It seems to be about connections, or lack of them. With the
opening of the Gold Line, light rail cars frequently travel
the 50 Corridor. Why then, asked the 50 Corridor TMA Board,
isn't transit a possible commute option for the majority of
their employees?
....the reasons were varied. Safety and convenience were on
the list. But many willing commuters complain that transit
simply doesn't go where they need to go, when they need to
go. There are no connecting buses to job centers, no transit
to Folsom after 7 p.m., no shuttles serving residential neighborhoods.
The TMA Board was certain: transit has to be an option for
50 Corridor commuters. With that in mind, they have created
a Transit Improvement Task Force which involves transit providers
and employers on the Corridor. But, commuters will set the
agenda for the Task Force. Based on feedback from Corridor
Talk, the Task Force has already outlined 14 short range goals
to work on during the next 11 months. But, commuter feedback
is a critical continuing component of the Task Force's work.
Here you'll find ways to share your comments and recommendations.
You'll also be able to keep up with the work of the Task Force
by reading reports of their meetings.
Help us get transit back on track!
| Message from
the Committee Chair
Are we there yet? (no!)
At the March meeting of the Transit Improvement Task Force, we reviewed the results of a recent transportation survey of employees at one of our largest and most active employers, Vision Service Plan. The fact that 764 employees responded tells you that transportation issues are on the minds of VSP commuters. But, the actual conclusions and comments from the survey just reinforced what we'd heard from other 50 Corridor commuters: transit just isn't a viable option today.
VSP, located south of US 50 at Zinfandel, is like many 50 Corridor employers. They are "close" to light rail but light rail isn't easily accessible. To use light rail, a commuter would need to walk about a mile and cross over Highway 50 (and several busy on and off-ramps). As one employee said "in the heat of summer or rainy cold days of winter, it's too much to walk over the freeway overpass with a backpack and laptop."
Another reoccurring theme from VSP commuters: the time it would take to get to work at VSP via transit. "Using public transportation would take me over 2 hours to make my commute," said one employee. "I could walk faster!"
Another employee estimates that using transit would increase his/her commute time by ten hours per week.
And time equals convenience: "A one-way trip from my home to work on public transportation requires two buses and light rail which takes about three hours due to the time in between transferring to another bus or light rail train. Out of a 24 hour period that would mean to work and back would be six hours of my total day."
Only a handful of survey participants indicated that they wouldn't be interested in transit if we could overcome barriers of safety, convenience, timeliness and connectivity.
The good news? The City of Rancho Cordova is exploring the possibility of a shuttle between the Zinfandel Rail Station to VSP and neighboring work sites. And, RT is examining its current service to identify better connections and more efficient and targeted service for peak hour commuters.
These are two of the Task Force's short term goals as we pursue improved transit opportunities for the 50 Corridor.
You can help us gather information by taking our transit survey above. It will be available until the end of April.
And, you can also help by posting your comments and suggestions on the links below.
Check back here frequently as we work to make transit work for 50 Corridor commuters.
Rebecca
(You can read more about the results of the VSP survey by clicking on the document to the right.) |
|
Meeting Notes
|
Post a Comment:
How can we improve transit
along the 50 Corridor?
What’s wrong with 50 Corridor Transit
service?
Where do we need better bus/rail to bus/rail connections?
Where
do we need better pedestrian to transit connections?
Where do
we need better bike to transit connections?
Note: These comments will be reviewed at each Task Force
meeting. Requires Corridor Talk registration.
