Showdown at the Cow Palace

Showdown at the Cow Palace
By Lori Phelan

Some of the agency’s most skilled transit operators, mechanics and parking control officers recently polished up their silver stars and rode into Daly City for an epic showdown at the Cow Palace. It was a chance to show they were the best of the best. And boy did they deliver!

The SFMTA Roadeo had dozens of transit operators navigate through a course containing various obstacle while under a strict time limit.

The event was the 32nd Annual Bus Roadeo (and yes, you read that correctly). The name "roadeo" is derived from the better-known horse rodeo competition. The original roadeos, which began in 1937, featured trucks in various categories going through the same obstacles that drivers go through today. The agency took on the moniker in 1974 and held the inaugural event in the parking lot at the former Candlestick Park. It was there a dozen transit operators competed to determine who would lasso the award as best driver. There have been numerous Roadeos over time – 31 to be exact – but the event has been dormant since 2016. Bringing it back now is about so much more than bragging rights. “The Roadeo is about celebrating safety and customer excellence,” said Transit Director Julie Kirschbaum. "And that’s something we can all strive for at any time."

a team of operators lined up in front of a vintage bus outside in the parking lot

Muni operators lineup to compete in the Bus Safety Rodeo at Candlestick Park (SFMTA Photo Archive, Oct. 29, 1974)

As part of the contest, dozens of transit operators had to navigate 40’ buses through a course containing various obstacles while under a strict time limit. A few of the boxes they needed to check included driving through a narrowing lane that is only 3-inches wider than the bus and stopping within inches of a simulated curb. As drivers negotiated the obstacle course, the buses were also equipped with a device that generated a smoothness of operation score.

Muni mechanics also competed in their own competition. Teams faced off in multi-test challenges that featured simulated vehicle problems and breakdowns. Participants were tasked with diagnosing and repairing issues in a timed contest. They were joined by many of the agency’s parking control officers who competed in their own three-wheeled interceptors, navigating a very tight, timed course.

Crew members in front of an engine

Mechanics competed in teams, working to resolve complex issues they face on a regular basis.

Cones in pattern formation on a parking lot with parked buses, parking enforcement vehicles and people

Parking Control Officers competed against each other navigating a maze that had them perform complex maneuvers at various points.

According to event frontrunner and Transit Senior Operations Manager Leda Rozier, "This event is about so much more than a skills contest (although that’s important), it’s about building on teamwork, morale and communication. The rest of us at the agency have certainly been impressed and consider ourselves lucky to call all the competitors our colleagues."

Operators standing in front of parked buses

Several vintage buses (No. 42 the 1938 White; No. 2230 the 1956 Mack; and No. 3287 the 1969 GMC) along three of our newest battery electric buses from each manufacturer from the pilot fleet were on display, as well as a private car collection. Shown with transit operator competitors.

Winners and organizers will be honored at the SFMTA Board of Directors meeting at 1 p.m., Nov. 1 at City Hall, Room 400. Meetings are open to the public and are streamed live through SFGovTV.

Published November 01, 2022 at 02:08AM
https://ift.tt/GybXvZm

Comments

New top story from Time: How a Belarusian Teacher and Stay-at-Home Mom Came to Lead a National Revolt

https://ift.tt/3bD4WG2 On a hot summer day last August, Svetlana Tikhanovskaya was pacing up and down her empty apartment in Minsk, the capital of Belarus in Central Europe, her life—and her country—in turmoil. With her husband in jail, she had sent her two small children out of the country, to safety, and she now faced a stark choice, bluntly handed to her by the nation’s hard-line security forces: flee into exile herself, or face arrest. “I had a couple of hours, but I could not pack anything, because I was so overstressed,” she recalls. “It was a shock. I was not prepared for this.” Indeed, it is hard to imagine how Tikhanovskaya could have prepared for the jolting transformation of her life. Within the space of a few months, she emerged from obscurity to become the leader of Belarus’ biggest revolt in decades, determined to bring down President Alexander Lukashenko, who has ruled the former Soviet republic with an iron hand for more than 26 years as what many call Euro...

CWC meeting today: Top Congress leaders to finalise schedule for Congress president's election https://ift.tt/364QSmz

The Congress party has convened a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) today. Top Congress leaders are likely to discuss the farmers' issues and the Covid-19 pandemic. The leaders will also deliberate on the way forward to elect the new party chief.

'Happy birthday, Jason!' Kylie Minogue shares throwback Neighbours pics Kylie Minogue has shared a series of nostalgic photos of her and her old Neighbours flame Jason Donovan to mark his birthday.

via Entertainment News - Latest Celebrity & Showbiz News | Sky News https://ift.tt/2TZ14a2

New top story from Time: How Are Activists Managing Dissension Within the ‘Defund the Police’ Movement?

https://ift.tt/3qRRGDU In June 2020, the Minneapolis city council announced plans to disband its police department following the killing of George Floyd . The council’s decision came after days of protesting and unrest in the city—and across the country —related to Floyd’s death and calls for larger-scale accountability from law enforcement. Central in many of these calls-for-action was a phrase soon to go global: “defund the police.” Eight months later, however, and the city’s police department has not been dissolved, though a lot has happened in the interim; Minneapolis’ struggle to implement meaningful reforms serves as a microcosm of how the “defund the police” movement has impacted the country. Council members who initially supported the idea have walked back their positions. In August the city charter delayed the council’s proposal to disband the police pending further review, only to reject the proposal entirely in November. ( Instead, there have been some rollback...

New top story from Time: Hunters Kill 20% of Wisconsin’s Wolf Population in Just 3 Days of Hunting Season

https://ift.tt/3kpEd3y (MADISON, Wis.) — Wisconsin hunters and trappers killed nearly double the number of wolves that the state allotted for a weeklong season, and they did it so quickly that officials ended the hunt after less than three days, according to figures released Thursday. Nontribal hunters and trappers registered 216 wolves as of Thursday afternoon, blowing past the state’s kill target of 119. The state Department of Natural Resources estimated before the hunt that there were about 1,000 wolves in the state. Its population goal for the animal is 350. The wolf season began Monday and was supposed to run through Sunday, but the DNR shut it down Wednesday afternoon as it became clear hunters would exceed the target. Hunters and trappers were given a 24-hour grace period, allowing them to remain in the field until Thursday afternoon. Hunters and trappers also exceeded their kill targets in the three previous wolf seasons but never by more than 10 animals. “This ...

New top story from Time: What Learned About Ourselves In the First Year of the Pandemic

https://ift.tt/3dTjNPp A version of this article appeared in this week’s It’s Not Just You newsletter . SUBSCRIBE HERE to have an It’s Not Just You essay delivered to your inbox every Sunday. March is the anteroom of months. It’s both the end of last year’s winter and the beginning of the new year’s spring. It’s half slush, half-quixotic hope. I had my first baby in March–a child that arrived nine days late, already a solid little being with startling almond eyes and the appetite of a toddler. I had no idea what I was doing; we two just hunkered down and tried to figure each other out. I still flounder at the start of every March, for different reasons every year, staggering out of February a soggy, angsty creature whose clothes don’t fit. But somehow, I slip-slide toward the end of the month, and things start to make sense. Maybe the vernal equinox is what helps get us back on track every spring. It’s that moment, usually, on the 20th or 21st of March, wh...

New top story from Time: Queer Nigerians Hoped the Clubhouse App Would Be a Safe Haven. It’s Become Another Breeding Ground for Bigotry

https://ift.tt/3dNJHUt As a queer Nigerian looking to meet others like them, Matthew Blaise joined Clubhouse in December 2020. The networking app was soaring in popularity despite still being in beta mode, and Blaise, who identifies as nonbinary, hoped it could become a place where they could have meaningful conversations with their peers. Much of their work as a rights activist involves curating safe spaces for Nigeria’s LGBTQ+ community, often on social media. Clubhouse allows users to converse using audio rather than video. Moderators and featured speakers discourse on an online stage, and if audience members want to add to the conversation they can raise a virtual hand. In a world socially isolated by the pandemic, the platform has proved a massive hit. Although it currently operates by invitation only, it has garnered more than two million users and its early success has given it a valuation of $1 billion . The app initially served “as a safe haven,” Blaise, 21, te...

New top story from Time: Prosecutor Who Led Michael Cohen Investigation Appointed to Replace U.S. Attorney Berman

https://ift.tt/2AYnYYU (NEW YORK) — A federal prosecutor who held a key role in the case against President Donald Trump’s former personal attorney worked Monday to restore calm to the Manhattan prosecutor’s office, following the abrupt ouster of her predecessor. Audrey Strauss, the newly appointed acting U.S. attorney, sent an email to the staff Saturday night within hours of the announcement by U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman that he would leave his position and would be replaced by her. The 72-year-old Strauss, a Democrat, will be only the second woman to lead one of the nation’s most premiere districts, home to famous mob trials, terrorism cases and now, probes involving the president’s allies. Her allies say she is a thoughtful, careful lawyer with decades of experience both as a prosecutor and defense attorney. The extraordinary departure of Berman, a Trump donor who won over critics with his investigations, started with Attorney General William Barr’s abrupt annou...

Jason Roy chooses one between Rohit Sharma, David Warner as his opening partner https://ift.tt/3fkBiWu

Rohit Sharma and David Warner are two of the most destructive openers in the limited-overs format. The duo had been reigning the opening spot for their respective sides for years. Both the players continue to be the mainstays for their countries in all the three formats of the game. from IndiaTV: Google News Feed https://ift.tt/2ZjgDNe

New top story from Time: Everything to Know About Demon Slayer: The Manga, TV Series and Record-Breaking Film

https://ift.tt/37FngNx Of all the things 2020 has come to be known for, movie releases breaking box office records wasn’t one of them . But one film defied the odds. Released in Japan on Oct. 16., the animated film Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train ended a 19-year record held by the Studio Ghibli classic Spirited Away . Hitting $313 million in ticket sales in December, the movie overtook director Hayao Miyazaki’s magnum opus to become the country’s highest-grossing film of all time. In the months since, the film—based on the manga Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba by Koyoharu Gotouge —has been announced for release in North American theaters in 2021 and submitted for an Oscar nomination . It has also broken another record previously set by Spirited Away — Mugen Train is now the highest-grossing anime movie in the world. Before the film made headlines for shattering records, the Demon Slayer franchise was already amassing a dedicated global...

My precise view

Search This Blog