The California Public Utilities Commission has released hundreds of pages of reports documenting the past three years of Muni inspections, confirming what many of us already knew - our light rail system is kind of sketchy.
Sure, we're acutely aware that violations like aging tracks, non-functional emergency phones and trackside vegetation could adversely affect our commute times, but what we're really interested in here are the reports of human error (because that gives us someone to be mad at). Like the Muni Operators who were found napping, darting off on snack runs while the train sits unattended and reading the paper while behind the driver's seat.
Take this one inspector's report of a Muni Operator nodding off while the train under his command glided under Market Street on automatic mode:
“The operator appeared to be asleep,” the inspection report said. “The operator had his right leg extended up on the trash can and his left arm was leaning on the left side of the control console. The operators head was resting in his left hand, while his eyes where closed and his mouth was open [sic].”
Or, in February of last year another inspector spotted a Muni Operator pushing his vehicle past the speed limit before running in to a store to buy a snack while the train sat unsupervised. (It would be nice, if Muni Operators would at least let us know when we'll have time to run in to the corner store for a Snickers.) Still another operator was caught with a stack of newspapers in the cab of his vehicle. While the inspector in that case didn't actually see the driver reading, it seems safe to assume that the temptation to poke at the crossword puzzle would be too much to resist for an entire shift.
As the Examiner points out, many of the safety violations detailed in the reports have already been dealt with to the satisfaction of the CPUC, but there are enough outstanding (and boy are they outstanding) that the commission has announced they will be investigating our light-rail system specifically.
