Thanks for your message. As you might imagine, I'm disappointed that you
haven't found Rescue Muni to be effective.
The problem with a volunteer group is that we're all volunteers, we have
a wide variety of tasks on which to focus, and we don't have the money or
political power to just make things better. I like to think we have done
a reasonably good job focusing the public eye on Muni reliability, given
our limited resources; we've run several riders' surveys (and are about
to run another) to provide an objective view of system reliability; we've
proposed fixes, lobbied for more funding with real service standards, and
blocked a fare increase. That's not getting the trains to run on time,
but you can be sure that the Mayor, who didn't care about Muni just a
couple of years ago, is very conscious of its impact this fall.
As you suggest, we could all vote with our feet, and many of us do. I
drive or take a taxi if I'm in a hurry - but I'd prefer not to have to.
But if even half of Muni's riders switched to automobiles, as you
suggest, we'd have even more horrendous traffic than we do now, and you
can be sure that parking rates would go up. Vanpools and bikes are of
course a better solution, but not practical for many commuters.
Of course, a real, viable competitor to Muni would be the best of all
worlds. I don't know very much about commercial vanpools (jitneys), but
they work in some cities. If you think that would be something to
promote, I would strongly encourage you to do the research, find a
potential provider, and figure out what in city law has to be changed to
make it a reality. Rescue Muni would be HAPPY to support you in this
effort!
But because Muni is a city organization, wrapped up in city bureaucracy
and funded by our tax dollars, any efforts to fix it must go through the
political process, which is slow and unwieldy. If it weren't a monopoly
(and if there were a better alternative), I would be the first to walk
away and never come back. But it is, and so the kind of organizing that
we do is the only remedy we have.
Andrew Sullivan
Subject: Digest rescuemuni.v001.n399
Sent: 1/17/19 2:23
Received: 1/14/99 18:51
From: rescuemuni-errors@lists.best.com
Reply-To: RM list, rescuemuni@lists.best.com
To: RM list, rescuemuni@lists.best.com
-------------- BEGIN rescuemuni.v001.n399 --------------
001 - "Richard Nelson" <richard - Unsubscribe
002 - "Clark, Robert" <Robert.C - When is the "rescue"
The RESCUE MUNI Discussion Group
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--------------- MESSAGE rescuemuni.v001.n399.1 ---------------
From: "Richard Nelson" <richard.b.nelson@som.com>
Subject: Unsubscribe
Date: Wed, 13 Jan 1999 09:48:03 -0800
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--------------- MESSAGE rescuemuni.v001.n399.2 ---------------
From: "Clark, Robert" <Robert.Clark@Schwab.COM>
Subject: When is the "rescue"
Date: Wed, 13 Jan 1999 09:59:46 -0800
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain
I too have been on the list for a while.
I moved from near California in the Richmond and used to ride the 1AX to
work every day. It was crowded, but if I walked far enough toward the
beach, I could get a seat and get downtown relatively easily. Pity the
poor
folks who lived anywhere in the Avenues from the mid-twenties on down
though
because it was always standing room only - what a way to start the day -
packed like sardines in can.
Well, I moved. While searching for a house we happened to catch the L
Taraval one afternoon and it wasn't crowded at all. We checked the
schedule
and it was supposed to run every 6 minutes during commute hours, so we
plunked down all of our savings and bought in the outer Sunset near the
Taraval line. The first day of commuting was OK, a 12 minute wait, then
an
L with some empty seats. The very next day, a forty five minute wait till
the first L and it was packed. Onboard, it stopped in the tunnel and the
commute took an hour 20. The next few days were no better. So we joined
Rescue Muni.
After several weeks as new homeowners and with commutes averaging one hour
and 10 minutes we gave up and bought a monthly car parking pass at a
downtown garage. Our costs went from $70 per month for two passes to $150
per month for a garage space. We drive every day and in traffic it takes
35
minutes tops. With our garage pass we have in and out privileges, can
park
overnight, can even come into town and see a show, with a guaranteed place
to park in a safe and well-lit garage.
We patiently watched the news, Rescue Muni lists and read the newspapers
hoping change would come. Every morning from our house, we can hear when
the muni comes. On the L (the No L) line in the morning, it has no real
schedule, is horrendous late as a rule and rarely if ever gets reported in
the news or addressed on Rescue Muni.
In case no one else has noticed, Rescue Muni has become a soap box forum
for
drivers and muni workers to tout how good the system is trying to be.
Muni
is abysmal, no ifs ands or buts and unfortunately, Rescue Muni is a joke.
No progress, no real reporting of issues and no results. To all those
dedicated drivers and employees of the system, my hat goes off to you for
trying, but this forum does not solve anything and is really a waste of
time
for those that hope to see change in the not too distant future.
Quit driveling about Bredas and Boeings, the compatibility problems, the
ATC, overcrowded buses, and late/unkept schedules. Quit harping on how
the
true problems of all the lines are not reported here or in the media and
do
what I did and a lot of other frustrated riders have done - get off the
Muni
for good! Take matters into your own hands. YOU can make your commute
more
tolerable if you just bite the bullet and open you wallets!
Only when ridership falls by 50% will the city figure out this revenue
source is drying up must be completely revamped. I suggest everyone who
rides Muni simply get off. Carpool, taxipool, rideshare, bike or simply
by
an old car and start driving! Isn't your time worth something? $500 for
an
old beat up car that gets you to work on time every day beats waiting and
waiting and waiting for this to get better.
Face it, this forum and this system are a joke. Like the other readers
who
have recently raved, you can remove me from the subscriber list. Rescue
Muni is nothing of the kind.
Robert Clark
Documentation Support
Charles Schwab & Co.
SITE Access Services
415-667-0307
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--------------- END rescuemuni.v001.n399 ---------------
Andrew Sullivan
s u l l i . o r g andrew@sulli.org - www.sulli.org
1668 Grove, SF CA 94117 - 415 673 0626