Cambios Significantes

As we wrap up week one of "the most significant changes to Muni's network in 30 years" (ZOMG!!!1!!) I thought it was worth remarking on what those changes have meant. News reports and my Facebook News Feed have largely agreed that the changes were without significant disruption.

Muni deserves congratulations for pulling that feat off. Even loyal Muni riders love to gripe about every little thing, so it's almost inconceivable that there would be this little grumbling. Muni win.

That said, however, there are a couple of bad side effects of the changes that have made me spend more time on the corner than I'd like to during this cold snap.

The above picture was taken at 2nd and Brannan Streets. It's where I've always waited for the bus, so I was sad to see this sign announcing the stop had been removed.

Upon closer inspection, however, I'm still not sure that's what this sign is announcing. To be sure, it says "Stop discontinued." That's pretty clear English. But it suggests I board at a stop somewhere on Harrison or Brannan. Well, I am on Brannan, and the 10 doesn't run down Harrison!

So I thought maybe the sign was meant to point to the stop on Brannan at Harrison, so off I walked. Sure enough, the stop at Brannan and Bryant had the same sign, but so did the one at Harrison. So I waited, the bus actually stopped, and then continued stopping at all the old stops.

Indeed, all of the old stops are still listed on Nextmuni.com, even though the rest of the list has been updated to show the line terminating at 25th and Potrero.

So my conclusion: the signs are wrong :-/

I had also seen a comment on Streetsblog that had me hoping the days of being crush-loaded with Caltrain commuters who don't know how to ride the bus were over. I had hoped - though I saw no announcement of this - that the new, longer 10 would run larger buses, at least during peak hours. It's not uncommon for riders waiting South of Market Street to be passed up by 10s that are crammed like sardine cans. Silly me, I had hoped they would run normal-sized buses on these runs to reduce crowding.

But so far this week I've seen the 10 more crowded than ever. And unlike before the changes, when almost everyone got off at Caltrain, the bus remains super crowded all the way through Potrero Hill. I like that the rerouting has clearly tapped an unmet need for service from the Southeast Mission to downtown, but I was really hoping to be able to find a place to stand on my ride home.

Anyone else have a charming anecdote to share about how their Muni experience has changed?