SkyWest ending Modesto – Los Angeles flights after two years
SkyWest Airlines will discontinue round-trip flights between Modesto and Los Angeles.
Citing high fuel prices and insufficient revenue, Airport Manager Jerome Thiele said the Modesto-Los Angeles flights were consistently full, but SkyWest wasn’t satisfied with the revenue from those flights.
The airline had an introductory one-way price of $79 when the flights began in June 2006. At that time, the city of Modesto had a one-year agreement to pay SkyWest as much as $550,000 if the airline’s flights weren’t profitable. After that the city and airline were on their own.
Thiele said the Los Angeles flights helped Modesto to a record number of boarding passengers in 2007, with 51,587 taking flights from the airport. “Those flights definitely stimulated the market here,” Thiele said. “The LA flights were very popular.”
Joy Madison, Modesto Chamber of Commerce chief executive officer, said SkyWest’s announcement is doubly disappointing because the problem wasn’t that travelers weren’t taking the planes.
“Any time you lose air service, it’s harder for the local businesses,” said Madison. “It’s a recruiting and a retention tool.”
Before SkyWest’s flights started, Modesto hadn’t had air service to Los Angeles since 1992, when American Eagle stopped its service.
SkyWest also will drop one daily flight to San Francisco from Modesto on Wednesdays and Thursdays for the same reasons as the Los Angeles flights.
Thiele and Madison said they believe it’s possible Modesto can restore air service to Los Angeles, based on the popularity of SkyWest’s flights. “We hope to be able to turn this around,” Thiele said. “Given the population, the population growth and the economic base here, there is a market.”
Future transportation expansion, and how it could offer a glimmer of economic hope to the workforce as well as the local economy, is a greatly coveted prize.
Riverbank might try to attract rail depot:
City leaders will decide on challenge to Modesto
Riverbank might compete with Modesto for Stanislaus County’s only high-speed rail station.
Riverbank City Council members will review whether to challenge Modesto’s presumed lock on the only station between Stockton and Merced. “I think it’s very feasible, it would make a lot of sense and truly could be a regional hub not just for Riverbank but for the whole area,” Riverbank Mayor Virginia Madueño said.
The possibility of a contest hinges on which of the county’s railroads ultimately are preferred by state rail authorities. And that might depend heavily on how each meets the needs of high-speed rail not here, but in other counties to the south: Decisions over which lines to use in Fresno and Merced counties might dictate which railroad right of way is chosen for Stanislaus County.
The Riverbank-Modesto competition could arise only if rail authorities approve the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe line running east of Modesto, with an Amtrak stop near the end of Briggsmore Avenue. That line continues north through Riverbank, which had an Amtrak station until 1999.
Modesto City Council members are lobbying for alignment on a Union Pacific line running downtown. Years ago, the city built a depot used by buses and taxis. The depot could serve trains as well because it’s right next to Union Pacific tracks.
The council unanimously threw support to that line last week, saying bullet train passengers could play a role in continuing efforts for downtown revitalization.
Riverbank, which sprung up next to a railroad, finished a $9 million upgrade to its downtown four months ago and envisions shopping, offices, a plaza and maybe a sports complex on a former cannery site nearby. A depot on the line that used to serve the cannery could deposit passengers in the middle of the new development, officials say.
“Riverbank was the center of the railroad in Stanislaus County for a long, long time,” City Manager Rich Holmer said. “We want to see that continue.”
Modesto Councilman Garrad Marsh said downtown Modesto is much more central to most of the county’s residents, including its three largest cities — Modesto, Turlock and Ceres — as well as the county’s West Side communities. The Union Pacific line roughly parallels Highway 99, the valley’s motor vehicle backbone.
Modesto also remains in the running for a stop on a possible extension of the Altamont Commuter Express rail coming from the Bay Area with its current terminus in Stockton. Riverbank could make a play for that line as well, if the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe right of way is chosen.
Here in the local commute arenas, lack of communication provides real barriers, and traffic jams, to commuters.
Yosemite roadwork delayed again:
Railroad crossings send traffic back to one lane
At issue are crossings on the Modesto & Empire Traction Co. railroad running parallel to Yosemite. Large eastbound trucks can’t make right turns without swinging wide to the left — into the left lane, if two lanes were there. They wouldn’t encroach on the other lane if the railroad crossings were larger.
Widening the railroad crossings could cost $750,000 in money that never was set aside.
The county’s public works department hopes to secure state funding for the Mariposa crossing, Harris said, which could be done this summer. StanCOG’s policy board will be asked to shift money left over from widening Yosemite to the two remaining crossings, Harris said.
“Why (the state) didn’t identify this as a safety issue several years ago, I can’t answer,” Harris said. “We’re going to be working very, very hard to get this done just as fast as we possibly can.”
“It’s a waste of taxpayers’ money,” Mark Cardoza said of the widening project. “They got rid of one choke point and now we’ve got a new one, defeating the whole purpose of the project. I wish they’d get their ducks in a row and get it right the first time.”
And then there are the bike paths – problematic mostly because there are so many bike paths with critical gaps to creating a free-flowing route from one area of the city to another.
TRANSPORTATION CHALLENGE
- LEARN – Educate yourself about Modesto’s transportation issues. What obstacles are there to going car-free in Modesto? Could you travel carless to somewhere outside of Modesto?
- ACT – What can you do about it? What kinds of alternatives are there to driving a car in Modesto? Take a carless trip within Modesto and discover first hand what the logistics and issues are for non-automobile commuters.
- IMAGINE – Unleash your creativity and plow through Modesto’s unpaved pathways!
- Ask A Mentor for Help
« Leisure: At Last A Day of Rest Housing: Recreate the World You Live In »
* I haven’t been able to get the postcard thing to post. I will get it up a.s.a.p.
Learn:
I have personally had to ride the bus for an extended period of time due to losing my car. It’s not pleasant at all, cramped and usually late. The buses run on an okay schedule but usually have issues with staying on time and that’s just getting to Modesto. Once you get to Modesto the routes are okay to see where you want to go, you can go online to get them but you never know if that bus will be late or not. Now that they are cutting money from the budget and shortening times it makes it even harder for college students to get the ride they need to get to school if they need to or home.
Act:
Using my unlimited resources I would once again help the people of Modesto by paying to have buses and pay for longer hours. The more buses we have to run the less chance of someone missing the buss and not being on time. Also with more money comes more capacity to pay for the drivers and even hire new ones so the buses can run later. That way kids who need to get to college late or come home late won’t have to worry about missing a bus or being there exactly on time because the next bus will be by shortly. The next step would be to create parking areas that are both secure and plentiful enough that people can park and ride utilizing the bus routes and not having to worry about whether their car will be stolen, broken into or having to pay extremely high parking fees. I would fix the bike routes and walking paths. Paying to have them maintained and the gaps fixed would go a long way to allowing those who want to bike an opportunity to do so. Working with the new budgets and other improvements that have already been made in Modesto and through the state we can better create these bike paths and make them more efficient.
Imagine:
More buses and better bike routes, more people are free to take the bus rather than use their car and feel safer doing so. With the bike routes repaired more people can bicycle without worrying about whether or not they are going to be run over by traffic that runs through the city. More people have the freedom to get to the places they need to go and the boost in the economy is directly impacted. With lower costs for the buses and more routes people aren’t worried about missing things and so they spend more time shopping and using the money they’ve saved to buy things they need or want.
Cave bear imagines: Certain cities have promoted healthy lifestyles to no avail. Parents are just not as involved in parenting these days. I guess you say they don’t care. People need to accept responsibility for their own lives and its time this bear got into high gear.
Cave bear learns:
Cave bear has learned that the problem with the world is video games. People don’t go outside and play as much. Instead they stay in and drink soda and get their heart rates up by killing zombies.
Cave bear acts:
When this bear was small he used to enjoy salmon fishing with his bear-paws (pun intended). The cold water rushing by, the roar of the rapids, and the large juicy fish jumping out of the water attempting to swim upstream. There I stand like a machine. Swiping fish out of the water and air like a bear windmill. This is bear cardio, and humans should try it. Of course humans would rather slap virtual salmon out of the water and then get trophies and level-ups. It seems life is too much work for humans. Salmon fishing bear style will hopefully be something people will love as much as bears do.
The first thing I will do will be to approach NBC with an offer to create a televised salmon swiping sport for humans so as to glamorize the sport. This will entice the young people that bears are cool and that they can obtain large tasty fish in such fashion.
Then my second step will be to indoctrinate the youth and to whip them into a fervor with ideas of health consciousness and granola. No more they idolize trash talking sports stars that are overpaid and oversexed. To do this I will create internet sensational videos that will go viral with encoded messages that are subliminal in nature. The message will engage the serotonin levels to equalize and as a result there will be no more depression.
The third thing I will do will be to coax the sun to produce more cosmic high energy rays to penetrate the humans in order to cause more DNA damage, thus weeding out the weak. The people that are left after the period of bombardment will repopulate the earth with a more hardy and healthy humans that avoid making poor life choices.
Cave bear imagines:
I have teamed up with two people. A bald eagle from the baldeagle-tribe and healzor for his health multiplying powers. The baldeagles will help mankind learn the power of kick-ass. Everyone in America has left their gripes of unfairness, unjust-ness, poverty, richness and powerless-ness to come to the natural streams of the forests of the northwest to hunt fish in the ice cold streams. They now exercise regularly and live in a utopian society where heart rates are 60-70 bpm and blood pressure is 120 over 60. This natural stress reliever has worked wonders for the American people. As they have become more health and eco-conscience, China has learned that they were soft and invaded, but hey, lets save the environment first! Healzor has never been busier and now is a guru with millions of followers. Absolutely no one dies! They remain healthy for hundreds of years until they beg for death, All because a simple idea sprouted up about getting in shape. Now the bears are pushed to the brink of extinction competing for the natural resources.
finally a day of rest.
running fom the bus station and resting at end of run. not the last frame because from that position he’s going to jump out of the scene.
Doctor Jerry Rytloc’s Journal Entry #10: Mission 6 – Transportation (commence)
LEARN: Our way of life is being affected by our economic crisis, teachers being laid off and education under danger is one issue among the thousands that we are experiencing. Transportation routes for locals has cease as more people are being laid off from their jobs.
City transportation has been reduced due to budget cuts. There has been a decrease in bus routes and bus driver hours are being cut. What can I do to help this?
ACT:
I think the best way to get around when transportation is limited is to share or carpool, or even just take a walk or a bike. It helps limit air pollution which benefits your health and getting up and walking to a close store will do loads of good for you. I understand that people who do use buses probably wants to travel to the other side of the city but if they can settle for a store nearer then and just walk it will solve their problem. We got to think about the elderly who doesn’t actually drive or have a car, our government should be working for us not lobbyists. The situation is beyond my help, but if we all can just do our part.
IMAGINE:
If I had all the resource in the world I’ll build a subway or train station in every city. Not only are these fast speed trains but they are energy efficient and burns clean. We got to invest in such technology because in the long run it will do us and the world a whole lot of good.
Learn: Transportation is an issue in itself. It has become a crowded and damaging mess. There are too many cars, too few alternatives, and there’s a vast rise in gas prices and smog levels. We have to find ways to be cleaner and less crowded if people want to be able to make a difference and still make it to their destinations.
Act: To do my small part, I think we can convert the bus system to being hybrid buses. This will cut down on the smog and it will also save the bus companies money so that they can hire more drivers and get more buses, which will allow more people to take the buses. This can help cut down on the amount of cars and the smog levels.
Imagine: From hybrid buses, we can move onto hybrid taxis and more hybrid cars and possibly even hybrid planes. This will not only lower smog levels and cut back on expenses, it will also begin the reversal of global warming. With everyone travelling greener, more people are likely to spend their money on things that can help stimulate the economy.
Learn. the bike paths in Modesto are horrible, and the public transit system is slow. on the upside Modesto has managed to bring in revenue with it’s rail way system.
Act: First thing I would tackle is the bike paths. I know from personnel experience that if the bike paths aren’t functional most people aren’t going to use them. To save the city money I would use the apprenticeship program that I talked about in earlier blogs to get a workforce that’s already being paid, so the actual cost won’t be much larger than what were already spending. The second thing I would tackle is the public transit. I would replace it with an underground rail system using the same apprentice ship programs. the underground railway are much more efficient, than traditional busses.
Learn: with my awesome leadership super power I have gotten my projects completed. not only were thousands of people trained in the process, but the public transportation in Modesto has become way more efficient. Five years in the future my bike paths have been completed for three years. and car usage is down. in twenty five years my underground railways have been completed, and the car usage is way down, with the overall cost of transportation.
bike paths are great, but only if people can us mopeds on them this will promote fuel efficient commuting as long as the bike paths are inter-city.
LEARN: Transportation is a growing issue in Modesto and other local growing communities in the valley. Transportation is not just a single issue with one single solution. This issue reaches out to many other issues such as pollution, traffic congestion, road rage, etc. With a huge lack of options as far as commuting to and from work whether you work across town or you commute to the bay area, our freeways are bumper to bumper and the number of cars and amount of pollution is ridiculous.
ACT: My solution for those of us who stay close to home to attend work and school is a local carpool system. This is almost like a taxi service but it is organized through three or more people all traveling to the same area. If we can get three people to a car, that cuts the traffic into thirds, which cuts pollution and all of the other issues that transportation is causing into thirds. All you have to do is buddy up with a couple people from work or people who work in the area and schedule a time for pick up and drop off. There would also be a single rider list where you can search for others in your area who work or attend school in close proximity to you if you do not have two riders to acompany you.
IMAGINE: Just imagine if more ideas than just a local carpool service became the required way to travel. Sure, everyone enjoys having their own personalized vehicle and coming and going anytime anywhere as they please, and this would still be allowed. But maybe one day with carpool or group transportation in tact, traveling to and from your destination will be a lot quicker, safer, and easier whether it is for business or pleasure. Go green!
That’s a pretty cool idea. It can also have a website where you can register so others can find you and ask if you want to carpool with them.
Learn: I had to educate myself about public transportation I Stanislaus County a while ago. When I was first coming to CSUS, I used to take public transportation because I didn’t have my license yet. This was in late 2005/early 2006 so a lot of routes hadn’t been cut yet. It would take me over an hour and a half to get from the mall in North Modesto to the STaRT bus stop in front of CSUS. I think one of the reason’s people don’t choose public transportation over driving to a destination is that driving is just faster. Also, Modesto isn’t a big city so more people may work and want to visit places that are further away and driving may be more convenient. The STaRT buses can take you to I think any city within Stanislaus County; the furthest is Turlock I think..
Act: I would build a High Speed Rail System (original, I know) underground! And I can do this because I’m a badass millionaire. But until my project is completed people can ride their bikes, use public transportation, or carpool. I, myself, use a car to wherever I need to go. My older sister, however, HAS to take the bus wherever she goes, and with two small children, she finds it somewhat of a struggle. She sometimes has to wait a long time when transferring from one bus to another because the buses don’t do routes as often as they used to. My younger sister also took the bus for school. She didn’t like it because guys would bother her; she told me that one time she was harassed but decided to not tell. This made me pissed of course.
My banana peels help make the trains go faster! (and it poses no danger at all to the passengers…)
Imagine: My underground High Speed Rail System would connect most cities in the valley to one another or to other forms of public transportation like BART. This would make it faster and safer for people from Modesto to go to work or school. I will use my banana peels to make the trains (or whatever they’re called) go superfast! My rail system would be faster and more convenient than a car so people would choose it over driving. It will be environmentally friendly as well.
LEARN: I’ve only been to Modesto a handful of times, and from what I’ve seen, I’m thankful for that. The traffic in Modesto is ungodly and no one really seems to remember what they learned in Driver’s Education. IT’S CALLED A TURN SIGNAL, YOU MANIAC!
But don’t worry, not everyone is out to assassinate mother nature a la toxic fumes! Some people are kind enough to use public trans! Unfortunately, the people who use the buses in Modesto must all be sharing the same sinus infection and because those places are disgusting. Just how bad have my few bus riding experiences been in Modesto? You know the saying: freaks come out at night? Well, Modesto must be the City of Perpetual Darkness because I’ve never managed to catch a bus without at least one or two gross freaks sticking up the communal air. Nope, that’s just not for me. -shudder-
IMAGINE: In a perfect world, technology would have gotten to the point where matter transporters would have become a reality. That means carless transportation wouldn’t be just an alternative, it would be the norm! No more gross cars, driving all over the place, farting carbon monoxide and running over little old ladies and young college students with so much to live for. Nope, there’ll be no cars at all. What a glorious day. Then again, like everything else, the existence of poor people is really gonna ruin everyone’s fun. “Waaaaah, Freckles… what about the fringe members of society who can’t afford to use teleporters?! It won’t be faaaaaaair.” My answer to that is “you’re right. That’s not fair. It’s just as unfair as the current transportation system.” Not everyone’s got a car and it sucks to be those who don’t, but what can you do? Travel is definitely not one of your rights protected by the constitution. Basically, if you can afford a bus ride now, you can afford a matter transporter ride in my awesome future scape, with the added benefit of not having to interact with your disease ridden, mouth breathing fellow passengers! Oh joy.
ACT: Unfortunately, like poor people, reality will continue to be a buzzkill. As matter transporters have yet to be invented, they’re obviously out of the running for “possible solutions to Modesto’s transportation problem”. But you know what is definitely a possibility? Scooters. Like the almighty VESPA! They’re very inexpensive, even brand spanking new, and they get like 95 miles to the gallon! They even fit up to two people! Sure, they would replace the SUV for most big families, but it’ll cut down on that normal sight in Modesto: a huge god-forsaken SUV with only a tiny person driving it and maybe a base ball cap in the back seat. There are too many huge cars on the road and not enough people. Cut down on the traffic heavily by switching over to a scooter! Heck, for the cost of repairing your car’s engine, you can get a whole new scooter! Think about it!
LEARN – There are a lot of commuters that live in the central valley, including those living in Modesto. This means there are a lot of cars on the road, and that presents an environmental and hazardous problem. I hear that taking the bus is a good idea but it also is not because of them being late sometimes. The Modesto Amtrak Station is a good alternative, too, if someone wants to travel car-less. Also another good reason to travel car-less is the soaring gas prices.
ACT –I can take the bus to go around town or to Turlock. But it still needs to be more consistent or else my human self won’t be able to make to class on time.
IMAGINE – We need to hire more drivers and have more buses to keep people going to work/class or wherever they need to on time. Maybe I can meet with the heroes from other towns so we can teach people about going car-less. Ultra-low emission hybrid buses will be introduced within 2 years hopefully with my team of researchers. Electric hybrid vehicles will also be more fun to drive and perform just as well as their gas guzzling counterparts so that way drivers/buyers won’t feel like they’re sacrificing performance for better fuel consumption. Modesto will also have a high speed rail so people can get to their destinations even quicker in the future.
LEARN: I’ve only had to ride the city bus one time and that was for a field trip with my son’s school to the Gallo Center. Other than that, I’ve never had to take public transportation in Modesto. I’ve been fortunate to have a car to get me from place to place. I see many people using MAX. I’m sure the riders are people who cannot afford vehicles as well as others who choose not to drive.
I don’t see Dial-A-Ride around as much anymore. Maybe it’s because I’m not actually looking for it. I have a family friend who rides Amtrak often. My family and I ride BART into SF a handful of times throughout the year. My kids think it’s a lot of fun and it’s very convenient. We like not having to drive in the city when we don’t have to.
I used to commute to San Mateo for work and experienced my fair share of traffic. I also used to live in Oceanside and had to travel to Anaheim for work. Sitting in bumper-to-bumper traffic early in the morning was driving people nuts. I only had to do it for a year and a half, but it was long enough for me.
It’s nice to see that Harrah’s Laughlin has added flights to the Modesto Airport schedule. This is convenient and a great way to go carless outside of Modesto.
ACT: Okay, as suggested, I tried to take a carless trip within Modesto over the weekend. Ooooo, never again. I was on my bike with my husband and it was just how I imagined it would be – I thought I was going to DIE. Modesto is definitely not designed for bikers. Taking this dangerous trip made me realize just how much I want Modesto bikeways to change.
My husband is a cyclist and hates the bike lanes here in Modesto. He would probably ride his bike more in town rather on the trail if they were better. This is one major obstacle to going car-free. We’ve thought about riding together for exercise and as a leisurely activity, but I’m afraid I’m going to get killed. This town isn’t that safe for bikers in my opinion. This needs to change. We need to develop a network of on and off bicycle routes.
My husband has experienced nice bike paths/lanes in other towns such as Palo Alto and Portland. He’s jealous of these communities and their safer routes for bike riders. Modesto needs to fix their bikes lanes that lead to nowhere. It’s just not safe for anyone.
If we’re trying to encourage car-free transportation, then we need to make sure our cyclists feel good about riding through town. I will get the city, people and local merchants together to improve our bikeways. This will hopefully encourage more people to bike rather than using cars. Our environment will improve due to less pollution and the community will hopefully become healthier.
The way our bike paths are now is a disaster. They just discourage riders from using their bikes in Modesto. I love going to a town and seeing riders. It would be so nice to turn Modesto into a safe community for cyclists. Biking is not looked at the same here. Like the blog, Carfree in Modesto pointed out, there is no logic to our bikeways. They are simply a waste of money and lead to danger.
To take care of the commuters, it would be nice to have some sort of transportation that allowed them to get to areas in California with ease. Carpooling is a great way to help pass the time and save on gas and pollution. I never knew anyone going the same way I was, but if I had, I bet carpooling would have been very beneficial.
IMAGINE: My goal was to make bicycling an everyday mode of transportation. It’s been 5 years and Modesto’s transportation issues have changed for the better. We are seeing more and more cyclists on the road. Families are riding together and our town has really come together to make the bikeways safe for everyone.
We liked Portland’s blue colored bike lanes. We added color to ours in Modesto for added safety. It is said that cyclists feel 50% safer using colored lanes. There has also been a 20% increase in motorists yielding for cyclists due to awareness and visibility. The gaps are no longer there and we have created a wonderful free-flowing route. Residents of all ages are able to walk and bicycle safely and comfortably in Modesto. We have been officially named a Bicycle Friendly Community!
I’m definitely not savvy when it comes to Photoshop, etc. so I created my own postcard with good ol paper, glue and water.
Corrupt Angel Investigates: This super hero is all too familiar with the non-driving commute. You see my non-super hero power self doesn’t drive. Never has learned. Don’t judge…….believe me I have pestered her for years. You think I want to hoof it everywhere or take the bus!? But, she reminds me that it’s good for the environment and our health to not rely on cars for everything. So, if any of you loyal readers wish to know what it’s like to go car-less here in good ol’ Modesto just ask…..I’m all too familiar with the public transportation system.
Act: Here’s a few rules to follow if you want to travel by bus here in town: 1) Plan everything way ahead of schedule. The buses here, though they do run on an bi-hourly or hourly basis, they are always late. So plan to leave your house at least 2 hours ahead of schedule 2) Be prepared to walk…..a lot. The bus routes, unfortunately, do not cover a great percentage of the city. 3) If your’e planning to travel outside of the Modesto area by bus……be prepared for frustration. Within the close proximity of Modesto (such as Turlock, Ceres, etc.) there are transferable buses, but they aren’t as frequent or as reliable. Anything further than within the county……all I have to say is good luck! 4) the buses are very restricted as far as hours of operation are concerned. The buses, at the earliest, run at 6:15 and stop running at 7:45 pm, so if you need to get anywhere real early in the day or real late at night your best bet is to just forget about using the bus!, and lastly 5) You may experience some of the less desirable parts of Modesto’s population because, let’s face it, sometimes shady people ride the bus and you’re not always as safe as you feel in the comfort of your own car.
Now as far as proposed plans for light rails and trains that would connect Modesto to the rest of California, it’s always been a rumor floating around out there. The fact is, all proposed efforts would be costly and would take years to complete. Positives are that a completed connection to railways within California might bring business to Modesto and offer opportunities to people who previously never considered the option of commuting to work.
Imagine: Ok, Modestans here is what we need: a more reliable bus system, less crowded freeways, more bike and pedestrian walkways, and public transportation that connects all of California. Not asking for much, right? I know, I know all that is going to take years and billions of dollars easily. First off people should be given more incentives to try alternative means of commuting to work and school. Perhaps employers should give bonuses to workers who participate in carpools and commuting via automobile-less means. Hey that’s just me offering my two cents…..people like money, people will do things they normally wouldn’t if offered a little incentive….. viola……instantly less cars on the road!
Now how can I use my awesome powers to get this ball rolling? Hmmmm…..sounds like we need some cash support fast. Time for a lil trusty mind warp action! I shall give a little push to those with the extra cash to donate to the cause……believe me they will see this as positive. It’s not like I’m totally forcing them (cough-cough people have accused my mind warping skills of opening up the philanthropic pockets of the wealthy as being communist…….pssssh) Well if we have tons of cash lying about then we can make better buses, more effective routes, and extended hours of operation. Now for that light rail. How awesome would it be if we could hop on a train and go to San Francisco or LA right here from downtown Modesto!? With the rest of the cash we will build a downtown hub where you can catch a bus or train and start the building of a light rail connection to the Bay Area!
Here’s a public transportation system Modesto should model itself after!
After 5 long years of construction the downtown transportation hub is fully operational with more buses and extended routes. Now the buses cover virtually all of Modesto and the surrounding areas and run into the night. The best part is that the ground-breaking for the light rail is finally underway! The proposed station is under construction downtown right alongside the bus station and tracks are being constructed leading out of Modesto alongside Highway 99. I’ve been devoting lots of man hours myself in this project because I never want to have to worry about how I’m going to get around without a car!!
WOW! A quarter of a century and lots and lots of cash later Modesto has one of the most thriving transportation centers in the state. Hardly anyone drives now and people are using public transportation more than ever. Downtown Modesto has become a vibrant community with more businesses and money thanks to the light rail and the economic opportunities it has brought to the town.
Ok so Chani did some drawing this weekend between studying, walking about at the Architecture Festival, and volunteering to teach art to kids…..Here’s a nifty little sketch she did on the back of a postcard while inspired by Modesto’s commuting woes: