A “Victory” In The Irving/9th Street Safety Crusade?

This morning’s Examiner has some news that should be of interest to Loyal Readers: it seems that The MTA/MUNI/Whatever is finally appropriating some money to improve signals and safety at Irving and 9th.
The news could be considered a “victory” of sorts for the mini-crusade I’d been pushing, both here, and at the Act Locally SF “blog”, but I think that’d be a bit too pretentious, don’tchathink?
However, I think this whole situation reflects the Average S.F. Citizen’s frustration with MUNI, the City, and the kind of groupthink that envelop said institutions. It does not require a freakin’ “TEP” or armies of imported “consultants” to figure out that:
a) something wasn’t working right with the situation at Irving/9th and Judah/9th to begin with for cars, transit, and pedestrians
and
b) there were/are some fixes MUNI, with its armada of highly paid City Workers and Geniuses could have implemented by now
and
c) that requests to do so fell on deaf and often hostile ears when brought up, both by this blog and by others, including elected officials.
Whatever. I’m just glad something is being done, especially, as I like to remind people, this was promised almost a year ago at a town hall meeting sponsored by Sup. Mirkarimi. (And unlike that other town hall meeting, they didn’t dodge questions on this issue.)
In an irony of ironies, not soon after I spoke with Ms. Rocha on the phone, I was going to the post office at Irving and 9th where I not only almost got hit by a speeding car making a right turn, while dodging that car, I then had to dodge a cab making a left ,which was not only speeding, but Ol’ Cabbie was on the frakking cell phone, oblivious to traffic or anything besides That Big Phone Call.
Being the speedy walker I am, I dodged both, but of course, a senior citizen or one of our disabled citizens might not have been so lucky. I told the idiot cabbie to “be more careful and get off the cell phone” and he replied with some choice language not meant for the kids and to “shut up.”
Ticked as I was, I replied to him in his native language, which elicited a surprise. I learned very little in junior high school, but being friends with the foreign exchange students taught me a few things, including how to tell someone off in languages from around the world. Who says the public education system isn’t worth something?
If we’d had the fixes, though, Rude Cabbie, myself, and everyone could have made our way safely and happily, sans drama. Maybe when MUNI finally engages in the fix in the year 2015, we can achieve something close to Nirvana, at least while crossing the street or heading home….
PS: Today’s Examiner also had a short roundup of the cuts MUNI and BART will be getting, thanks to the enviro-hip Legislature and Governor. Remember, next time you see Assemblymembers Mark Leno or Fiona Ma, be sure to thank them for the budget cuts to MUNI, since as we all know unstable funding is what is necessary to make the system run better!

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