Uneasy Rhetoric, another local blogger, has posted an appropriately scathing criticism of Sacramento Regional Transit's failure to reach out to commuters who will be inconvenienced by the Interstate 5 rebuilding project at the end of this month. Read his report here.
This is just one more example of RT's failure to communicate. A huge planned traffic tie-up and there's nothing on www.sacrt.com about it. Why?
I know from the RTDriver guy that RT is working on options for handling the extra load, including running more frequent light rail trains. And yet they insist on keeping this information to themselves.
The Natomas Buzz has info on the Natomas shuttle service during the I-5 construction.
This is one area where The Bee might actually be of some assistance. Check out www.sacbee.com/i5. The Bee plans to offer one-stop shopping online for info on the status of the work and ways of coping.
Yes, even on The Bee web page there's nothing about RT's plans other than references to vague plans to expand bus service. But if RT ever does announce something, one assumes it will end up there.
3 comments:
I cant help but have a feeling that RT is not yet ready to handle the crowds it expects dring this period...
I agree derek. Sadly, a lot of people will try to ride the bus during this period (maybe) and will be instantly turned off. This is the case normally, because we are a culture with little tolerance for inconvenience, but I think the I-5 situation will make matters worse unless RT is prepared and public about what it's doing. Glad to see the Bee is staying on the ball.
Back in April, RT announced the promotion of Alane Masui to assistant general manager of marketing and communications.
According to the press release published on the Sacramento Business Journal's Web site, "She directs the advertising, marketing, media and customer service activities of the district. Masui has 17 years of transit marketing experience and has been at RT for the past seven years, most recently as the marketing and commuter services manager."
Maybe RT should have gone for someone from outside who could shake the place up or at least enliven things.
Today, with gas prices at record levels and no indication they will ever drop again, RT could be marketing itself to choice riders and expanding its ridership beyond the mobility impaired riders RT has catered to for so many years.
In the long term, RT is going to need those choice riders if it expects to ever raise the funds necessary to expand the service. In the short term, the choice riders might be able to help beat back the governor's renewed efforts to skim off transit funds to fill budget holes.
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