MUNI Driver Antics

September 25, 2012-Tuesday-8:40 a.m.-This morning stroll through Chinatown along Stockton Street heading toward Downtown,  as I approached the cross street of Washington, I noticed on the left far side of the 900 block of Stockton Street, a parked MUNI outbound  #45-Union/Stockton trolleybus.

Why did this bus caught my eye?

#1-It was not parked at a bus stop, but at a "Tow-Away No Stopping Any Time" lane

#2-The bus was not parked flush to the curb, with the rear of the bus 45 degree angle out

#3-Passengers had disembarked off the bus, walking down Stockton Street

#4-The bus two electrical poles were not connected to the overhead wires

#5-The bus emergency flasher were not flashing

#6-The interior of the bus was dark

#7-There were still some passengers seated inside.

My first assumption either the bus broke down or involved in an accident, since I approached the bus on the left side of the street and noticed behind was a parked black Toyota Corolla with the yellow flashing lights. I looked around the area and could not locate the driver of the bus #5562. I had a sense of the "idiot-magnet," but my other two walking buddies claims its way off today. I kept looking back as we continue walking and then...

The Oriental driver came out of a shop, checked the traffic behind the bus and started to connect the trolley poles to the overhead electrical wires. I hurried down the block to catch a closer shot of the bus...

The driver came out of "Yummy Dim Sum & Fast Food" at 930 Stockton Street. 

The parked black Toyota Corolla driver came out from the shop too. The reason the driver disconnected the poles, in order to allow any #30-Stockton bus to pass the shenanigan driver parked #45-Union bus. The reason the driver did not turn the flashing emergency yellow lights, to avoid attention of this stupid act. This time in the morning most roving MUNI supervisors are busy elsewhere, and the closest stationary supervisor is located far down his route at Columbus & Union Street. The reason the driver checked the traffic behind him is not to prevent from getting run over but to make sure his follower---the next #45 bus did not pass him. If using the MUNI schedule as a guide, this bus could be the 8:35 a.m. bus at Stockton & Sutter Street bus stop and the next bus is due there at 8:43 a.m.

One of my buddies claims that driver must have some nerves to pull that stunt. I told him just normal MUNI driving procedures. The driver knew all his ridership are Oriental and would not voice a complaint, I doubt this idiot would pull the same stunt in the Marina district. If he does get caught all he have to say...he had a sudden case of the diarrhea!

Tour Bus Antics

September 17, 2012-The worst drivers in the City of San Francisco are usually the "professional drivers," these are people that make a living either by driving all day or driving to and from different locations. I am not talking about normal stupid acts of...quick with the horn, wavering in and out of traffic, sudden stops, blocking traffic lane, illegal left turns or u-turns, running or jumping the signal light, and the signature final act---flipping the finger or mouthing the magic word "_ _ _ _ing idiot!" I have seen my share of these from MUNI drivers, transit drivers, commuters van drivers, para transit drivers, cab drivers, limo drivers, delivery drivers, service drivers, construction drivers, and the other day garbage truck drivers. I have included tour bus drivers to the equation, especially the one I encounter this morning. It is not the normal stupid acts that irksome, but the blandly disregards act  in violation of the California motor vehicle codes.

The time is 8:38 a.m.. the location: intersection of Broadway & Powell Street. I was standing on the South-East side corner crosswalk of Powell Street awaiting for the pedestrians signal lights to turn green in order to cross Broadway, standing next to me were many parents & youngsters awaiting to cross the street to the left side "Jean Parker Elementary School" at 840 Broadway. Vehicles traffic were flowing in both directions along Broadway, and a tour bus van was stopped behind the white crosswalk line in the left turn outlet lane. The light turned green and we all started to cross Broadway and I noticed the tour bus suddenly bolted across the intersection to make the left turn. The school crossing guard yelled out and the tour bus nearly hit a car traveling southbound on Powell, whom was honking his horn. The tour bus double parked by the corner as I noticed two tourist-like people (did not have the  normal San Franciscan's DNA) running for the bus on the other side crosswalk.

I ran over to take the following:

It was an "Extranomical Tours" bus, vehicle #1115, TCP#18350, license #52849B1, driven by a Caucasian driver. Many newspapers do not mention the ethnicity of perpetrator due to the new rule of being politically correct, but I am not selling newspaper or advertisements---just an eye-witness account.

The driver is an idiot or maybe just stupid? The light sequences at that intersection are the following: traffic along Broadway, heading toward the Embarcadero-from Marin county to financial district, pass through the Broadway tunnel to first signal lights at the intersection of Powell Street. There is a left turn outlet lane to Powell Street at the intersection. A red light at the intersection stopped all Broadway traffic in both directions, which allows the cross traffic in both directions along Powell Street to pass through. The next signal light would be for the Broadway traffic heading down toward Embarcedero with a green lights for traffic to proceed down Broadway and a green arrow for the left turn onto Powell Street. Traffic in the opposite direction along Broadway and pedestrians on relevant crosswalk are stopped by red light so that vehicles can safely turn left. The left turn green arrow stayed on for about 15 to 20 seconds and then turned red, and the traffic heading toward Marin county into the Broadway tunnel gets the green lights to proceed. I first thought maybe the driver misread the signal as if it had the "Left Turn Yield On Green" sign, but he was stopped behind the white crosswalk lines and was not already stopped within the intersection. In hindsight he was just an idiot!

Many of the walking buddies refuse to come along with my walk through Chinatown, but if I said today we are taking the seaside tour they are happy to tag along. They claims I have this bad habit of running into so many unbelievable predicaments. I told them you heard about guys being "chick-magnet" well I am a "idiot-magnet." I told one of my buddy what happened and he asked me if I yelled at the driver like that school crossing guard did. I told him why bother, since ever try reasoning with a idiot!

Recology Truck Antics

September 13, 2012-I can still recall in ancient times the City of San Francisco had two companies that handle the residential garbage collection services: Golden Gate Disposal; which handle the financial district, North Beach & Marina districts, and Sunset Scavenger Company; which handle the outlying neighborhood districts. Depending upon where you lived would dictate what time your garbage would be picked up. If you lived near the financial districts it would mean very early in morning pick-up. We lived about two blocks from Fisherman's Wharf, therefore the garbage collectors cleans up the Wharf's businesses early in the morning and come by our house around 5:00 a.m. The metal garbage cans would be situated by the side doorway and the garbageman would empty the cans onto a burlap sack and then haul it over his shoulder out to the truck. Occasionally you can hear the metal garbage can lid rattling against the pavement. In the late 1980's the two garbage collection companies merged to form "Norcal" and then in 2009 changed the company name to the present "Recology." We no longer have metal or rubber garbage cans, but standardized colored garbage totes: black, for landfill waste; blue, for recyclable items; and green, for compost items. In the old days the garbage truck come through the neighborhood block one to three times a week, depending upon the number of requested service pick-up. Currently my block have a garbage truck picking trash Monday through Saturday. My house and  majority others on the block have Wednesday collection day. My next door neighbor have Tuesday & Friday collection days. One house on my side have Monday collection day and another house on the opposite side have Thursday collection day. These collection days are for the black & blue totes only. The green compost tote is done by another garbage truck. There are two condominium complex in the block, a different type of garbage truck handle their trash, which consist of long rolling bins. One complex have collection day of Tuesday & Friday, while the other Wednesday & Saturday.

In other words, I have seen my share of garbage trucks just along my own block. I have also seen garbage trucks in the neighborhood: driving in the wrong side of the street, going in the opposite direction in a one way street, backing up the whole block, blocking a crosswalk, running a red light, making a illegal left turn, and numerous other motor vehicle violations. I do not fault the drivers, nor I expect law enforcement agencies to cite them, because of the nature of the job required them to take these actions to complete their task of collecting the garbage.

Except this morning at 8:30 a.m., a Recology truck for route #232, parked at the far end of the bus stop heading downtown on the corner of Stockton & Columbus:

I have noticed this same garbage truck parked at this spot for several weeks. My first impression was the driver was picking up trash nearby. Just last week I noticed the local Recology lady supervisor for the North Beach area parking her company pickup truck in front of the parked garbage truck chatting with the driver, therefore the company acknowledge the present of this truck at that location. A busy bus stop for two electric trolley lines: #30 Stockton & #45 Union and one long-articulated diesel bus line: #8X Bayshore Express.

To my amazement this morning, I was able to watch this Recology driver get out of his truck and shut down his engine.

The driver was not picking up no garbage nearby, instead he was heading to a coffee shop along the 400 block of Columbus Avenue for a cup of coffee!

The driver could had parked at the space ahead of the red zone bus stop.

I forgot the two rules of "self-centered person"
#1-Don't give a damn of others. (Bus riders tough luck)
#2-Least effort! (If I parked farther up, therefore I had to back out of space)
Special note: the alley the truck is parked by is Card Alley, the exit route of Vallejo  Street Central Police Station patrol cars. A very bad blind spot, but everybody on the impression that this garbage truck is picking garbage nearby.

The driver getting a cup of coffee and be right back. I doubt it and the time is now 9:05 a.m.

The long 8X bus cannot pull into the bus stop and have to load out in the street-double park! The morning traffic along Columbus Avenue going toward Fisherman's Wharf already bad with one lane by Washington Square Park due to the stupid Central Subway Escape Hatch construction project. Now with this coffee sipping garbageman stupidity blocking traffic along the opposite side of Stockton & Columbus roadways.

The Wizard have a old saying: Some people smells like garbage and some people are like garbage!