But we already have the 44 running right past the museums, with easy transfer
from N, 6, 71, 5, 31, 38, 2, and 1. The N, 71, 6, 5 also stop in
relatively easy walking distance for the museums, the 5 and N for the whole
length of the park.
When the Summer of Love had the big shebang recently near the Beach Chalet,
so many hoards of people (many from the East Bay) were taking the 5, N, 31,
and 38 that Muni could not keep enough service running. I take it then that
quite a few people do know about Muni, and use it the full length of the park,
with the service available right now--if they think they're going to have a
parking problem with their cars. Now all we need is for Muni to come through
with not just publicity but also the materialization of service, so people
feel confident laying down their cars.
In response to the latest articulation of Service Standards, one irritation I
have repeatedly experienced is the Muni response to special occasions like
this Summer of Love event and especially New Year's Eve, when lots of car
owners line up for pubic transit, only to find that it's packed to the gills,
when it does come, which isn't often enough. These occasions are Muni's
chance to win new customers over to public transit, to put on extra buses and
run them during the times that people are going home (i.e., till 2 AM on New
Year's Eve, not stopping at midnight, for Pete's sake).