Noe Valley Editors - I read your blog on Noe Valley and I wanted to write in about an issue I've been noticing in our neighborhood. We our own home at 22nd Street and Noe. We have lived in Noe for 8 years and just recently, I noticed Google switching its private commuter shuttle bus route from 24th street to go on local streets that were not intended to be used by such large buses...Which brings up a question: Do the commuters who use these buses ever confront the drivers for using inappropriate streets, bus stops, etc? Or are they just along for the ride?
This reminds me of the incident where Google was upsetting residents on Jersey Street years ago. As a fellow Silicon Valley employee, I can empathize with the desire to have commuter bus shuttle service to service the commute to/from the Peninsula. I have commuted in/out of the Peninsula my entire career here in the Bay Area for the past 13 years but my employee commuter shuttle runs up/down Guerrero Street and does not go down the local neighborhood streets.
I believe these are the Google buses that are at fault but these private commuter shuttles are running west on 24th Street, going right onto Noe, driving up the hill, and making a left on 22nd Street to cut over to Castro Street. I am pretty sure they are doing this to avoid the traffic of commuter shuttles and SF buses and the light at the corner of 24th and Castro. I am upset by this as my children play on 22nd Street, it's a small street towards the top of the hill and was never intended to be a street served by bus traffic. I am wondering what we can do to help rectify this issue as a community as the Jersey Street folks did years ago for their street.
[NVSF: All posts on shuttle buses]
[NVSF: Shuttle Buses: Useful or Menace?]
[NVSF: Meeting: Upper Noe Neighbors]
31 comments:
That's a picture of an Apple bus, not a Google bus. The Google buses are white and have a bike rack on the back. (Oh how I covet that shuttle.)
Also, the Google bus route (I think) goes down Noe to 26th, then over to Castro to make a pickup on Castro at the bus stop at 25th. The Apple bus goes the opposite direction, but also goes up Castro to 26th, then to Noe, then to 30th.
I have no idea what route the Facebook and LinkedIn shuttles take.
The google busses often say GBUS in the front. There is often a GBUS parked on Castro Street and 18th in the mornings heading northboand. It is technically not in the bus stop but it is parked in such a way that the 24 can't pull in ahead of it.
Is there a person with the city we can call about this?
For-hire buses are regulated by the CPUC -same as limousines - not the City.
It is important to remember that nearly every street in Sn Francisco is residential. "Quiet, residential" is not an entitlement.
I was right with the poster up until:
"I am upset by this as my children play on 22nd Street"
Generally speaking, why are the children playing on the street? As a parent, I encourage use of parks, any private space available, but absolutely not "on the street".
The Google bus runs along Dolores, Ive never seen them on Noe. It turns into Noe Valley on Clipper or 24th and then turns on Castro.
The bus in the picture (I also think it is an.Apple bus) runs both directions on Noe.
To clarify, we took the above photo in 2008 at Day/Sanchez and included it in prior posts we've done on the subject (linked at bottom of post).
Also included in the links are posts about potential regulation of shuttle buses.
I live on Jersey and there is a sign that reads vehicles over 3 tons allowed no more than one block only for delivery though I have noticed quite a few buses/trucks zooming on by.
Definitely interested in setting regular set paths for these buses so for other city folks who don't commute down, there is information of which streets to avoid to get to our work in the city.
These buses are all over the city, I bike to work and there have been a few times in which they just sit and occupy half the street waiting to start their route or whatever. Not cool.
As someone who lives on Guerrero, I question why you think I do not live on a residential street.
Man, talk about first world problems. What a d-bag NIMBY. What sort of inconvenience does this really cause you, and why should it just be someone else's problem? Just be thankful that one bus replaces 30 cars.
While I understand this person's concern, I also live on 22nd and Noe and have noticed a bus now and then.
Frankly, if every single bus came down that same street, yes, i'd be annoyed. but it's just occasional and I don't find it bad at all. To put it in perspective: the more frequent motorcycle / harley makes WAY more noise, and the random speeding car (with driver on their cell phone) is WAY more concerning for me when playing w/my kids along the sidewalk.
I think it's all a matter of how much. One Apple (or whatever) bus 4x/day isn't bad.
I'd wager that a large percentage of those "30 cars" are used during the day by spouses to drive 4 blocks to Whole Foods.
I ride one of those buses (not Google) and my spouse takes a MUNI streetcar to work, thank you very much. Neither of us owns a car.
Well, pardon my igorance, but could someone out there tell us exactly which companies provide their employees with shuttle services to Noe Valley? Thanks.
"living where you work"; yeah that's great idea. Unless one happens to change jobs or have a spouse who work somewhere else in the Bay Area or any of a number of other reasons.
"my children play on 22nd Street"
Maybe you should teach your children to not play in the street and be conscious of traffic, regardless of the street or vehicle size.
This is a ridiculous conversation.
"my children play on 22nd Street"
Maybe you should teach your children to not play in the street and be conscious of traffic, regardless of the street or vehicle size.
This is a ridiculous conversation.
Just this morning, I was almost hit by two of these buses - one on Dolores and the other on Market. In addition, I have noticed that a lot of these buses have out of state plates. Can they even operate in the City? While I appreciate the transit friendly concept, I think it would be better if they used already established bus routes and stopped in bus zones and not in bike lanes or active traffic lanes. I have called our supervisors office numerous times but get the feeling he doesn't want to be bothered by this.
I don't think any road is "off limits" to any type of vehicle unless there is an actual sign saying otherwise.
I live on 30th, I see the buses all the time, I don't mind them as long as they are not double parking while letting people in and out for long.
I support any sort of transit (public or private) that takes single-driver cars off roads. Like it or not, people are going to commute so I'd rather them do it collectively.
What ever happened to the idea of fencing off Noe Valley so no non residents can get in? Is that so much to ask? Why do we want to deal with outsiders coming in or passing through our streets?
Typical Cranky Noe Neighbor, President of the Noe Valley Gated Community
@10:00 am: Guerrero is very residential, but it is also major traffic artery in the way 22nd isn't. I am not convinced that is a reason to keep buses off of 22nd, but obviously the complainer thinks it is.
I and many of my colleagues don't own poluting, street clogging cars because our employer provides this convinient bus service. The route it takes goes exactly along the MUNI bus route, with the old MUNI busses being a lot more noisy and frequent. What do we get next - stop the MUNI bus service?
It's so damn tiring to continue to hear the old complaint about "polluting, street clogging cars".
Cars are not going away. A lot of us love them and use them every single day.
Get over it.Stop being so holier than thou.
Cars are not going away.
That's what they said about the Romans.
Just because cars are not going away does not mean that we don't benefit when someone does get rid of their car.
while these buses are portrayed as green solutions to keep cars off the roads between sf and the peninsula, simply removing them all together would likely save more car waste, as most people would be forced to live closer to work.
Obviously, some people have to live in SF and commute all the way down the peninsula. However, I venture to guess most people choose to live in SF and commute to the south peninsula by choice, because, they can.
Why would removing the shuttles "force" people to live close to work?
The traffic on 101 is a pretty clear indication that there are plenty of people who don't have shuttles who commute via car every day. Not just on the Peninsula but from Marin to SF.
Wow! "...as most people would be forced to live closer to work" has to be authored by a graduate of the Stalin School of Diplomacy and living right here in Noe Valley.
It's OK to force people to live closer to work, but it's not OK to force them not to park on the sidewalk. Got it?
I have been narrowly missed by the Google, LinkedIn and Genetech bus over the last few months while being in the crosswalk.
I have zero problems with the shuttles, except when it comes to public safety or environmental hazards.
I see these shuttles idling for a good 20 minutes on various streets in the neighborhood which is not okay.
Also, these shuttles use the Muni stops which means that at times, a Muni bus has to stop in the street which is unsafe for riders who have to walk into the street to board.
The concept of the shuttles is a good one and a nice benefit for employees, but the routes and safety for ALL need improving.
Catherine brings this discussion right back to where we hoped it would go from the start: Do the users of the shuttles encourage shuttles/drivers to practice "good behavior" in the neighborhood the users have decided to call home? Or not?
I know a lot of google folks, and everytime any of them hears about an incident with a shuttle bus, their transportation director gets a barrage of emails, which are typically promptly returned with "We have spoken with the shuttle company who has discussed this issue with the driver".
The shuttle contracts are big $$$ and what google says, google gets.
The question is what do they actually notice once ensconced in the time travel tube.
I live on Castro St. near 24th, which is undeniably a main thoroughfare for Muni and now the commuter buses. I accept that the commuter buses will use Castro St., but don't really get why they have to be so enormous, and so noisy. Especially going uphill, the engine noise drowns out anything I might be trying to listen hear. I've lived in the same place for many many years, and am used to the noise of Muni buses, but these large tour-type buses are much louder. Now the Google buses, at least, have started with a high-pitched beeping as they go past - akin to the back-up beeps that some commercial vehicles have. You can hear them from blocks away. It is infernal! Really unpleasant noise pollution on top of the roaring of the buses. I think Google, et al. should tone it down, use smaller buses, stop the beeping, and buy me some double-paned windows (I rent).
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