We have heard a lot of hoo-hah over the recent years about how Sacramento needs to become a world class destination city, like, say, New York or Boston or our nearby neighbor San Francisco.
All three of these cities tend to have something in common. They all have extensive and conveniently scheduled public transportation systems. Believe it or not, some folks who earn a living wage don't even own a vehicle in those cities, out of choice! They just use the bus or train like it's a perfectly normal thing to do, to work, and go shopping, or even go out at night to clubs and the movies and whatnot. Every day, for like, practically their entire lives! Weird, huh?
Take S.F., for example. As recently as January, I could literally step outside of my hotel at Van Ness and Geary and board a Muni bus to Ocean Beach or towards Union Square or the Ferry Building and transfer to basically wherever I wanted for one low fare. At three in the fuckin' morning if I wanted to.
On the other hand, here in Sacramento, we have a transit system which, frankly, is complete shit, and will be for what seems like decades to come. We have buses that run sparingly throughout the day, with the central artery of the system being a whopping two light rail lines. The cost to ride on Regional Transit has become increasingly jacked up, with transfers now non-existent and fares among the highest in the nation. Now the career politicians who are sitting on RT's board are considering a halt to light rail service after 9 PM.
I say, only half in jest, just shut the whole damn system down and stop embarrassing yourselves, Regional Transit. Of course I'm not serious, but guess what. I was considering a trip on the 67 bus recently to shop but at the last minute I decided to dust off the ol' Specialized and rode to a location closer to home. I may have been able to save three or four bucks total (with discounting of the extortion which passes for RT fare nowadays) had I rode the bus instead. God, it felt good to get on a bike for once. Thanks, RT!
In reality, a public transportation system shouldn't been seen as a luxury by the leaders of this city, but an investment in the future. We're only gonna get more populous eventually, and the best way to meet that inevitable part of our future is to develop a mass transit system comparable to the cities we claim to striving to emulate. I'm someone who has spent his whole life riding public transit (being taken to Grandma's in JP on the Orange Line at six months old... oh, never mind) and can tell you that, yes, the convenience of getting where you want or need to go without a hassle or waste of time makes a huge difference in the quality of city life.
In the case of Sacramento's situation, however, I'm figuring that if they manage to get Light Rail running slightly past Natomas Marketplace by 2032 (when I turn 70), it will be nothing short of a miracle. And that, my friends, is nothing short of pathetic.
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