In the Chronicle  on July 21 Bay Area section article on the transit make over, Supervisor Elsbernd was quoted “. . . it is now up to city officials to show leadership in turning the proposal into reality.

“We have to do something that is a rare thing – saying that people will have to sacrifice for the greater good,” he said. “That’s never easy.”

All too often I see situations where people or interest groups refuse to look at the “greater good”. I just spent the morning pulling weeds on the hillside at Miraloma Park with Supervisor Elsbernd. We want the parks maintained but we don’t want to pay the taxes. We want good emergency services and to be taken care of but it isn’t going to happen. Wake up and get yourself trained by the SFFD. Be prepared. 

I know that Supervisor Elsbernd will do everything possible for Miraloma Park. If the 36 is to be changed in the fashion of the original proposal, to run to Glen Park and the J Church instead of to Forest Hill and Midtown Terrace, we are going to have to work hard to convince MTA to do something different.

When you read the article the suggestion of smaller vehicles is given. We will need to offer solutions if it comes to pass. So let’s start thinking of ways to solve the problem.

In a perfect world the bus would arrive every 10 to 15 minutes, on schedule, be small at times of the day when ridership is down and larger at commute times, not pull away when you get off a connector bus, or come out of the door at Forest Hill, be quiet, run clean, not run empty but be there when you want it. What have we got but a bus that is noisy, smelly, often late, runs every thirty minutes sometimes, is never there when you want it, leaves right as you come out the door or when the 48 or 44 show up. The current situation is so bad that very few people ride it. Maybe we need to guarantee ridership. Maybe it needs to be on call for elders during the day or have some communication system that it’s needed on Myra. Efficiencies can be found in many ways and new technologies can help.

What we can’t do, in my opinion, is stand up and say “no change” without a solution. There are huge issues looming on the world, national, regional and local horizons and it will really behoove us all to be knowledgeable and able to work towards solutions with all those issues factored in.

In this case it’s limited and increasingly expensive resources, air pollution and population migration pressures.

The citizens won’t pay the cost of running the system and if any of us were in charge of the MTA we would all put the resources we have to serve the greatest number possible.

I’m reminded of NERT emergency medicine training. Do the most good for the greatest number. If you spend 3 minutes on someone 4 others could die. You have to move fast and only determine if they are breathing, bleeding or coherent.

Our world is changing. San Francisco is going to change in the next 20 years more than it changed in the 20 years after the war. My belief is that the best we can do is steer the change, we can’t stop it.