The Guardian Does Not Want You Driving, or Parking
Scene from Today's Pro-Life Protest On Van Ness
Fisher Pulls Museum Out of the Presidio
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Karl Malden, Dead at 97
What a delightfully diverting game of Muni roulette! Several stops on the 43 line will be "intermittently closed." Maybe they're open; maybe they're not -- the only way to know for sure is to waste your time walking over to them to check! And then waste your time walking to another stop. And hey, where exactly ARE those other stops? There's no map on the sign, so if you don't know the area, you're out of luck. But it's not like the Presidio Trust has any interest in tourism, right?
We called Mark Helmbrecht in the Presidio Trust's Office of Public Affairs (415-561-5418, if you're interested), and he confirmed, yes, there's no way to know when the stop will or won't be open. We emailed Muni, too, and they haven't offered any new details. Here's a thought: why not just say, "the stops will definitely be closed from 9 to 6. And here's a map to where you should go." Skip the guessing game and just tell people what to expect. At least that way, the Trust doesnt seem completely unreliable and undeserving of, well, trust.
We have to hand it to the Presidio on this one -- in the field of Diminishing Public Confidence In Muni, they've actually outdone Muni. At least with NextBus we knew when to wander out to the stop; and now the Presidio has found a way to circumvent NextBus. Well done, everyone.
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Usually the next stop is found in the direction that the bus travels one way or the other. Using that skill I would stroll up Letterman Drive (where the paving is being done, most likely the road will be completely closed when the stop is not in use, but then again why not just assume that the stop isn't in use all day), past the Lucas Arts Death Star to the Lombard Gate, where a light pole is painted with a yellow stripe with the number 43 on it.
And, under the TEP, you'll be MORE reliant on PresidiGo in the future as MUNI abandons the presidio...right as they plan on building more housing and more museums out there.
Perhaps MUNI should introduce a hand-holding service for those riders who are unable to overcome the simplest of inevitable minor disruptions in their daily travels.
What we need is a freeway from the Bay Bridge to the Golden Gate. Oh, whooops.
Seriously? NextBus? psh. I have plenty of experiences where it said a bus was coming in 10 minutes, and then one minute later, the bus was arriving. It hardly seems worth mentioning the fact that over 50% of the time that it says anything over 10 minutes, it's incorrect, since my stop is 10 minutes from the terminal -- that is to say, "10 minutes" means "it hasn't been dispatched yet." NextBus actually makes Muni less reliable by setting expectations that they can never seem to meet. Muni ... the SF word for "worthless."
Sorry, a little bitter lately.
I find NextBus useful, most of the time.
However, tonight NextBus was completely accurate, yet I was still hosed. I rushed over to catch a 33 to the Richmond. NextBus said there was one in 2 minutes and another in 3 minutes, followed by a third bus in 32 minutes. Yes, in fact, there were two buses one minute apart.
Unfortunately, the first bus was pretty full and the driver did not stop for the two of us waiting at the stop. Naturally, the second bus was turning back at Haight. Why the f was the second bus short-turning?? There is no simple way from Haight and Stanyan to where I needed to go, other than a 33. Screw the 33...off to take a 24 to California St.
Considering I work at home now and only use MUNI a few times per week for errands, I am amazed at how many times I have to come up with a plan B or C to get where I need to go on time.
@hyperzonk,
Yes, stops near the terminal probably have the least accurate predictions. The prediction assumes the bus will leave right on time. Sometimes, the bus doesn't even arrive at the terminal before the next departure time, and the majority of the drivers will still take a break even if already late.
I believe the drivers get a contractual break at the terminal. Legally employers are required to give a 15 minute break every 4 hours of work. Without this break there is an incentive to blow off stopping for anyone who would slow the bus down.