Needles found at Muni station upsets passengers, as SF safe injection sites to open in weeks

SAN FRANCISCO - A pile of  needles was discovered at a San Francisco Muni stop on Monday and passengers say they’re continually frustrated with the unsafe conditions they’re forced to endure as they take public transportation.

A viewer sent a photo of the capped needles found at Van Ness and Market Street to KTVU and it’s unclear from the picture whether these needles were new or used. The images follow on the heels of video taken over the last several months of drug users lining the hallways of several BART stations.

And many passengers say they don’t feel safe wearing open toed shoes in public transportation because of syringes among other fears. 

San Francisco police officers patrol during commute hours and special events and say they are not aware of any increase in complaints regarding drug use in or around any Muni metro stations
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency officials added they have not seen any new trends of drug activity at their stations .

 “Anytime we see something like that it is concerning,” said spokesman Paul Rose. “If we do get complaints where customers have seen syringes on the floor or near our stairs, or anywhere near a Muni facility, we try to do our best to respond and get that out of the way as soon as possible.”

The Department of Public Works cleans the street level of Muni stations, and Muni maintains inside the stations. SFMTA says it averages one complaint a month regarding syringes.

During her victory speech last week, Mayor Elect London Breed said she supports safe injection sites in the city, which are expected to open around July 1.