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Protesters block Google bus in S.F. Mission

blog.sfgate.com

101–110 of 188 posts

Re: Protesters block Google bus in S.F. Mission

#101
post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The corporate buses often stop at public bus stops, sometimes blocking MUNI buses from the stop.

As the article states, gentrification and "income inequality" (lol?) were the main reasons for these protestors surrounding the Google bus. I'm sure Google bus is an inconvenience for other busses but that wasn't why these people were protesting.

Just curious, why the "lol" for income inequality?

Re: Protesters block Google bus in S.F. Mission

#102
post #80

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where is the data that proves that Google employees pay more taxes than what is proper for their individual incomes.

That was not implied. Google employees generally have high salaries, and therefore pay a higher net dollar amount than the average taxpayer.

What I believe is implied is that since Google employees pay more in taxes than the average bloke, they are due more of that public infrastructure (privileged access to bus lanes, in this situation) — which is not how things work.

Re: Protesters block Google bus in S.F. Mission

#103
post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And are they aren't preventing anyone from doing that.

[deleted]

I don't think this is an actual issue though. The vast majority of people are not using private buses. Even if they were. And if they were, well there would be a decent private system in place and it still wouldn't be such an issue.

Re: Protesters block Google bus in S.F. Mission

#104
post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"The alleged trespass of using 'public infrastructure for private profit' is unsupported. People pick up and drop off people at the sidewalk (required, no stopping in the middle of the street)." I'm sorry but this is simply wrong. If you tried to pick up and drop off someone in a bus stop everyday, you would get ticketed for it. These buses do not. If you need to make things up to support these people it kind of worr…

I dropped off and picked up my wife at the bus stop by 24th Street BART every workday for over a year and never had anyone challenge me about it.

Ton of people are downloading music and movies without paying, and no one challenge them. Does that mean it's legal ?

Re: Protesters block Google bus in S.F. Mission

#105
post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They are, if they're occupying their spots.

Hah, so the woeful state of the Bay Area's public transport system is the result of private buses being in the wrong place at the wrong time? Surely the issue is a bit deeper than that.

Had similar reflex. The SF way seemed very strange to me as an outsider and it would almost appear like the primary 'benefactor' of these confrontations are the city governance who are paid by tax payers to make sure the housing supplies are sufficient and public transportation are efficient.

If Gmail can't keep up with demand and the SF city council just opened 1000 new account, one for each city employee, and Gmail speed slowed to a crawl, would Google and the public say "aha! they're using all the resources, let's protest"?

Re: Protesters block Google bus in S.F. Mission

#106
post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The article says that the city is working on a permitting system, and that one does not currently exist. Which means that these buses are parking illegally everyday and instead of fining them, the city is coming up with a plan to accommodate them. Think they would do that for your parking tickets?

Probably because the city realises that having companies bus their employees around is a shitload better than having 20 extra individual cars on the roads?

20 extra individual cars on the roads

Those double decker buses hold about 80 people. Assuming a handful of people would carpool, we're still looking at 60+ more cars on the road, per bus.

Re: Protesters block Google bus in S.F. Mission

#107
post #29
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Their math seems suspect. $1B / $271 = 3.7 million stops. Assuming 39 bus stops in the Bay Area [1], a 7d/wk schedule (i.e., no separate holiday/weekend schedule), and that every bus stop gets an equal number of stops, that's 86 stops per day per bus stop . Or once every 17 minutes, around the clock. I'd believe that frequency for peak hours at the busiest/largest stops, but not as the all-day average across every st…

>Google declined to comment on the map, but said it has over 100 buses that shuttle 4,500-plus people per day from more than 30 stops across seven Bay Area counties. http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB1000087239639044398290... So Google alone could make up that number. Toss in the other tech companies that are doing this as well and I can see how there are far more than 86 stops a day.

I think you missed the part of the post you're replying to where he said his calculations amount to 86 stops per day per stop. That's at least 2580 stops per day total. 2580 stops for 4500 employees? They're clearly off by more than an order of magnitude.

Re: Protesters block Google bus in S.F. Mission

#108
post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As the article states, gentrification and "income inequality" (lol?) were the main reasons for these protestors surrounding the Google bus. I'm sure Google bus is an inconvenience for other busses but that wasn't why these people were protesting.

Just curious, why the "lol" for income inequality?

"Your poverty makes us sick"

Re: Protesters block Google bus in S.F. Mission

#109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not what I said. What I said is that I'm not obligated to "reason" with someone that illegally demands my attention. Maybe abortion doctors should be obligated to "reason" with pro-life protestors, to open a conversation? Hey, a lot of time those guys aren't even breaking the law. What the OP calls being an "uptight techie" I call being an ordinary human being in an allegedly civilized country.

You seemed to miss the guys point. If you park somewhere illegally and someone blocks you in, getting upset that they are doing something illegal while ignoring the fact that you are doing something similarly illegal everyday is pretty weird imo...

It's a pretty generic 'taking the law in your own hand' argument though. If you illegally double park and as consequence, I illegally shoot you and your whole family, debating what I did is besides the point since the real debate should be about why you double parked.

Re: Protesters block Google bus in S.F. Mission

#110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Looking at the action critically, what is to be gained by calling attention to Google, Facebook, and others providing their own bus fleets? A bus fleet that works for everybody? You know, the kind of public transportation that is common in industrialized countries that have their act together when it comes to the provision of public services.

And are they aren't preventing anyone from doing that.

by papering over the problem with a short-term fix for their employees only, they remove public demand for a long-term, public solution
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