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.
| Message from
the Committee Chair
Guest message from RT GM Mike Wiley ....
We're excited to report that although gas prices have gone down to the same levels as last year, RT's ridership continues to increase. In September, systemwide ridership was up 23 percent. This continues a positive trend that started in April. In comparison to the past year, RT's ridership is up 8.4 percent even though we were forced to trim bus service in January by five percent to make up for a state budget raid. With increased ridership, RT's fare revenue is also up and our fare recovery ratio (the percentage of operating costs covered by fares) is also up nearly 25 percent. We are now expecting that by the end of Fiscal Year 2009, we should be approaching a very positive 27 percent fare recovery ratio.
Unfortunately, even though we continue to experience this tremendous growth in demand, RT could see an additional loss of funds as the State Legislature contemplates a further raid on transit funding during a special session scheduled for November 5. On October 27, the RT Board of Directors adopted a revised FY 2009 operating budget of $149 million. This action was required to respond to the recent $18.3 million shortfall created by the state budget cuts, signed into law by the Governor on September 23, 2008. Other actions taken by the Board include reducing expenditures by $2 million, budgeting for increased fare revenue due to increased ridership and fare adjustments, and increasing revenue from other sources.
On a more positive note, last month I participated in the first Transit Capital Summit where members of the California Transit Association and California Transportation Commission looked at new and different ways to provide statewide funding for public transit projects. One of the major outcomes of the summit is that a taskforce will develop a state action plan for the future of capital programming and funding of transit projects.
In keeping with our goal to keep you and the general public informed, we are conducting our second session of "Transit Talk with the General Manager." Last month's online chat received more than 100 questions from the community and was a huge success. This month's chat will focus on the updating of our Transit Master Plan. Please join in for what promises to be a lively and informative session.
Sincerely,
Mike Wiley
General Manager/CEO |
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Meeting Notes
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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.
