MUNI now traveling in the subway with the doors open. Great.

Submitted by Ben Shore on Tue, 04/05/2011 - 1:29pm

Soooo, here's a totally normal video...a MUNI subway car - the outbound L-Taraval train that was travelling between Van Ness and Church Street stations - was caught on video with one of its doors open...while it was driving through a subway. I mean, it's been a little warmer the last few days so it's a good idea to get some extra air circulating through the cars - but this is a bit extreme, no? Supervisor Scott Weiner was aboard the train according to this article. Sometimes we can all be a little critical of MUNI and maybe it's sometimes unfair, after all their job is extremely difficult. But, that said, I still feel like, you know, they should shut the doors.

MUNI's recent safety issues need to be addressed!

Submitted by Bernadette on Tue, 04/05/2011 - 2:38pm.

I just saw a news piece yesterday or earlier today mentioning that an N-Judah crashed into a car yesterday. While trying to find the exact article (it was Tweeted by SFist), I came across 4 or 5 articles from a few years ago that reported various grisly accidents, one including a pedestrian getting hit by an N Judah and being dragged along. There was also the recent Mission Local-SFGate article about violence on the 14-Mission MUNI (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/transportation/detail?entry_id=83361). MUNI is a serious public safety issue in multiple ways! It's such a vital part of life in SF that I'm disappointed in MUNI's apparent low performance in terms of safety. However, we do need to do our part, too! For example, the violence on MUNI as described in the article I linked to is not just about MUNI not dealing with the problem effectively but also about we as a city and society finding and implementing ways to keep each other from resorting to violence. Let's Reset MUNI!

SF is considered one of the

Submitted by Clarissa Chang on Tue, 04/05/2011 - 3:43pm.

SF is considered one of the best places to live in because you don't really need a car to get around - it's convenient, good for the environment, and gets you just about anywhere you need to go. I know that as a Bay Area resident, I want a safe, reliable and trustworthy metro system that I can take to get around the city. The incidents mentioned above are reason enough for me to stand behind RESET SF in trying to make MUNI a rail system free from violence, and in trying to make MUNI a safe mode of transportation for Bay citizens. I'm looking forward to hearing new developments on this issue - RESETTING MUNI is something I'd like to see SF gov implement.

MUNI Safety is of Prime Concern

Submitted by SophieT on Wed, 04/06/2011 - 12:46pm.

As someone who takes MUNI regularly, I have been quite upset by the pretty consistent safety issues that have been getting press recently. Who is keeping MUNI accountable? If there would not have been this video (whoever took this deserves an award...how about a free MUNI pass?) there would not be the very necessary repercussions for this dangerous behavior. I am appalled that a MUNI vehicle was operated with the door open. MUNI accountability should be a primary concern at this moment. We need to find a solution to these major issues of public safety in San Francisco. San Francisco public transportation should be something we are proud of. As Clarissa mentioned, SF's PT is a major draw, especially for younger residents who are just getting their lives started out of college and here in the city. SF, please hold MUNI accountable!

From Muni today

Submitted by Eric Jaye on Wed, 04/06/2011 - 2:49pm.

This is the MUNI Message of the Day. Don't see anything in here about open doors, broken Clipper Card system or slipping on time performance.

**PRESS RELEASE**

SFMTA Presents Draft TEP Implementation Strategy

SAN FRANCISCO—The San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), which oversees all surface transportation including the Municipal Railway (Muni), yesterday presented the draft Implementation Strategy for the Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP), which includes a project schedule, capital cost estimates, key initiatives, staffing requirements, and performance management guidelines. The TEP is a joint effort by the SFMTA and the City Controller’s Office that aims to transform Muni so that people can get where they want to go more quickly, reliably and safely.

“The TEP is a crucial yet enormous undertaking that we must commit to in order to improve Muni,” said Tom Nolan, Chairman of the Board of Directors. “The Board is grateful for the thousands of Muni customers, community members, employees and other stakeholders who contributed to the initial planning phase. We look forward to an implementation that will meet their needs.”

“The SFMTA has already found the TEP to be a powerful prioritizing and planning tool,” said Nathaniel P. Ford Sr., Executive Director/CEO. “By making decisions based on its comprehensive data gathered during the planning phase, we have been able to prioritize important capital work and make targeted Muni schedule improvements. This draft strategy for the implementation of the entire TEP provides a road map for Muni’s transformation during the coming decade.”

Initiatives under the TEP Draft Implementation Strategy include: travel time reduction proposals (TTRP), service changes and associated systemwide infrastructure, terminal and transfer points improvements, overhead wire expansion, and long-term studies.

Key next steps include gathering public input on the travel time reduction proposals, selecting an environmental consultant and providing quarterly updates. The Draft Strategy will inform the environmental review process to be led by the City Planning Department and in coordination with the Office of the Controller.

In October 2008, the SFMTAB endorsed the Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP) for the purpose of environmental review. In December 2009, May 2010 and September 2010 service changes prevented an Implementation Strategy from moving forward, though service changes were TEP-informed and significant route update elements of the TEP have already been completed as a result.

###

It happened again...

Submitted by Patrick Stelmach on Tue, 04/26/2011 - 11:41am.

Barely three weeks after the last incident, a passenger riding on the L-Taraval on Friday caught footage of a train zipping through the tunnel near Forest Hill station with a door wide open. As Sup. Scott Wiener tweeted it: "Muni is beyond incompetent."

http://blogs.sfweekly.com/thesnitch/2011/04/muni_door_opens_paul_rose.php

Time to stop talking about TEP and implementing

Submitted by Phil Ting on Tue, 04/26/2011 - 10:36pm.

Wasn't the TEP put together with a significant amount of public comment. The TEP has many great proposals which will require significant leadership to implement. I hope the commission and MTA leadership will implement many of the recommendations to reduce travel time.

Read many of the proposals here

http://www.sfmta.com/cms/mtep/teprecs.htm

Muni's "Solutions" to the Open-Door Problems

Submitted by Patrick Stelmach on Wed, 04/27/2011 - 3:08pm.

So in response to the recent embarrassing incidents with doors opening on moving trains, Muni has proposed several potential solutions:

modifications to train doors,
a review of troubleshooting procedures,
creation of a standardized “cheat-sheet” for all operators, and
the addition of 6 mechanics during peak hours to help with malfunctions (among others).

Don’t forget, Muni operators have been involved in several other questionable incidents in recent weeks. Two operators were recently fired — one for texting while driving, the other for kicking a family off a bus. The incidents come as the operators union is engaged in historic labor negotiations with the MTA.

Agency management thinks it can save $26 million in labor negotiations. The operators union has threatened to strike if negotiations reach an impasse. That’s another option for fixing the open-door problems: the trains won’t run at all!