Anyone who attends Sacramento City College who doesn't use light rail to get their is just not trying.
I'm taking a class that's officially an on-line offering, but I keep having to go to school. First was for an orientation class at the start of the semester, and today I had to visit the campus to take an exam. The trip back in August to the orientation was fine, but the trip from Midtown to City College and back today was a dream.
Getting to Sac State is easy enough. Lots of buses serve the campus. But their is something really nice about boarding a train for City College and stepping off at the gate to the campus.
If Sacramento Regional Transit could make other parts of the system work this well, people would abandon their cars for transit.
5 comments:
greetings,
I was once a SAC city college student and had the priviledge to use the Light Rail effectively. In CSUS, there is also a Light rail station nearby but not as convenient as the one stationed in Sac City College. The nearest light rail station is 65th University and the easiest way to get there is via a small tunnel called the hornet crossing. (Seen in this map http://www.csus.edu/utaps/Color_Map.pdf)
Many people find this an extra convenient alternative rather than driving in addition to the several buses that are scheduled to stop at the university's transit center (refer to the map again.)
these convenient stations are very helpful, especially student fees are on the rise again thanks to Gonzo.
The colleges have worked a sweet deal for students -- unlimited rides on RT with a sticker and a student ID.
Obviously, I'm hoping these students will continue as transit riders after their student fees are no longer paying for their transit pass.
Hornet Crossing is a pain because there's no direct route to the main campus when you get through: you have to either walk back down through the parking lot or up around the sports fields and parking structures. It's just as fast to walk down Folsom Blvd. and cross across from The Library.
There are two buses that shuttle directly from 65th to the 6000 J Street bus center, but they aren't always timed conveniently to coincide with the trains. I find taking Bus 30/31 from J Street simpler for me, especially since it passes within a block of my office.
I'm not sure what will happen when I'm not a student, but the way things are looking that may not be for quite a few years...and I'll cross the bridge after that when I come to it.
Yeah I hate the crossing. I do what most people do and cut through the parking garage, which might save about 100 feet walking distance. I have seen a few people jump the fences and walk across the fields though. Not to mention that if your classes start at noon, and you get off the 11:34 train, there are no busses running that will get to campus in time.
However, I find that the walking distance from the station to school is not that much. Especially since you have to walk pretty far from the bus stops to your class, on top of waiting for the bus in the first place.
Personally for me driving is more convenient than the light rail for SCC, so even had it been there when I was going I probably wouldn't have used it.
One last comment though, I think that one station is probably the best located one out of them all, except for Iron Point road. (the 30 minute wait factor puts SCC on top though). If the stations were that close to more places, more people would ride.
I have one night class at SCC, and I won't take Light Rail there ever again. I used to be a public transportation user before I was finally able to buy a reliable car. And when the Light Rail was placed at SCC, my one-bus route was taken away. A seven-minute trip increased to 25 minutes (at best). Unless I have the best timing (nearly impossible, when Bus 51 is one of the components), I can get to school quicker by either bike or car.
Post a Comment