I can't believe I'm asking this: Tell me about Light Rail (Gold Line)

[wburg]

yah, I have my choice of light rail or walking to work from midtown to downtown. If I'm in a hurry I take the light rail, if I'm not I walk.

One thing to note is that the light rail line to Folsom only goes to the Old Town area--if you're planning on someplace in the new parts of town you'll have to drive in to the park & ride lot. They just built a new parking structure in addition to the existing surface lots. I was out there last week and they weren't quite full at midday on a weekday.

Downtown Sacramento has more employment opportunities than nearby residences--that's why there are so many commuters--and part of why there are a lot of new condo/townhouse projects going into the central city. In terms of entertainment/shopping/nightlife/culture, there's an awful lot to do these days. There always was, if you knew where to look--but in recent years it's just easier to find, and more of it.

[cw68]

Actually, the lots along Iron Point often fill up. More quickly than the lot in Old Folsom. Yes, if you live in the newer areas you will still need to drive to the light rail. But I live in Folsom and I'd pick driving to the light rail and riding in vs. driving to downtown Sacramento any day. Even if I thought light rail was full of idiots. (Personally I think the disdain for light rail from Folsom is way overdone.)

[KidBlue]

It depends on what time you take Light Rail. The train is wonderful in Folsom and gets worse as you get closer to downtown. If you take it during the commute hours (6-8) the passengers are mainly state workers and others who work downtown, and it's fine. If you take it later than 8:00 a.m. it gets pretty colorful. Like people taking their bags of recycling with them on the train, thankful for the guy who smells like cigarettes because he smells better than the guy who smells like whiskey.......

If you will be taking the train during non commute hours, sit in the first car close to the driver to be safer.

[TheDerek]

I have been riding light rail for almost a year now, with no problems, and I ride at all times of the day. (8am-1030pm). And this includes the meadowview line, which by far has the most "undesirables". Almost all the gold line is nice, you'll have a few wackos every once in a while, more at night than any other time. the trains are too crowded during commute times for people who aren't riding for a purpose to bother. I would be more worried walking around on the streets at night than being on the light rail or near any of the stations.

[IV_XI_XI]

Light rail in Sacramento is a mess, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. A girl was raped about a month ago on R street after getting off the light rail and a woman my family knows was mugged and carjacked at the folsom outlets by two light rail riders. One of them had gotten out of jail a week earlier. This "voluntary pay" thing that RT uses has got to go. If you make people actually pay to board the thing you would cut down on a lot of drifters who just cause trouble.

I want to see light rail work since I am a big fan of transit oriented development, but there are just too many tweakers and lowlifes in Sacramento to keep decent people safe.

[kksue]

Please help me explore the possibilities of commuting from Folsom to San Joaquin gen hospital in French Camp. Regular buisness hrs apply early AM is preferable.

Thank you.

[Kingsnkali]

Folsom to French Camp would probably run on average one hour and 15 minutes each way. Some days will be longer and you might add a good 15 more minutes if it is foggy in the winter.

Prairie City Road to Grantline Road, to Highway 99 and then maybe the Yosemite exit in Manteca or the Stockton Airport exit.

Not a great commute. Might be better to take Highway 99 to Highway 50 on the return in the afternoon.

Sorry, no light rail options that I'm aware of...

[fair_oaks_gamer_girl]

KidBlue had it right.
I'm a little behind in the responses, but I think I can answer your question fairly well.

I'm a young woman living in Fair Oaks, and I take the Light Rail Gold Line to work every weekday. I have a standard 8-5 downtown, so I'm traveling on the light rail during commuter times. At these times, you seldom see any very unsavory characters, but I'm not going to lie and tell you it never happens. It does. However most people on the RT during these times are just commuters like you and me.

If you're taking the light rail any other time, such as in the middle of the day, or after the commute rush, you're going to see some "not-so-normal" people. And taking the light rail after 8pm? Forget it. Take your car.

To be honest, I have more of a problem with the actual reliability of the RT system itself than I do with the people riding it. Time and time again I have missed appointments or been stranded altogether because RT doesn't maintain their routes or trains well enough, and they're constantly breaking down.

Keeping all this in mind, I'm not trying to discourage you from taking the Light Rail or the RT system in general, just trying to give you a first-hand opinion on what you might encounter. I have to take the Light Rail every day because if I took my car, 1) I'd be stuck in rush hour traffic and stressed about being late, 2) I'd have to pay for gas, 3) I'd have to pay the exorbitant monthly downtown parking prices, if I could even find an open space, and 4) I'd rather not have the added wear and tear on my car from driving it in and out every day.

In response to the previous post about clarifying exactly what kinds of unsavories might be on the RT, here's some examples I've seen personally (and keep in mind, the extreme ones are rare):
1) One person (not sure if it was a man or a woman) was obviously homeless and smelled (from about 15 feet away) as if they had not showered in a month or more. (Believe me, this is not an exaggeration.)
2) Very rude and obnoxious young people yelling and harrassing other riders. (Not the CSUS students, who are always very quiet and polite.)
3) (As a young woman) Occassional creepy men trying to talk to you and get your info for who-knows-what.
4) People begging for money.
5) People talking about very, very personal things loudly on their cell phone.

That's about it. Generally if you either take a book or some headphones you'll be fine. I've even made some friends who I see every day and are a pleasure to talk with.

A lot of this is very negative, but of course those are the things that stick out in your mind the most, I suppose. Everyone is going to have their own experiences. I hope all this was helpful to you.