Now Is The Time To Make Your Voice Heard Too

11/ 6/2012

Dear Congresswoman Jackie Speier,

Below is a complaint, that I sent to Sam Trans this morning. Our community has been under siege for the past two years by these inconsiderate and dangerous bus operators. It seems to coincide with the time since Sam Trans installed this route (17 & 17L, in addition to the 294) in our community w/o public comment from us. 

Many in our community have reached out to San Trans for assistance, but this seems to give the Operator the impetus to act out in greater defiance. We cannot find relief from local law enforcement, as SamTrans polices themselves. I’ve spoken with the Lt. for Sam Trans Police Authority Lt . O’Brian (sp?), but this has only resulted in her threatening me with legal action if I don’t capitulate. I’ve notified the Operator’s management team earlier on this year, and was told the more I complain the worse it’s going to get. 

I’ve been getting professional mental health assistance to assist me through this matter, and have exhausted most of the remedies suggested to me by my doctors. This is an environmental condition, I’m suffering from that is being exacerbated by the actions of MV Transportation operators. I cannot trust that the Lt. has our communities best interests in mind. She has performed her duties in an intimating way and has shown a lack of interest in my concerns. On the first occasion, when Sam Trans asked her to speak with me, the Lt. told me that she didn’t read my complaint. Upon her second visit, she told me she’d issue a restraining order to keep me and my wife from traveling to the Baltic’s for a cruise we planned for my wife’s 66th birthday last month.

These operators, their buses and their Authorities are not fit for this community. I’m following the advice of my doctors, as I have an inoperable medical condition that is worsened with stress, which will cause me to die; or worse morbidity. 

I would have e mailed you sooner, but with the Election this year, I did not want to divert attention away from your office. I’m hoping,  now will be an appropriate time for you to assist our community from this intrusion.

Below is one of approximately 17 complaints phoned in and 12 that have been emailed via Sam Trans feedback page, as Sam Trans tells me that I’ve called too many times this year, and I need to e mail them from now on.  My neighbors have complained for a couple of years, and have just about given up hope as they have been being put off as I’ve described in this communication.

I have supporting documentation of the days, times, infractions, and persons I’ve communicated with. I’m trying to resolve this before I become the public nuisance.  I was assured by Mark Simon that he was working on a solution, but after speaking with many in our community about this, they were assured the matter would be resolved too - for 2 years now. 

The operators have a lot of experience creating this kind of mayhem, as they know how exactly how to avoid being caught, and when they are supposed to be being viewed by inspectors, Mark’s teams sends out to document them matter, I see the operators high- fiving the inspectors as they make themselves conspicuous parading down the center of the street the line operates on. 

Any assistance you can provide us with, and more importantly, find a more suitable route for this line would be immensely appreciated. These streets need to be made safer for our, children, pedestrians, horseback riders, skateboarders and bicyclers. Our streets are narrow, and can get very dark and dangerous for us. These buses and MV Transportation are not a good fit for our hamlet.

We have been Coastside residents for over 32 years and property owners since October 1997; and we have been in good standing in our community. 

Thank you for reading this and for trying to assist us.

Sincerely,
Joel Colletti

Complaint: e mailed 11/06/12 

Operator 2900 Southbound Farallone @ 7th street - 6:50am, making unnecessary noise with air brake compressor; and idling his vehicle under my bedroom window for an unnecessary period of time, thus shaking our house and waking us up.  

I notified the Deputy at our local sub station and Mark Simon’s office, and hope this matter can be resolved without the cost of attorney/s getting involved.  

This is the same Operator that brushed passed me with his bus while I was walking my dog  on 9/12/12 operating bus # 2902 @ 12:33pm Eastbound on 6th after crossing Farallone. This operator is deliberate and dangerous. 

Please take care of this matter before this gets any further out of hand. I’ve already have lost my temper once with them when they goaded me on and then brushed me with their bus on 6th street with two witnesses there. While I’m not proud of the way I handled it and don’t deny being verbally abusive, It should go to illustrate how out of hand this is getting.

Note / Video:

Here is a link to one of a couple of videos taken when the bus operator went through a stop sign. There are many times they speed when behind on their schedules, when they don’t use directionals, when they don’t yield the right of way, and they create unnecessary noise when passing through our community.  http://youtu.be/slDPLpb2YTQ