This Ain't Calcutta

SMUD subsidizes transportation for its employees, as do a large percentage of state agencies in downtown Sacramento. It works. I am blessed to work for an outfit that has two light rail stations on either end of its campus, close to the 65th St. bus station, and RT bus fares are discounted at 25% face value. It costs me (my direct cost) a whole dollar and a quarter to commute round trip from Elk Grove. I board the bus a 1/4 mile from home, and exit light rail 1/16 of a mile from my office. Not only do subsidies free up traffic congestion, there is always always! an issue with parking.

People mostly fail to identify the costs associated with free parking. It ain't free, and it's a lot more destructive to the urban landscape than it might appear. Parking and building codes...where do I begin? There is always an acre of parking outside every supermarket, all to handle the Wednesday before Thanksgiving capacity crush. The codes require enough lighting so that a dime can be seen anywhere on the ground at 2AM. You will never again find a store front butted up against the street as parking in the rear is forbidden, so on the street front we have all these sidewalks, three hundred feet from the store entrance, where no one walks. You can't get anywhere on the sidewalk! A concrete and steel ribbon from nowhere to nowhere. And on-street parking is impossible or illegal in any event.

There are oceans of parking available here at SMUD...but employees always conclude that there isn't enough. The real issue, however, is that there isn't enough close-in parking. That's the problem. If they have to walk an eighth of a mile from their car to their door...Oh! The humanity! Is there no justice in this world?

SMUD tore down an old building early last year to allow for the construction of a steel supported photovoltaic array, used to provide power for a hydrogen fueling station. In the process, 53 new parking spaces were created. And shaded! Here in the summer months, people are willing to park under the array and walk...the eighth of a mile...to their offices. Otherwise, it's too remote.
You know what parking issue is really plaguing SMUD? A shortage of bicycle lockers. There are probably 60 scattered across the campus, and all are used (I claim mine about 20 feet from my office door). There's a waiting list, but no! We can't add any more! The transportation coordinator can't find enough real-estate for any additional lockers.

The thing is, we could easily confiscate just two parking spaces, just two, and add eight bike lockers in that space. But my gut feeling tells me there is something illegal about doing that. Codes might require a minimum number of parking spaces for the size of the buildings...codes might not allow for obstructions in parking locations...vehicles might crash into them...painted-yellow anti-ram steel pillars might be required...additional lighting requirements might be needed...employee safety might be jeopardized by proximity to hurtling vehicles...fire codes might be violated. I've asked her to look into this for over a year, but so far, no action, and so far, no more bike lockers.

When I walk for coffee in the morning to the Savemart, they recently posted a sign on their entrance: "For everyone's safety, do not bring bicycles into the store. Please use the bike rack located outside the Blockbuster."

So...it's all about safety now! Boy am I relieved to know Savemart is the vanguard of human safety! Never mind the fact that the Blockbuster is in the middle of the stripmall and not adjacent to the store. Now, I'm not advocating I should be able to park my bike in the store, but to suggest that safety is the issue is mendacious. The sign should read, "We don't want your fucking bike in the store and we won't sacrifice space outside for you to park it. Drive your damn car if you want to shop here, this ain't Calcutta."