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Friday, February 10, 2012
STORYLINE What doesn’t suck about Regional Transit?
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What Doesn't Suck about Regional Transit?
by Angela Murray, published on April 9, 2009 at 11:11 PM
Storyline: What doesn’t suck about Regional Transit?
A lot! Eager readers expecting a slam on Regional Transit – read on – you might be surprised. That’s another story to be written by someone with an opposing point of view, of which I’m sure there are many. In two years of consistently riding Regional Transit, the complaints I’ve heard run the gamut.
What hasn’t been heard – why nine times out of ten, I ditch my car in favor of Regional Transit? When I started riding the bus, I received numerous offers of rides along with groans of pity when I mentioned I’d be bussing over. To this day, I’ve not yet managed to convince my friends that riding the bus is fun! It’s not just a cost factor – it’s everything from a sense of community to the chance to read the newspaper.
Contrary to popular belief, most drivers do want to talk to and help people. I’ve seen drivers stop on a dime for what’s deemed in the public transit community as “a runner”. I’ve seen them go out of their way to help an elderly or disabled person, and I’ve seen the riders courteously offer their seats to other riders when the bus is full. I’ve personally experienced this, having been offered a seat numerous times when standing on the bus. I’ve made acquaintances and learned about new things happening in the community, and, nine times out of ten, I arrive at work on time.
While I have long been a proponent of Regional Transit, last week, my belief in the system was cemented when I left my lunch on the previous bus or on the island at the connecting point. I mentioned it to my driver, who said that when he went back to the connecting point, he’d check to see if it was there, stated the time he would be back at the stop near my work, and left. Right – I knew I’d never see that lunch again. Ever the optimist, however, I proceeded to the stop at the allotted time, and there he was – right on time – and – there was my lunch! It had to have taken a tremendous effort of coordination for him to recover the lunch and bring it back to me. I really enjoyed my lunch that day!
My opinion is that the issues that most people experience are not due to inadequacies on the part of the drivers, they are due to inadequacies in funding, support, and lack of knowledge about how to use the system – but that’s for another story.
Every morning, I look forward to my brisk (usually very brisk) walk to the bus stop. I get exercise, fresh air, reading time, and save money to boot. Who knows who I will meet or what I will learn today? I need to close for now…I have a bus to catch.
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One difference I noticed was that I came in to work in a mellower mood. Driving to work, even a short commute of two miles, often got me stressed due to having to negotiate with downtown traffic. Riding to work is a different experience, as instead of dealing with cars you deal with people. While not everyone on the train is uniformly nice, people tend to bow to social pressure and behave courteously on the train. Once in a great while a train is a few minutes late, but generally light rail keeps a very tight schedule very well.
The bus has a different vibe, since the driver can interact more directly with passengers. Regular riders greet each other and have running conversations on the bus on every subject. Having a monthly pass allows some really flexible transit options: if I'm walking somewhere and a bus happens to be going by, I can hop on for a few blocks and save a few minutes.
At my last job, my employer paid for parking as I sometimes had to drive for work, so I still drove once or twice a week. At my new job, there is no parking, but I never need to drive, so I leave the car at home. I still drive when running big errands or going places on the weekends, but I fill the tank about once a month and mostly the car sits on the street.
- people peeing
- people covered in pee
- fist fights
- obnoxious teenagers harassing women
- drug deals
- bus drivers peeling away leaving people who were just a second too late at the stop screaming and upset
Things are a bit different if you are taking lite rail or the bus in a less 'affluent' part of town.
As for the "bus drivers peeling away" they are the exception that prove the rule.
But for those that have no choice (and do not live in the midtown/downtown area!) it is not that easy. Try waiting for the 82 at CSUS on a Saturday evening in the middle of February. I did this shit for years and it is not as fun as you are misleading others to believe. A journey that would have taken 10 mins tops in a car can take more than an hour. From waiting for a late bus in the rain with it's limited weekend schedule, to waiting for the connecting bus and the final trudge home through cold, wet, muddy, dimly-lit streets. All alongside cars that constantly splash you just for kicks. And if that first bus is late, you gotta wait almost an hour for your connecting bus.
I have not ridden an RT bus in years and I do not miss it.
Yes, public transit is far more efficient for shorter distances, and yes, service outside of main transit corridors (and business hours) can be spotty or downright nonexistent. Most of Sacramento is a city built for the automobile: a decentralized, amorphous low-density landscape based around feeder streets and cul-de-sacs instead of transit corridors and a permeable grid. In such a landscape, in many cases cars are the only practical alternative. Part of the solution is rebuilding cities the way we used to (the way that Midtown and Downtown still are) and part is expanding transit service to make off-hours travel more practical, and more comfortable, for everyone.
The point is that Regional Transit does some things well, even if it doesn't do everything well. Nobody here claims it is perfect.
William, very well stated - thank you!
Like most other people, I have had good experiences as well as bad on RT buses. But Angela painted such a rosy picture, I felt like I had to present a different view. Again no offense intended.
But after my experiences, I cannot envision a situation in which I would choose to ride the RT bus instead of drive.
Light Rail otoh is ok... well except between the hours of 11 am and 3pm and after 8pm :)