December 26, 2004
Turning your orbit around
The sure-fire, crowd-pleasing, rolling-around-in-tourist-dollars E-Embarcadero line is on hold, due to a budget shortfall. If I read my legislation correctly, this damn thing should already be operational.
Although this streetcar service would provide a link between the ballpark and the Wharf, as well as a romantic ride down an aesthetically successful urban thoroughfare, MUNI won't take it on due to their $15 million budget shortfall -- despite the fact that they'd get maintenance of the rolling stock for free through the non-profit Market Street Railway.
MUNI has already proposed raising fares again, to $1.50; mix in an intrasigent Transport Workers Union, a clueless Board of Supervisors, and a constantly-changing service plan, and MUNI is on the route to disappointing San Francisco.
The E-Embcardero would have made use of $10 million from a state transportation measure to open a route that included Aquatic Park and the Fort Mason Tunnel.
What's in a name?
My name, for example, is an alias for the "Millionaire Marxist" Carlos the Jackal; the place-name of John's watering-hole: "And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized"; and, of course, it comes from the honourable Semitic root for peace, health.