RT Rider

And the news just gets worse and worse

2010-02-04T08:15:00.000-08:00

"Yet some cities are in trouble: Sacramento’s second phase of its South Line light rail may not be funded because of a lack of adequate local commitment to public transportation, even though it scores adequately on the cost-effectiveness front."Read about it here.The FTA funding document is here.

Unfinished Business

2010-02-03T14:09:00.000-08:00

At 8:09 on the morning of July 30, last year, I sent this email:from John Hughesto CAD@sacrt.comdate Thu, Jul 30, 2009 at 8:09 AMsubject Map of proposed change in No. 82 bus route I would like to have a map showing how the No. 82 bus route would be changed under the proposal currently under consideration.A portion of the route is going to shift to pick up some of the No. 9 route on

Moving On

2009-11-14T12:42:00.000-08:00

When I stopped writing here, I promised several people I would alert them if I started writing somewhere else.I've reactivated a dormant blog -- ipsosacto.blogspot.com -- and converted it from a blog about my blog watching at IpsoSacto.com into an old fashioned personal blog. You know, that type of blog that dominated before Twitter shrank the world of words to less than 140 characters.I Tweet as

Irony and hypocrisy

2009-08-16T07:43:00.000-07:00

When I failed to write a blog post last week about Sacramento Regional Transit's decision to raid its workers' comp self-insurance pool in order to avoid service cuts in 2010, I knew the end of this blog had arrived.Maybe so many things will happen with me and buses and trains that I'll have to rush back here and blog and blog and blog. But the reality is that I'm no longer "a suburban commuter

Why free parking is just not affordable any more

2009-07-27T21:46:00.000-07:00

Perhaps what I had to say had some influence. But the only thing going for my point is the desperate position the Sacramento Regional Transit District finds itself in.My topic was the pilot program that will require a $1 fee to use the RT parking lots at the Watt/I-80, Watt West and Roseville Road light rail stations, the final lots on the Blue Line.Letting anyone park for free is just not fair.

From bad to worse: RT just can't get a break

2009-07-23T12:34:00.000-07:00

What's Sacramento Regional Transit to do? There's just no good news. That at least is the conclusion to be drawn from the agenda package for Monday's board of director's meeting.General Manger Mike Wiley tries to paint a rosy tint on his Key Performance Report to the board."Despite the economic challenges imposed by declining tax revenues and state budget cuts to public transit funding, the

Riding shotgun on the morning commute

2009-06-24T21:02:00.000-07:00

I suppose these things happen when you have been married for nearly 20 years. Sometimes you just miss the meaning of what you hear.The Wife walked up behind me while I was working in my office last night."Are you doing anything special tomorrow morning?" she asked.I admit that I immediately considered this a trick question along the lines of "Does this dress make me look fat?" What sort of

Wanted: Transit Operator Awards -- and cup holders -- and bag holders!!

2009-06-24T08:46:00.000-07:00

Here's a guest post from the wifeI meant to write the other day, about the driver of the 73 bus that picked me up on the way to Mather Mills Station one late afternoon last week. It was about 5:45 pm, the next stop on Data Drive was a timed stop, and we waited a couple minutes.It worked perfectly for the driver, who got up and calmly strode to the back of the bus. There was a woman who had been

RT-Key Performance -- Dismal

2009-06-23T23:29:00.000-07:00

On Monday evening, General Manager Mike Wiley volunteered to skip his monthly Key Performance Report to make time for the crowds who wanted to rail against proposed fare hikes and service cuts. He was most likely happy to avoid the onerous task of delivering still another report about declining ridership and fare income falling short of expectations.In May, the district experienced a double-digit

Squawks and tweets

2009-06-22T23:43:00.000-07:00

Sacramento Regional Transit's board of directors tinkered around the edges of a staff-proposed solution to the district's budget mess, but in the end accepted that fares had to be increased and services reduced. Only directors Roger Dickinson and Steve Cohn balked.In September, the basic fare will increase from $2.25 to $2.50 and the discount fare paid by students and seniors from $1.10 to $1.25.

Balancing RT -- fares vs. service cuts

2009-06-19T14:40:00.000-07:00

Sacramento Regional Transit's board will be asked Monday to decide whether to adopt a larger fare increase than originally proposed last month in order to accept a smaller reduction in bus service. But that won't be the end of the discussion. The staff has asked the board to hold a hearing next month to plan for the service cuts that will be necessary in January if the district's budget picture

Comparing futures

2009-06-15T13:28:00.000-07:00

RT TO HOLD PUBLIC HEARING ON MONDAY, JUNE 22 Board of Directors Expected to Approve Fare Increases and Service Reductions Proposed for September 2009If you don't know what's coming, read the press release or this post or this post or this post or this post. It's endless. And it is depressing.And it is in that context that RT's invitation for people to Provide

Second Saturday on the bus

2009-06-13T21:31:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile. It was nice. Well, it was a little scary on the way home, but, hey, as I told our friends, it's just something you sign up for when you become a transitarian.The wife and I made a date with friends to meet at Chicago Fire Pizza in Midtown tonight at 5 p.m. We boarded the No. 82 for the ride to Sacramento State, where we caught the No. 30 to Midtown. Just like old times. I miss

RT Needs A Music Video

2009-06-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

Sacramento has talent. There's no reason why someone here couldn't create a nifty music video singing the praises of Sacramento Regional Transit like this one created by fans of BART.Then again, we're talking about Sacramento Regional Transit. (Sigh.) Maybe a quick effort before the cuts arrive in September?(For more about the video, see this post)

Distasteful jobs

2009-06-07T12:09:00.000-07:00

I'm not going to be attending Monday's Sacramento Regional Transit board meeting. At about 6 p.m. I'm going to be doing the work required prior to having a colonoscopy Tuesday morning. I'm not sure who will have the more distasteful job Monday evening, me or RT's staff.General Manager Mike Wiley will report to the board that total ridership in April declined for the first time since last November

The art of pruning transit services

2009-05-29T19:32:00.001-07:00

On May 11, Sacramento Regional Transit's board of directors set in motion the machinery required to reduce service levels. The first look at what that machine has wrought will come Monday at the board's executive committee meeting.The staff operate under ground rules established by the board back on Aug. 29, 2001. Bus routes have to meet certain criteria and those that fall below the standard are

Sacramento Regional Transit's budget woes

2009-05-28T22:45:00.000-07:00

In January 2008, Sacramento Regional Transit cut bus service 5 percent in order to balance the 2008 fiscal year budget. To balance the 2009 budget, RT eliminated the free rides for Paratransit-qualified riders, raised the price of monthly passes from $85 to $100, daily passes from $5 to $6 and single fares from $2 to $2.25. Now for 2010, RT is again standing in a budget hole looking for a way

Clean energy without transit? Craziness in Washington

2009-05-18T22:14:00.000-07:00

Limousine liberal ... is a pejorative North American political term used to illustrate perceived hypocrisy by a political liberal of upper class or upper middle class status, such as calling for the use of mass transit while frequently using limousines or private jets...WikipediaSo that's what I think best explains what's going on in Washington, D.C., right now.Last week, Rep. Henry Waxman

Going down the spiraling road of bus service cuts

2009-05-11T21:21:00.000-07:00

Without a word of discussion, the Sacramento Regional Transit District board Monday evening unanimously approved a staff request to start the process required to cut bus service. Thirty-six weekday, Saturday and Sunday routes face reduction, realignment or elimination. The first round of bus service cuts could begin as soon as Sept. 6, followed by a second round Jan. 3, 2010.The consent calendar

Sacramento Regional Transit staff proposing service cuts

2009-05-11T16:43:00.000-07:00

The Sacramento Regional Transit District board will decide tonight whether to schedule a hearing June 8 that could lead to bus service reductions across the city as soon as Sept. 6."State funding in the Public Transportation Account (PTA) has been reduced, and RT's State Transit Assistance (STA) share of funding has declined to zero beginning in Fiscal Year 2010. This will continue into future

Video inspiration

2009-05-11T15:28:00.000-07:00

"Built to Last" examines the impact of our built environment on the natural environment. This video was the winner of the Congress for New Urbanism CNU17 video contest.The filmmaker's website.

Alert! A look at RT operations

2009-05-11T12:14:00.000-07:00

I'm a great fan of Sacramento Regional Transit's efforts to alert riders to system outages or other disruptions. You can subscribe to the news feed and see all of the alerts, or you can sign up for individualized email. (See my earlier explanation.)These alerts are only available currently for the "Neighborhood Ride" service. The alerts obviously won't be really useful until the system is

TransitAction on the dog and pony circuit

2009-05-11T11:17:00.000-07:00

Sacramento Regional Transit is taking an abbreviated version of its TransitAction dog and pony show on the road again. Click on the image to see the schedule. RT's 30-year plan for the future of transit in the community will be on the agenda of several community groups. These meetings will be more convenient for working transit users, with evening meetings all starting at 7 p.m. RT's earlier

New starts and Sacramento's south line extension

2009-05-08T11:34:00.000-07:00

The Annual Report on Funding Recommendations by the secretary of transportation was released today and it includes good news for Sacramento Regional Transit.The Federal Transit Administration has identified Sacramento's south line extension from Meadowview to Cosumnes River College as one of five projects recommended for Full Funding Grant Agreements and Early System Work Agreements in the 2010

The race for the cure from the bus

2009-05-08T11:14:00.000-07:00

Here's another invitation to help the wife raise money for breast cancer research. The two of us will be walking in the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure this Saturday.Last year, the wife endured 16 weeks of chemo, then two surgeries, and finally seven weeks of daily radiation therapy. If it were not for the deadly consequences of doing nothing, one could make a reasonable case that for breast