As a MUNI Accident Attorney in the San Francisco Bay Area, I have been saying for years that MUNI has ongoing safety issues. I’d like to report that someone, who is not a lawyer fighting against MUNI, agrees. Maybe soon, MUNI will be safer for riders and other users of San Francisco streets.
It is finally official! MUNI has been negligent in responding to pervasive safety problems, and could face fines of $20,000 a day, according to a state regulator that Thursday opened an investigation of the transit agency.
Muni says it’s being railroaded, claiming to have been blindsided by the charges. The MUNI transit leaders claim they have responded to every request made by the California Public Utilities Commission, the state agency with oversight of rail and light-rail transit systems.
What is most important to me here is that the PUC says that MUNI has been dragging its feet on fixing persistent problems, such as the worn-down tracks at Church and Duboce streets, which carry thousands of commuters each day. Muni has failed to respond to over 20 findings between 2008 and 2010. Muni has also apparently failed to provide accident reports.
Safety should be the number one concern of any public transit system. The violations, if true, risk safe operations and potentially endanger MUNI passengers and others who share the street with MUNI vehicles.
Many types of vehicles make up the San Francisco Municipal Railway: buses, LRVs, street cars, cable cars and electric buses. Because the San Francisco Bay Area is so sprawling, thousands of residents rely on the MUNI system for public transit on a daily basis. Unfortunately, MUNI vehicles are often involved in serious accidents, causing injury or wrongful deaths to pedestrians, motorists, motorcyclists, bicyclists and MUNI riders alike.
If you or someone you know is involved in a MUNI accident, please call me and I’d be happy to speak with you free of charge to explain your options.
