Market Street Railway, the nonprofit group that supports San Francisco’s vintage streetcar fleet, is selling a new t-shirt that carries an odd message:
“Information Gladly Given, But Safety Requires Avoiding Unnecessary Conversation”
MSR provides the backstory:
Tens of thousands of San Francisco commuters have probably taken a few moments to ponder this simple statement, which has been posted near the operator’s station of every Muni bus and streetcar since the early 1960s. The message is simultaneously friendly and forbidding, inviting yet indifferent, personable yet coldly professional.
MSR adds that the shirt, “sets clear expectations on the street, in the workplace, or during uncomfortable visits with estranged relatives.” Plus, proceeds from all sales help keep SF’s wonderful vintage streetcars on the rails.
Where can you get one? I’m glad to be of assistance: The shirts are sold in downtown SF at the San Francisco Railway Museum, or you can order one online.
Now, having said that, safety requires that you please leave me alone.