding the pork barrel.
Thanks to some energetic work on the part of the San Francisco political machine, the long-awaited Central Subway now has $500 big ones. The Central Subway project is part of phase 2 of the Third Street Light Rail Project, and provides for a much-needed light-rail extension north of Market and into Chinatown. Unlike the first phase of the project, this design calls for underground tracks, which is fantastic news.... Read more
December 09, 2003
Training exercise.
This morning hopped on the N-Judah to ride in to Caltrain. The driver was in training, and drove very gingerly through the two above-ground stops (Duboce Park and Church St.), and then slowly into the tunnels. We stopped for several minutes while a train was stuck at the Van Ness platform, which made me wonder why MUNI doesn't have bypass (or express) rails anywhere in the heavily-used Market St. Subway. If a train or any of the five lines (!!) that use the subway fails, it blocks all traffic in that direction. The only switches are at the Embarcadero end of the tunnel. Turns out that in this country, the only subway line with bypass tracks is New York's MTA. The training driver overshot an intersection in SOMA trying to gun the Breda through a yellow; the mentor driver got him to stop, but too late, and we sat embarassingly blocking traffic until the lights cycled again. Everyone sprinted from the MUNI across the street to Caltrain to catch the 8:07: we just barely made it.... Read more
December 08, 2003
A river runs through it.
The concrete-clad Los Angeles River, ever-unappreciated and oft-forgotten, comes vividly to life in this journal entry. Post-moden historian Mike Davis wrote in his 1998 Ecology of Fear about the flood that caused Angelenos, always water-crazed, to shy from this natural river. It looks very different in the movies. Quoth Mike Davis in The Ecology of Fear: ... the Los Angeles River -- growing from a sluggish stream to a storm-fed torren equivalent in volume to the undammed Colorado -- has been known to increase its flor three-thousand-fold in a single 24-hour period. Local erosion and sedimentation rates also acceleratae explosively. Fluvial environments in the Mediterranean Basin behave in the same way. -- pp 16-17... Read more
December 05, 2003
Overhead and underfoot.
MUNI are replacing the overhead wires along the 6 and 7 routes; the construction will take 15 months and cause delays along several local routes. A proposition on the spring ballot in San Francisco will allow voters to decide whether MUNI should replace all of its diesel buses older than 15 years.... Read more
December 03, 2003
Napa bridge collapse.
A new flyover portion of Highway 121 collapsed during construction today; a hydraulic jack failed, causing a massive section of the bridgeto fall about 75 feet.... Read more
December 02, 2003
More maglev.
UPDATE: The Japan Times report that a passenger train has exceeded 580 kph. Compare to the Japanese effort: Maglev Train tops 500kmh The Transrapid in Shanghai has set a new world for commercial railway systems of 501 kmh (311 mph). The maglev (magnetic levitation) train, which has no wheels, axels, engine or transmission, broke the 500 kmh mark on November 12 on the 30 km track between Long Yang Station and Pudong International Airport whilst another vehicle passed at 430 kmh on the adjacent track or "guideway". The magnetic levitation of trains was first patented in 1934 by Hermann Kemper and his idea has taken the best part of a century to be realised. See also http://www.transrapid.de/en/index.html... Read more
November 30, 2003
The restlessness of bridges.
Of nice notebooks, insomnia, and bridges: this weekend's New York Times Magazine features an article on Santiago Calatrava's designs for bridges.... Read more
November 29, 2003
$250 large for a free ride.
The investment company ING Direct, which runs miserable ads on taxicabs and public benches, are sponsoring a free commute this Thursday morning on BART. As part of the Free Morning Commute, BART and ING DIRECT are sponsoring a contest with great prizes: $1,000 cash in an ING DIRECT Orange Savings Account, $500 in a 1 year ING DIRECT Orange CD, ING DIRECT Marin Hybrid Mountain Bikes, and $100 worth of BART tickets.... Read more
November 28, 2003
The path to righteousness.
Riding east on the Panhandle bike path, riders can now gracefully turn north onto Baker, so as to start the Wiggle in style.... Read more
November 18, 2003
Maglev land-speed record.
While the United States' efforts to produce even a low-speed Maglev prototype bog down in bureaucracy, we have have this report from Australia (but about Japan): Japan's super-fast Maglev has set a new speed record for magnetically levitated trains, reaching 560 kilometres an hour during unmanned testing. The Central Japan Railway company says the new speed, clocked on an experimental track west of Tokyo, broke the previous record of 552 kilometres an hour set by a manned Maglev in April 1999. Further tests are planned for Wednesday in an effort to further improve the train's speed. The company says it aims to attain a maximum speed of 580 kilometres an hour. The superconducting Maglev train, which uses magnetic forces to float over its track, has been under testing in Japan since the late 1996, but is yet to be launched on the market.... Read more
November 16, 2003
In pace.
Bay Area engineer Tung-Yen Lin died one day after his 91st birthday. Every time I drive, bike or walk around the Berkeley Marina I see one of his most elegant and simple expressions of engineering, the University Ave. pedestrian overpass.... Read more
November 11, 2003
"Traffic is moving at 1 mph"
This morning's radio announcements surprised me. The traffic reporter, hovering somewhere north of Oakland and somewhere south of Oregon, said that traffic on the approach to the Al Zampa would lose a road-race to a snail. His claims were not exaggerated: turns out that Caltrans, in their haste to open the bridge, did not completely pave the approaches, causing a four-mile jam that delayed traffic for several hours. Caltrans kept at least two lanes open as long as possible. At one point this morning, one lane of traffic flowed to the old bridge while a second lane directed vehicles to the new span. But to complete the final wedge of pavement leading to the new span, crews had to shut down the lane to the 1927 bridge. They needed the space for equipment and to apply the asphalt material, Ney said. The one-lane restriction was supposed to end by 8 a.m. at the latest. Caltrans also had counted on lighter Veteran's Day holiday traffic. But vehicles backed up for miles on Interstate 80 past Marine World while Vallejo streets turned into parking lots. Motorists missed meetings, funerals and airplanes. The gridlock prevented the contractor's asphalt trucks from reaching the site, where crews waited to apply the pavement, allow it cool, paint the stripes and glue down reflector tabs.... Read more
November 10, 2003
Two characters in search of a country song.
Massachusetts highway administrators are misguidedly installing taller Jersey barriers.... Read more
November 08, 2003
Al Zampa bridge brigade.
The Al Zampa bridge opened today: "I've climbed halfway to heaven and fallen halfway to hell," Zampa was quoted as saying. "Neither place wanted me, so I just kept on working."... Read more
November 07, 2003
Uh-oh, I got a little problem.
An F-Market rolled down Church Street today, probably heading back to the Geneva / San Jose yard for the night, and tore through a line of cars. Since the car was heading back home, it probably didn't have any passengers. This probably blocked J-Church traffic heading on the same line -- MUNI does not have a crossover that would permit the outbound J to travel the inbound tracks for the stretch along Dolores Park. The wire report read: Out-of-Control Streetcar Leaves Three Injured San Francisco Muni has suspended the driver of streetcar that rolled out of control Thursday night. The driver apparently stepped away from the antique car at a Castro Street stop, and the car slipped away, rolling down to Church Street. About five cars were hit, and three people were hurt. Muni will reevaluate the driver's status after a full investigation.... Read more
November 03, 2003
Redbirds return to nature.
Straphangers no more, New York's MTA ran the last Redbird subway cars, on a 7 Local run to Willets Point - Shea Stadium. You can buy bits and pieces of the scrapped Redbirds, at least the ones that haven't been sunk off the Jersey Shore as artificial reefs.... Read more
November 01, 2003
We have met the enemy.
Mobile Infrared Devices, or MIRTs, allow non-law-enforcement to arbitrarily control traffic lights. While this was an entertaining plot wrinkle in The Italian Job, it doesn't really scale for the antics of commuters. 4 November 2003 UPDATE: This is all over the news right now. And the antics of a commuter stopped the Metro-North commuter railroad: The man was on a suburban train from Grand Central Station on Wednesday night when he went to the bathroom to make a phone call, dropped the phone into the toilet bowl and then his hand and arm became stuck trying to retrieve it, officials said. Metro-North Railroad staff could not help the man, so they stopped the train and called police officers and firefighters to extricate him, a process that took 90 minutes using "jaws of life" rescue equipment. "The toilets are made of aluminum so I imagine he was down on hands and knees with his shirt rolled up and hand and arm down inside, trying to flush out his cell phone," said Jim Cameron of the Connecticut Metro-North commuter council. You can build your own gyroscopic human transporter á la Segway or Ginger or the "IT" thing or whatever.... Read more
October 30, 2003
Burning autos give you so much more.
Saw a car burst into flames this morning. Just north of the Marsh Road exit on 101, in the Number 4 lane southbound. At first a thin white smoke we sighted, about 3/4 mi ahead; as we drew closer (and were passed by a fire engine), the smoke turned to a thick, dark grey. The heat from the burning vehicle was intense even two lanes away.... Read more
October 28, 2003
The light at the end of the tunnel.
Today marks the final instalment of Randy Kennedy's excellent Tunnel Vision column. A few years ago, MTv Press published Keith Lowe's deft novel with the same name. Lowe tells the story of a young trainspotter-in-denial who, on the eve of his honeymoon, makes a silly bet with a fellow punter: his honeymoon tickets (on the Eurostar, natch) for the punter's collection of tickets. The terms: the groom must ride the Tube, through every station. Such a thing has never been done before!... Read more
October 26, 2003
I choo-choo-choose you!
Drove out to the open studios at Hunters Point, once a naval base and the largest drydock on the West Coast and now a thriving artist's community. Plans for redevelopment are underway, despite the presence of various toxic chemicals in the ground and the adjacent decrepit power plant. Wondering whether a Superfund site can be Superfun? The Golden Gate Railroad Museum sure is! With the aid of a rambling raconteur who "caught the bug from her son", we explored the 4-6-2 steam locomotive, Union Pacific Number 2472. UPDATE: The New York Times have an excellent editorial on the almost-exhausted trust money for Superfund. Afterwards I continued my search for tortilla chips with a sojourn out to the outer outer parts of Ocean View, where Botana makes its new home. Happily fed, drove thither to a remarkably clear view from the heights of Twin Peaks. I can't think that I've ever seen so clearly from the top of that hill, and certainly never at night.... Read more
October 25, 2003
Es tanzt der ZNS.
Germany has run into trouble with the implementation of their satellite-based toll-collection system.... Read more
October 24, 2003
Smash-and-grab for crack.
Poor Winnie. While parked on Scott St., someone smashed the small side window in order to steal my two-vials-of-crack cheap car stereo. After phoning around for replacement glass, the twist is that the car (from 1984) is considered "20 years old" and thus the glass is no longer made. Toyota can fabricate it and install it on Monday.... Read more
October 23, 2003
Public utility.
While Mayor-For-A-Day Chris Daly sneakily appointed two commissioners to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, Mayor Lame Duck Willie Brown was gallivanting in Tibet. One of the appointments (which legal sources think will stick) is Robin Chiang, the San Francisco-based architect who designed the Islais Creek MUNI depot, and who consults for the SF Airport. In other utility and regulatory news, I'm really excited for Nov. 24: Number Portability! After years of paying monthly fees (on both mobile and land lines!), ye American conusmer finally has the option of switching land-line numbers to mobile carriers, and of moving from carrier to carrier while retaining a telephone number. It's been a long time coming. And next week my neighbourhood is finally getting composting bins! After a two-year wait, the Lower Haight is becoming part of the federally-mandated recycling program. Alleluia.... Read more
October 22, 2003
In the skin of a lion.
According to San Francisco busybodies Matier & Ross, construction on the beautiful new Carquinez "Al Zampa" Bridge is heading into overtime in order to open before Gray Davis leaves the office of Governor. In other Caltrans news, the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge may not be complete until 2009: American steel companies accuse Caltrans of delaying the project and changing the bidding process to give foreign steel companies an edge. Construction costs have tripled to an estimated $3 billion. "We've been listening to the contractors -- listening to what they can and cannot do," said Bijan Sartipi, Caltrans District Director. "They've come up with some innovative ways, and in turn, we've changed some of our practices." American companies say U.S. steel should be used for the Bay Bridge construction, instead of cheaper foreign steel. Two-thirds of the planned work remains unfinished.... Read more
October 21, 2003
More diesel laughter.
Seattle has ordered more than 200 hybrid diesel buses to replace their "aging" Breda buses. Although the press release glowingly reports on the increased fuel efficiency, decreased odor, and on-road performance, it doesn't mention the engine noise. And engine noise is what caused the San Francisco MUNI's latest buses to earn the nickname "Screaming Banshee". Although we now ruefully bear the 90 dB whine of the Haight St. buses, it was a rude awakening two years ago when the new fleet went into service. Complaints to MUNI, who weakly pushed back at their contractor, Neoplan, to meet the specified 83 dB engine noise level. No palpable reduction took place, and the whiny roar of the buses has joined the squeak grinding of the N-Judah in the MUNI audio bestiary.... Read more
October 19, 2003
Diesel make you laugh.
An older MUNI diesel has stalled at the intersection of Haight and Scott: number 8828, on the 6 Parnassus. All of the other buses running on Haight St. routes today are either electric with their antennae down, or diesel; I wonder if there's something amiss with the overhead lines? UPDATE: Turns out that poor little bus 8828 ran out of diesel. The chagrined driver didn't want to talk about it.... Read more
October 16, 2003
Xperimental Jet Set.
This morning's New York Times reports that the Port Authority will spend $90 million to study the feasibility of rail links between Kennedy and Newark airports, and will commit as much as $1 billion to construct the link itself. "The Port Authority also agreed to spend $90 million to study the feasibility of rail links between Lower Manhattan and both Kennedy and Newark Liberty International Airports, and to commit up to $500 million for the construction of each project if they are deemed feasible." Bus and subway links serve JFK; the MTA has bus service to LaGuardia; several private livery services operate to EWR. The New York Times also ran a brief history of transit disasters in the area's public transit system.... Read more
October 14, 2003
Angry about calm.
The slow traffic / slow lifestyle movement isn't winning friends in handsome hamlets on the peninsula: this story in the Chronicle talks about neighbourhood reactions to various traffic-calming devices built into residential districts in Menlo Park, Palo Alto, and the Lower Haight. Of course: "To head off controversy, San Francisco traffic officials have turned to democracy in testing of seven new traffic circles in the Haight two months ago, polling neighbors who live within a block of each circle. "... Read more
October 10, 2003
Distributed commuting.
"some people in the city are trying to share something else, a thing many Americans regard as the apotheosis of private property" (or is history the apotheois? A thorny intellectual question!) This article on sharing cars talks about providing infrastructure and changing attitudes in New York City. Can't park the shared cars on the street as easily, but can make them available in very high-density areas. There are similar programs in San Francisco and Denver; the New York vendor, Zipcar, also operates in Boston and Washington D.C.. Some of the San Francisco cars park in a garage only two blocks away from me, which makes it extremely convenient; I don't fixate on the very American form of independence having a car allows me, since I have a car every now and again, but haven't joined CarShare. Why? Also in today's New York Times, an encomium of the Yankees' organist Eddie Layton cites an interesting condition of his hire in the 1960s: "Mr. Layton, who grew up in Philadelphia and has never driven a car, said he did not want to take late-night subway rides. The official offered him limousine service to and from the games and Mr. Layton accepted."... Read more
October 09, 2003
Ferraris for everyone!
In an analysis of issues facing Houston's mayor, the author notes "The first seven and a half miles of the $340 million light-rail line along Main Street from downtown to Reliant Stadium are to be completed by New Year's Day. Metro, the regional transportation authority, is seeking approval from voters in November for a local transit tax to finance a 22-mile addition at a cost of $640 million. The antirail and prohighway forces have been running commercials contending it would be cheaper to buy every commuter a Ferrari." More short-sightedness comes from residents in the Mission, who worry that increasing the number of people in their neighbourhood through a new housing development will cut down the number of available parking spaces. The San Francisco Chronicle quotes a woman whose household has at least two cars; instead of lobbying for better public transit routes, increased bus frequencies, she's complaining that "her 20-year-old daughter, who now owns a car of her own, often has to park blocks away from the family's Outer Mission District home". Car ownership should be more heavily taxes; gasoline costs should reflect the true and future-amortized cost of car usage. Although California is digging itself into a deeper hole one way or another -- either legitimizing non-resident driving, or failing to increase vehicle taxes. Everyone should ride the bus, train, walk, and bike. And civic infrastructure should make this easier; communities and corporations should offer incentives for people to keep commutes short and on public transit; and people might revel in the quality of life in a community where they live and work.... Read more
October 02, 2003
... monkey wrench to work one's clockwork.
The new clock-face at the toll plaza of the Golden Gate Bridge has illuminated numbers, but no illuminated hands. Faced with a budget dilemma, the Authority decided to go with glow-in-the-dark numbers rather than hands.... Read more
September 29, 2003
These are the people that you meet ...
Woke up unexpectedly early this morning, read Wodehouse through several hours of the pitch-dark morning, and then walked down to Cooper's for an espresso just as the sun was rising. At 7.31, I jumped on a commuter-laden N-Judah. Riding MUNI always makes me feel like a pleasant little cog in a great big city (not this, a!). I rode the Breda LRV to the terminus, at China Basin, and then walked across the street to the 8.07 Caltrain southbound. Exiting ditto, I ran into Clint, whose band just recorded their second album. The commute made me reflect on things I dislike about MUNI and Caltrain. I don't know that it's fair to lump them together, but I'll start with that.... Read more
September 27, 2003
Got the balance right?
While Europe was enjoying a car-free day or two, some people back at the homestead were falling off Segways. Commuters in London, Paris, and Berlin have plenty of problems of their own. Not to mention Pittsburgh.... Read more
September 12, 2003
Get me unto here.
Not only does Portland have tasty late-night tapas and cocktails, but they know how to sign their roundabouts.... Read more
September 10, 2003
Walking after midnight.
Downtown in the Civic Center, faced with the task of getting home, I decided to walk rather than take the bus (or F Market).... Read more
September 09, 2003
Get me away from here.
Installing the wrong sign in the new traffic circles doesn't help matters: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/09/08/BA176360.DTL And some motorists think that now that some intersections have pseudo-roundabouts, they can blow through stop signs elsewhere. Last night a car loaded with three young bucks blew past the westbound stop sign on Haight at Scott and came within inches of hitting me. I could hear them gunning the engine at me.... Read more
September 05, 2003
Parking Karma Nr.2
Arrived back in the hood with a sense of dread: it was just before 3 AM, and I didn't think I'd even be able to find a 7 AM tow-away parking spot. Would it be a 6 AM street-cleaning zone? I don't think I can stomach a parking ticket, although it would be a reasonable price to pay for a good night's sleep. I saw a couple of 8 AM spots on Haight St., and just as I was about to pull into one I thought, "Let me take a lap before I commit to a location." I drove around the corner and past the roundabout, and then: behold! The coveted spot right at the corner of Scott and Fell! Jaw-dropping. Where are the old camaro and crappy jalopy that have occupied the two spots in front of 456 and 460 for the last seven years? The cars that would idle while the Wednesday 12:25 street cleaning passed by, and then immediately swing back into place. But today they were gone, and the spot was open. At three o'clock in the morning.... Read more
September 03, 2003
This way to the future.
Planners are again barking about the Transbay Terminal, about spending three-quarters of a billion dollars to bring Caltrain a little further downtown. More interestingly, they've sprinkled housing and public space into the plan, which will immediately grab the attention of legislators. A signifcant problem with the idea is the massive cost with relatively little improvement to infrastructure: a rail terminal for Caltrain that doesn't directly connect to BART? or to MUNI trains? that's a big horse pill. And a rail terminal that doesn't include Amtrak? Presumably the Amtrak bus bridge could stop at the new Transbay, but with this kind of a budget I'd hope that actual train connections might happen. There isn't anything in this plan that really improves the transportation nature of the Transbay Terminal itself. -- except that you're potentially adding more customers for the buses to the immediate area.... Read more
September 02, 2003
All that glitters.
The Travel channel is doing a countdown of the Top 10 bridges. At #1 is of course the beautiful Golden Gate, but somehow I feel that's a gimme. The narrator sums up the magic of this bridge with a vapid statistic: "Enough custom International Orange paint to cover the White House 17 1/2 times over!" This program has less substance than the WGBH series on engineering fun: Building Big; the web site has sections on bridges! dams! tunnels! hot damn! The Travel Channel's Top 10: 1. Golden Gate Bridge 2. Akashi Kaiyko Bridge (Kobe, which is the reason it's Nr 2 and not Nr 1) 3. Sunshine Skyway Bridge (St. Petersburg? -- if so, I'll never see it!) 4. Tower Bridge 5. Firth of Forth Bridge 6. Brooklyn Bridge 7. Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel 8. Sydney Harbour Bridge 9. Leonard P. Zakim Bridge 10. London Bridge (Lake Havasu) Their top-ten list skipped over nostalgic and beautiful bridges such as the Charles in Prague; the Pont Neuf in Paris; the inestimable convergence of bridges in Pittsburgh, PA; the Bridge of Sighs in Venezia; the Ponte Vecchio in Firenze; the peculiar gondola bridge in Bilbo; the imagined bridge between Sicilia and the mainland. And what about canals? In its way, the Suez is a bridge between the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, as proud an engineering achievement as the Brooklyn or the Golden Gate.... Read more
August 26, 2003
Parking Karma
Last night drove home from work around midnight, and found a parking spot at the intersection of Haight and Divis on the first pass! (It was a 10 AM spot, which meant that I could laze about (in theory, at least; I was answering pages until 9.30 or so) and then head to Cooper's.) The only thing that would have made it better (better'n rock-star, even) would have been if the pizza store were open.... Read more
