If you are an RT commuter, make sure to check whether your employer belongs to a Transportation Management Association. I inquired with the South Natomas TMA here at the widget factory about purchasing monthly RT passes at a discount and was told that those are not offered. Because free annual passes are offered to anyone who asks. That’s a $1000 perk. It’s definitely worth a call but obviously there are several different commuter groups in town with different agreements so YMMV.

When I got on the bus the other day I realized that unlike on an airplane, where you have solid reasons for preferring an aisle or window seat, on a bus your choice of seat is much more instinctual. You choose window or aisle without really thinking about it. I suppose maybe an aisle seat is more likely to deter seat sharing, but I really think the choice is more deep-seated than that. Also I wanted to test out this polling plugin. So read on and take the poll if you will…

Continue reading “RT Rider Poll: Which seat do you take?” »

Back in January of 2006, frequent Sac Rag contributor “Runnergirl” wrote a post about the area’s worst parking lots. Tops on her list was the Natomas Marketplace. And anyone that has ever had the misfortune to shop there has witnessed the Grade A Fuster Cluck (GAFC) that ensues on a daily basis.

Fear not, Sacramento, as the City has listened (probably, maybe) and responded!

The city of Sacramento is taking steps to improve access to Natomas Marketplace, a half-million square foot shopping center with a single main driveway.

Bravo! Now if they could just do something about the drive through line at In & Out Burger (it’s a burger, people, sure it’s good, but it’s a BURGER!).

The foreigners are coming.  The foreigners are coming.

The Sac Bee reports today that the Sacramento International Airport is finally becoming worthy of its name:

Sacramento International Airport landed its second foreign carrier Tuesday when Air Canada announced it would begin two daily nonstops between the capital and Vancouver, British Columbia, beginning June 15.

Apparently, this is a coup for the airport, who has been courting Air Canada for years to create more links up the Pacific Coast with Vancouver: 

Sacramento County Supervisor Roger Dickinson, who helped lobby Air Canada to start the service, said he expects an enthusiastic response.

“I think there’s a huge interest here in traveling to British Columbia and vice versa,” he said. “That is an area people love to visit. And there are a lot of people up there interested in coming this way.”

Continue reading “Foreign invasion” »

Via Sacramento History, a great new blog I just came across:

Today on Capital Public Radio (KXJZ/KXPR) there will be a program about Sacramento’s streetcars, the 20th anniversary of Light Rail, and upcoming plans for a streetcar line between Sacramento and West Sacramento.

I was too late to post about the radio spot but it is available online. I can’t believe it has been 20 years of Light Rail. I remember my first ride on the train and loving the swiveling areas between cars. Check out the radio program and check out that blog.

What’s the coolest vehicle you’ve ever spotted in Sacramento? On a recent trip to L.A., I was astonished by how many Aston-Martins, Ferraris and the like that oh-so-casually blew past me on the 405.

Here in Sacramento, I’ve had to make do with the one-time sighting of one of the Maloofs in a red Ferrari, along with midtown spottings of a classic Edsel, and in East Sac an original two-tone Nash Metropolitan and the 50th anniversary edition of the Ford T-Bird. Oh, and you can still spot a few old convertibles of the “Fix It Again, Tony” variety, a/k/a a Fiat 124 Sport Spyder convertible (I owned a ‘69 in red once) or a classic “The Graduate” version of the Alfa Romeo.

So … what have you all seen, and where? And if you’re looking for me, I’m in a nondescript ‘98 Plymouth Voyager … sigh.

And by that I mean ME. This morning, late to the bus as usual, I ran out the door with two bags and coat pockets full of stuff that could easily have been consolidated into one cute little purse, if I was the organized type. I proceeded to rifle through those bags and pockets in order to do the following while waiting for the (late) bus: brush hair, put on lipstick, put on earrings, eat breakfast, take a multi-vitamin, put on socks and, finally, consolidate bags/pockets. All while daydreaming up a story about why the dog at the neighboring house was howling when he is usually quiet. So my question, SacRaggers, is: am I the only one who functions at this level at a bus stop? What weird things do you do, or have you seen others doing, while waiting for RT?

Via The Central City Opinion…on-street metered parking will be free after 3 p.m. on weekdays and all day Saturday on Thanksgiving weekend and from December 15 to 25. Score one for the cheap skates!

I’m not really sure why they called it that, but the Metropolitan Transportation Plan is holding “Tall Order: Moving the Region Forward,” a one-night, eight-venue simulcast town hall to hear from the public on how MTP might invest $36 billion over the next few decades. The event is being held tomorrow night in locations from Freeborn Hall to the El Dorado Office of Education and offers free food. It looks like you have to register to attend. Might I suggest that free food on the bus be priority #1?

This is pretty cool… the County Dept. of Transportation just went live with real-time traffic cams on different intersections around town. Here is Watt & Fair Oaks, for example. (They aren’t kidding about the video taking a few seconds to load.) Neato!