<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/"><channel><title><![CDATA[wayfinding - SFist - San Francisco News, Restaurants, Events, & Sports]]></title><description><![CDATA[SFist is San Francisco's source for fun, witty, & serious news. With updates about restaurants, events, sports, politics & more, SFist reaches millions of users in California.]]></description><link>https://sfist.com/</link><image><url>https://sfist.com/favicon.png</url><title>wayfinding - SFist - San Francisco News, Restaurants, Events, &amp; Sports</title><link>https://sfist.com/</link></image><generator>Ghost 2.12</generator><lastBuildDate>Wed, 10 Jun 2026 22:24:42 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://sfist.com/wayfinding/rss/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><ttl>60</ttl><item><title><![CDATA[Muni's 2008 APTA Rail Scandal: Not Actually All That Scandalous]]></title><description><![CDATA[So, no doubt you've noticed that your Muni buses are a bit more chipper than usual, with a friendly message scrolling across the head signs. Some folks have been grumbling to us about the greeting -- ...]]></description><link>https://sfist.com/2008/05/30/munis_2008_apta/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">5c24249f44ad066cdcf2f587</guid><category><![CDATA[misc]]></category><category><![CDATA[apta]]></category><category><![CDATA[conference]]></category><category><![CDATA[muni]]></category><category><![CDATA[rail]]></category><category><![CDATA[signage]]></category><category><![CDATA[Transit]]></category><category><![CDATA[wayfinding]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Baume]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 30 May 2008 16:35:55 GMT</pubDate><media:content url="https://img.sfist.com/assets_c/2009/04/entry164290_thumb-thumb-640xauto-207596.jpg" medium="image"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<img src="https://img.sfist.com/assets_c/2009/04/entry164290_thumb-thumb-640xauto-207596.jpg" alt="Muni's 2008 APTA Rail Scandal: Not Actually All That Scandalous"><p>On one hand: saying "welcome" is good manners, and the APTA thing -- a big transit conference -- is kind of prestigious. The main highlight, according to a Muni press release, is a "rodeo" that sounds like it'll be an obstacle course for <strike>buses</strike> trains. Oh and also there's going to be several days' worth of meetings about <a href="http://www.apta.com/conferences_calendar/rail/">safety, traffic planning, rail corridors, energy conservation, budgeting, and so on</a> -- topics that, frankly, sounds more important than a frigging rodeo, but the press release doesn't go into much detail about them.</p>

<p>And on the other hand: ehhhhh, sure, the message is meaningless to 99.9% of San Franciscans; and kind of irritating, we guess, if you need to know in a hurry which bus is coming. We could only find one stop where it's actually a problem: at Fulton and Stanyan, on the practically-identical 5 and 21 routes. For some reason, the 5 and 21 stop on opposite sides of an intersection; so if you're going downtown, you have to stare into the distance to see which bus is coming, and then scurry across the street to the corresponding stop. So ... yeah, there's one intersection where things will be a little tense. Considering how sad Muni news can sometimes be, we're willing to give them a pass for now.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Google Relieves Your Muni Frustrations]]></title><description><![CDATA[There's something new on your Google Map: Muni! We're so happy about this, we don't even want to ask why it took so damn long (BART's been on Google Transit since forever). Now at last you can toggle ...]]></description><link>https://sfist.com/2008/04/27/google_relieves/</link><guid isPermaLink="false">5c24244444ad066cdcf2c64c</guid><category><![CDATA[misc]]></category><category><![CDATA[BART]]></category><category><![CDATA[Google]]></category><category><![CDATA[maps]]></category><category><![CDATA[muni]]></category><category><![CDATA[nextbus]]></category><category><![CDATA[online]]></category><category><![CDATA[planning]]></category><category><![CDATA[schedules]]></category><category><![CDATA[Transit]]></category><category><![CDATA[wayfinding]]></category><dc:creator><![CDATA[Matt Baume]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 27 Apr 2008 16:13:58 GMT</pubDate><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Unfortunately, for just about any trip we could think up, the driving times were always dramatically shorter than the transit times, so this isn't exactly encouraging people to give up their cars. Le sigh.</p>

<p>Two features that Google Transit doesn't have: route overlays, so you can see what lines are close to you; and NextBus data. The trip planning is all based on schedules; and as we know, Muni has a very casual relationship with timeliness. But interestingly, according to Muni, that's not their fault -- it's Google's. Google Transit uses <a href="http://code.google.com/transit/spec/transit_feed_specification.html">a very specific framework</a> for transit data, and they don't support real-time vehicle tracking or route overlays.</p>

<p>But this is still a great way to figure out how to get from here to there -- for example, just type "haight and stanyan to el rio taqueria" in a regular old Google search, <a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&amp;hl=en&amp;geocode=12228765465825697200,37.746633,-122.419231&amp;saddr=haight+and+stanyan&amp;daddr=3158+Mission+St,+San+Francisco,+CA+94110+(El+Rio)&amp;dirflg=r&amp;sll=37.757885,-122.435835&amp;sspn=0.04024,0.075274&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;ll=37.76108,-122.435846&amp;spn=0.040238,0.075274&amp;z=14&amp;start=0">and ta-da</a>! You're just a 40-minute ride away from meeting up with your friends (versus 13 if you had a car). Now, remind us again why we're still paying millions of dollars in bridge tolls for 511.org's awful trip planner?</p>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>