Note: I am fairly sure that there was a pedestrian fatality in West Sacramento this week, but I’ve been unable to find any news item on it. There was a bicyclist – motor vehicle crash in Sacramento, but, again, no news item. This has made me realize that a lot of bicyclist and pedestrian fatalities and serious injuries are ignored by the local news media.
SacRT has started into the process of updating its strategic plan, which was last updated in 2004. There are information booths at several locations on specific dates and time, and online comments are being accepted (see RT Updates Strategic Plan page). The online survey asked users to rank a variety of options in two areas, and offers an open-ended comment field.
The SacRT system is going smoke free! The newly announced policy applies to all bus stops and light rail stations, though signing and enforcement is being phased in, with the busiest light rail stations (13th Street, 16th Street, 29th Street, Meadowview, Arden/Del Paso and Watt/I-80) already in effect. The fine for violation is $250.
I look forward to not having to wait for transit in a cloud of smoke and standing in a pile of butts. There are a lot of disgusting habits that adhere to the light rail stations, and this is one step towards eliminating these and making the system more user friendly and healthier. I suspect there will be less trash discarded on the ground around the stations, since trash generates trash, and butts are the trash that starts the cycle.
This new policy is the result of the work of The SOL Project, a local nonprofit that works to reduce exposure to second-hand smoke. Thank you!
SacRT has joined the 20th century! There are now twelve fare vending machines that accept credit and debit cards for purchasing tickets. Though the machines are all located at light rail stations, the tickets can be used on SacRT buses as well. Most months I buy a monthly pass, but since in February I am gone about half the days, I decided to buy by the day, and it has been very convenient to have these machines. Though two of my most commonly used stations don’t have them. There are 52 stations on the light rail system, and each has one or more fare vending machines.
When I moved to Sacramento nearly three years ago, I was frustrated that the machines, which were clearly designed to accept cards, did not. Every other transit system I used in my travels did accept cards at some to all stations, and having a system that dealt only in cash was a disappointment.
the credit/debit card slot and stickers
There will eventually be a region-wide fare card, similar to the Clipper card used in the Bay Area, for Sacramento. I don’t know whether this capability will be added to the existing machines, or whether new machines will be installed.
Walk Score offers an assessment of the walkability of any location. It is available in any browser at https://www.redfin.com/how-walk-score-works. The Redfin app shows walk score, bike score and transit score for each listing (scroll way down). Walk Score is based on the distance to the places people want to go, such as grocery stores, restaurants, coffee shops, bars, movie theaters, schools, parks, libraries, bookstores, fitness locations, drug stores, hardware stores, and clothing & music.
WalkScore has released for Sacramento a new walk score, 43, transit score, 33, and bike score, 68. New York is the top walk score city at 92, followed by San Francisco, Boston, Philadelphia and Miami. New York is the top transit score city at 81, followed by Boston, San Francisco, Washington DC, and Philadelphia. Portland is the top bike score city at 70, followed by San Francisco, Denver, Philadelphia and Boston. Sacramento compares very well in bike score, at 68, but poorly in walk score and transit score.
For the Sacramento region, walk scores in various neighborhoods range from 5 to 92 (of 100), transit scores range from 11 to 65, and bike scores range from 38 to 100. In general, the scores track with each other, walk friendly = transit friendly = bike friendly, however, there are exceptions. You can look up your neighborhood on the chart linked below, or go to WalkScore for a lot more detail on Sacramento. The top five neighborhoods are Boulevard Park, Downtown, Midtown/Winn Park/Capital Avenue, Marshall School and Mansions Flats, all in the city of Sacramento. WalkScore exists largely as a sales tool for houses and apartments, but it has broad applicability as well.
I can be an incredible cynic sometimes, but here goes another one. Particularly true of drivers in the suburbs, and of suburban drivers in the urban areas, but more widespread than just that.
