This is typical of management. The operators are always the last to find
out whenever a major service change or relocation takes place! This
reminds me of the first day of full ATCS operation. If I hadn't told all
the operators working the N-Judah early in the morning to set their car
thumbwheels to "ZERO + train number", all N trains would have switched back
in the MMT because "Five (the standard N-Line number)" means MMT switchback
and "ZERO" means Ferry Portal through operation. Nobody at Central knew.
The Central CCO had to ask the Alcatel rep sitting next to him if it was
true. Alcatel said "Yup". But, since I remembered this from my training
manual, I was able to save Muni lots of grief. But did I get thanks for
this? Nope.
And don't try to ask Central. They don't have a clue. (Could they have
really forgotten that much from their operating days?)
>
>3) The switch through which ALL Market St trolleycoaches turn from
>Mission onto Main is set for occasional use...to activate the switch,
>your bus must be turned 30-45 degrees (we also have turn signal
>activated switches which are supposed to be ``used in high traffic
>locations'', management chose not to install one here). The only
>problem with this is that the wires are over the right lane, and the
>switch is located prior to the intersection. If you follow Muni
>Training's recommendations for activating a `position' switch (start
>turning when your seat is underneath the switch, with the bus located
>under the overhead) you will not activate the switch and will lose your
>poles. You cannot make the switch from the right lane, because you
>would run over the curb and sideswipe a support pole before you were
>turned enough. You must turn from the left lane (or at least split the
>lanes and also run over the curb). AAARRRGGHHH!...so ALL the
>trolleycoaches that use run on Market were either losing their poles and
>blocking ALL Market, Mission and Main St Muni traffic, or using both
>lanes of westbound Mission and causing added congestion.
>
>EVERY bus that goes to the Ferry Terminal from Market OR Mission, as
>well as every 1/41 that uses the Howard Terminal now uses Main St!
>Every trolleycoach uses this one wire: Market St (difficult right from
>Mission, bad traffic left to Market); Mission St (left from Mission,
>right to Market); 1/41 (straight move)
>
>The Main St bus stop is located at Mission (farside), and while it is a
>long stop, current practice and passenger habits, and the stop shelter
>block more than one bus from using the stop at a time. How many drivers
>want to take the abuse for stopping 60 feet past the shelter in the
>rain? Generally, all Mission buses and 1/41 buses stop here
>contributing to Market St delays.
>
>Expect delays for the next 8 weeks on Market St/Ferry Terminal
>service...I will post if improvements are made.
I looked at the switchback location on Monday. I kept thinking that the
wires were to go up *Spear* Street, just like it said in the newspaper.
Was I surprised that there were no wires on Spear, after all--must have
been because Spear is a one-way street *southbound*, and Muni didn't want
to disrupt auto traffic by doing a contraflow lane. So I trace the wires
to Main Street, where there is the wire for the 1/41 already. I thought to
myself that this is a disaster waiting to happen. First of all, Main
Street is heavily clogged with traffic in the evening. As Robert states,
the switch from Mission right onto Main is impossible to make safely as
configured. Between Mission and Market, there is a mid-block wire change
for the move to make the left onto Market. Mid-block lane/wire changes for
trolley coaches are difficult enough when traffic is free, let alone when
it is jammed up. It's like the mid-block switches on 4th Street before
Mission, and before Folsom.
I saw some coaches try to go down to Fremont to make the right turn. This
one 31-Line driver had two dewirements--one making the right turn at
Mission and Fremont, and one moving her poles onto the outside wire on
Market after Fremont (the switch here is in a horrible location, and is a
constant source of Line Department repair complaints). Finally, she just
plain gave up. I saw her on the other side of Battery Street waiting for
the shop on my next trip inbound, because the retrievers on her artic TC
failed.
Why didn't Muni put a turn-signal switch in at Main and Mission? To save
money, or because it wasn't in the Mid-Embarcardero Roadway/F Line
construction contract to do so, I guess.
Yes, folks, Muni Mismanagement has done it again!
>Robert Parks
>(now it's Saturday!)
Peter Ehrlich