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Transportation choices abundant for commuters

Finding a quick route to Sacramento State and, subsequently, a parking spot on campus is proving to be a challenge for faculty, staff and students again this semester. However, there are practical, cost-saving solutions to the commute and parking headaches the campus community has had to deal with the past few semesters. The wide variety of options ensures a choice that can work for just about any commuter, no matter what their transportation preference may be. And using alternate transportation even one day a week can provide significant benefits to, parking conditions and the wallet.

AlterNetRides is the newest option Sacramento State commuters have to arrange a carpool community. Exclusive to Sacramento State students, faculty and staff, AlterNetRides provides a website where a commuter may sign up as a one-day-a-week or semester-long carpooler. AlterNetRides will then automatically find potential carpool partners based on the location information provided.

Initial contact is done via “blind e-mail,” meaning the person being contacted will, in the beginning, not have access to a name, phone number, address, or e-mail until both parties feel comfortable. Options include signing up as a driver only, passenger only, or shared driving. Faculty/staff carpool parking spaces are located in Lots 1, 2, 4 and Parking Structure I, and permits may be obtained at the University Transportation and Parking Services office in Foley Hall.

The AlterNetRides website also provides a Commuter Savings Calculator. By simply inputting a few facts about a prospective user’s commute and car, it is possible to see the cost savings carpooling or alternate transportation can provide.

In addition to carpooling, vanpooling is another effective commute option. For information on vanpools, contact Freddy Orozco, employee transportation coordinator, at 278-7527 or e-mail orozcoa@csus.edu.

There are also several transit link options available to Sacramento State commuters, including the Sacramento Regional Transit bus and light rail system, Roseville Transit, El Dorado Transit, the Elk Grove e-Tram, and Hornet Express Shuttle, among others. Visit www.csus.edu/utaps/transit_links.htm for transit option information.

Residents living near the campus can use bicycling or walking as a healthy, inexpensive transportation option. Walking at three miles an hour burns 60-80 calories per mile—a great way to get that daily dose of exercise. There are many pedestrian pathways to and throughout the campus. Bicycling is also a good way to commute to campus, and there is a free bicycle compound located adjacent to the Guy West Bridge. Faculty, staff and students can park their bikes at the compound as well as many other bike rack locations across the campus.

Bicycling around campus will get easier as well, thanks to construction of a comprehensive system that will extend the bicycle path along State University Drive West by 4,000 feet. The project began over the summer and will be completed by the end of October.

For more information about Sacramento State commute choices, visit University Transportation and Parking Services at www.csus.edu/utaps.