Muni’s Best at 8th and Irving!

Just now I saw an example of Muni doing Something Right. It was a perfect snapshot of what’s right, and what’s wrong with Our Fair City.
I was all set to cook dinner when I realized I was missing an ingredient, so I decided to head to the corner store and buy it, when I heard sirens. Whenever I hear sirens, I’m always one to look and see if said fire engines and ambulances are headed my way or not. In this case, they were. I also noticed the N inbound stopped and the operator directing traffic around the streetcar. My first guess was that somehow the N had lost power, and that the emergency vehicles would have to pass it to keep going. As it turned out, the N WAS the intended destination, due to a medical emergency on board, and the operator was out there directing traffic and flagging the emergency crew.
Fortunately for those of us in San Francisco, when an emergency happens, the response times in this city are pretty spectacular, and the emergency folks were able to help a passenger in distress who, while not well, wasn’t dead or anything. Watching this, all I could think of was how this Muni operator and the owner/riders stepped up and helped a fellow citizen in distress, instead of ignoring it (or worse). All I could think of was how great San Francisco was, and how as always, Muni, the MTA “management,” and TWU’s “leadership” will never recognize this operator for his good work in helping someone out.
Oh well.