Diesel fumes from 19 bus
Description
The 19 bus line comes up some of the steepest hills in San Francisco (on Rhode Island St.) and then goes to Bayview Hunter's Point. The diesel emissions from this bus are horrible - we can never open our windows and the air is thick with smoke for many minutes after each bus passes. While the rest of the city is getting cleaner hybrid buses, we are not. Why not? We have contacted Malia Cohen, written to our board of supervisors, even had almost 200 neighbors sign a petition and delivered it to the MTA. Eastern neighborhoods deserve better - our health depends on it.
Comments
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Michelle Shultz Wood mshultz@arb.ca.gov
I am with the Enforcement Division of the ARB and part of the IVAN Bayview Hunter's Point task force. I would like to get some more specific information regarding the actual bus or buses that you are observing smoking during use. If you could send me license plate numbers of the bus(es), and times and locations of the smoking vehicles I will follow-up on the report with our Specialized Fleets Enforcement Section. Uploading pictures of the smoking vehicles would help too. Thank you.
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Tony Verreos - Little Hollywood Improvement Committee tony@verreos.com
Michelle Shultz Wood of ARB comment asking us to provide photo ID of a bus license plate or other ID # is understandable, but isn't that more appropriately the job of MUNI inspectors. It's not like the people complaining are all retired and sitting by their window with a camera.
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Regan Patterson, Task Force member reganfp@berkeley.edu
The BVHP IVAN Task Force has forwarded this complaint to the Specialized Fleets Enforcement Section of the Cal EPA, Bay Area Air Quality Management District, California Environmental Protection Agency, and Malia Cohen. Note: Air complaints regarding smoking vehicles can also be reported to the Air District at: 1-800-EXHAUST (1-800-394-2878).
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Michelle Shultz Wood mshultz@arb.ca.gov
I have followed up with the staff here that enforce transit bus rules regarding your complaint and will share the results as soon as I hear back from them. I only asked for the more specific information if it was easily obtained but we can look into the complaint without it as well.
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Alona Davis, Bay Area Air Quality Management District adavis@baaqmd.gov
The Air District enforces the State's 5-minute idling bus rule, but has no other jurisdiction over bus emissions. I am attempting to contact a MUNI representative to let them know of the complaint and find out if there are any plans to upgrade the 19 line buses or other bus lines that run through Bayview and Hunters Point areas. Also, our "smoking vehicle" hotline 1-800-EXHAUST (1-800-394-2878) can be used to report a bus with excess exhaust. The Air District then sends an automated letter to the owner to advise them to get the vehicle fixed. But we have no regulatory authority to require the owner to do anything.
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