Disqus - Latest Comments for chriskildegaard

Re: More Muni Metro Rail to Return in May

chriskildegaard — Sun, 28 Feb 2021 00:12:51 -0000

I'm not sure they have enough historic streetcars to cover the F and the J do they? (And much of Market is a no-no for LRVs due to the double wiring for trolleybuses.)

Re: Keeping the streetcars ready

chriskildegaard — Tue, 29 Dec 2020 23:58:48 -0000

I could be wrong, but I'm thinking they probably don't have enough historic streetcars for the E, F, and J to all run, right?

Re: Customer Service Kiosks Provide New Services

chriskildegaard — Thu, 06 Aug 2020 02:49:33 -0000

You don't have to touch anything to open the gates. Just hold your clipper card over them and they open.

Re: You need this mask!

chriskildegaard — Thu, 28 May 2020 21:39:06 -0000

I assume these are washable and reusable?

Re: Starting March 30: New Muni Service Changes

chriskildegaard — Thu, 26 Mar 2020 13:21:27 -0000

I'm not sure about this, but I think everyone is cross-trained to drive buses as well?

Re: Boat Tram Marks Market Street’s New Era

chriskildegaard — Fri, 31 Jan 2020 01:40:59 -0000

I'm a little confused about what the situation was. Yesterday afternoon around 2:30 or 2:45, I stepped in to the railway museum and asked if the boat tram was still out. I was told it had just left a few minutes prior on its last run, and they were quite disappointed. I also thought it was supposed to just be on the Embarcadero only, but it sounds like it ran in regular F-line service on Market as well? More clarity from Muni and MSR about the service being provided would be great in the future.

Thanks for all you do!

Re: Expect Extra-Crowded Muni Trains As New Fleet Gets Taken Offline For More Repairs

chriskildegaard — Sun, 15 Dec 2019 23:43:20 -0000

That's not an excuse, it's fact. A low floor design simply won't work in the existing subway stations (not to mention the entire T Third line and the N/T stops on the Embarcadero) without the platforms being totally redesigned. That would probably take months if not years, and I imagine it would require bus substitutions or single tracking in parts of the system.

It would also require the current fleet of trains to have steps down at every station during the transition to low-floor equipment, which would be a serious step backwards for accessibility.

Sure, it's a choice Muni could make, but it would be expensive and impractical.

Re: RPA Submission on Sec. 207 Metrics and Standards | Rail Passengers Association | Washington, DC

chriskildegaard — Wed, 18 Sep 2019 00:22:37 -0000

What is an "avoidable cost"?

Re: Hotline #1134 | Rail Passengers Association | Washington, DC

chriskildegaard — Sun, 15 Sep 2019 22:30:07 -0000

Note that the response regarding dining options for the western trains specifically mentions "two-night trains", which suggests to me that the Coast Starlight, for instance, could be at risk for conversion to Contemporary Dining.

Re: Adaptive Bike Pilot for People with Disabilities

chriskildegaard — Sat, 27 Jul 2019 22:26:10 -0000

This is a cool project. What about making accessible bikes readily available through the bike share system?

Re: What Happened to My Friday Commute?

chriskildegaard — Tue, 30 Apr 2019 14:19:46 -0000

A stalled train would be nearly as disruptive regardless of where it is going. Imagine under the current route structure, you're on a K going to St. Francis Circle, and a L (to pick a random line) is stalled in front of you at Church, preventing you from getting to your destination. The effect would be no different if there were a single line under Market/Twin Peaks and you needed to transfer (be it at Van Ness or West Portal or wherever), except under your scenario, there may be the risk of you missing a connecting train because the mainline train in front of yours stalled.

Yes, there may be benefits to having connections and running a single line through the subway, but there are drawbacks, too. Perhaps the best approach is to increase S shuttle service, which can hopefully take the strain off the other lines.

Re: The E is Back!

chriskildegaard — Fri, 26 Apr 2019 15:22:52 -0000

You've mentioned before that both equipment issues and operator shortages have caused reliability problems for the E.

I'm just curious, could Metro cars theoretically share trackage with the historic streetcars North of Market? Would that be a potential interim measure for Muni to consider? Obviously the light rail cars lack the charm, but perhaps they could be used in times when there are not enough streetcars available to maintain reliable E line service?

Re: Back On The E Embarcadero

chriskildegaard — Wed, 24 Apr 2019 10:49:30 -0000

What is making the line "better than ever"?

Re: Help Build a New Potrero Yard With Housing On Top!

chriskildegaard — Sun, 16 Dec 2018 16:05:51 -0000

PLEASE keep your existing trolleybus lines! The current technology works, and it also provides a sense of permanence that battery buses will never offer.

Re: The New Sounds of the Muni Metro Subway

chriskildegaard — Sat, 29 Sep 2018 21:24:41 -0000

The other day, I noticed that announcements at Embarcadero gave ETAs about 1-2 minutes longer than displayed on the signs. For instance, if the sign showed next N Judah in 2 minutes, it would be announced as 3.

Re: VIDEO: Steps Toward an All-Electric Bus Fleet

chriskildegaard — Wed, 04 Jul 2018 20:29:36 -0000

Does this mean trolleybuses will eventually go away?

Re: Words ‘illegal’ and ‘alien’ banished from public libraries

chriskildegaard — Sat, 02 Apr 2016 13:54:36 -0000

They're just using more appropriate/sensitive language toward others. It's not like the books themselves are censored -- they're just renaming it in the classification system. (Also, most academic libraries do use the Library of Congress system, but most public libraries [e.g., cities, counties] use Dewey, so they would presumably be unaffected

It's really not that huge of a deal....

Re: Campus considers dissolving the College of Chemistry to cut costs

chriskildegaard — Sun, 28 Feb 2016 15:05:32 -0000

UC Berkeley, and all of our public colleges in California, serve a lot of different people, not just "White Christians". Your hatred of people who aren't like you isn't going to help anything.

Re: University must build public residence hall Downtown

chriskildegaard — Sat, 27 Feb 2016 21:23:57 -0000

Props to UCSD for their work on online courses, then. That's all well and good. Not all schools are going to have the resources or desire to do it that way, though.

Note that I did not say I wanted taxes to increase, per se. I just said I would be happy for my taxes to go toward that project. That said, the investments needed in our educational system will almost certainly require increased taxes. So unless we want things to further degrade, I suggest we support new state revenues that can go toward the higher ed system.

Re: University must build public residence hall Downtown

chriskildegaard — Fri, 26 Feb 2016 13:40:00 -0000

Distance learning is certainly a modality that the CSU and UC systems should further investigate. However, I think it should complement (not entirely replace) the residential/on-campus model. Here's why:

1. Despite having potential to be highly interactive, many online classes are offered in a very static manner. Professors post books/readings, students take notes based on Powerpoints (no actual recorded lectures), discussions are held online through written discussion forum posts (if at all). This can be quite the ineffective (and undesirable) learning program.

2. Unfortunately, online communication can actual stifle social relationships and real, human connections. A healthy, in-person social life is a good thing, and something that on-campus students can struggle with as it is. Is it really a good idea to take them further from their classmates/colleagues, so they don't ever share physical space?

3. Engaging in shared experiences and experiential learning SHOULD be part of the wave of the future. That is rather difficult when, again, you're not sharing the same physical space and being present together.

We need to seek MORE connection, not less. As a local resident, I would be happy to have my taxes support affordable student housing (even if such housing is run at cost or at a loss and requires continuing state or local subsidies).

Re: Losing sleep over exorbitant REST zone prices

chriskildegaard — Fri, 26 Feb 2016 13:20:19 -0000

1776:

You're right -- the university IS here to teach. Part of an education is learning how to take care of yourself, how to manage stress, and how to live a healthy, fulfilling life. So actually, in a way, it is here to provide a lifestyle (as healthy of a lifestyle as possible, especially considering that students often engage in risky behaviors, deprive themselves of sleep, or eat unhealthy food because it's quick and cheap).

Caesar:

I think you're looking at this in too shallow of a manner. A nap isn't probably going to directly keep someone from committing suicide. A campus culture that encourages sleeping and self-care, however, is more likely to make mental health issues easier to deal with. Mental health issues (and health issues in general) can't be addressed by just one effort or via one method. There are MANY factors that contribute to positive or negative wellness, and proper rest and stress management (or lack thereof) are just two of them.

Re: Losing sleep over exorbitant REST zone prices

chriskildegaard — Fri, 26 Feb 2016 13:13:29 -0000

Because this is supposed to be a country of equality. Because we need to respect people's identities and cultures. Because a restroom where a transgender person feels unsafe or unaccepted is not a good restroom.

Re: Campus considers dissolving the College of Chemistry to cut costs

chriskildegaard — Fri, 26 Feb 2016 13:03:06 -0000

You just said it yourself - tax subsidies (and probably tuition, while you're at it).

Of course, classes you need are probably classes some other people don't, and vice versa. If everyone complains about sharing the cost of unneeded classes, things aren't gonna function very well.

Re: Campus considers dissolving the College of Chemistry to cut costs

chriskildegaard — Fri, 26 Feb 2016 12:55:38 -0000

Care to explain what you're referring to, exactly?

Re: UC Berkeley students are out of excuses for skipping summer vacation

chriskildegaard — Sun, 23 Aug 2015 21:27:32 -0000

Why is it so abnormal/frowned upon to stay home for the summer? So what if you don't want to travel? Maybe you want to work or get an internship or hang with people coming to the Bay Area that have been away all year. Maybe you have projects that you want to stay home and work on. I hope this is some kind of joke article.