Caltrans headquarters’ inaugural Try Transit Month included tabling at “Transit to Work Day” on March 21 at the light-rail stop behind the building. Facing the camera are, from left, Shannon Simonds, Emily Abrahams, Ali Doerr and Anthony Serna. 
For years, Caltrans has been urging Californians to ease up on the gas pedal and to incorporate more walking, biking and public transportation into their lives.
In March, many Caltrans' headquarters employees showed how the concept of "active transportation" works in Sacramento as they participated in the inaugural Try Transit Month.
Three special events – "Learn How to Plan and Ride Transit" on March 4, "Practice Transit: SacRT Bus Demonstration" on March 12, and "Transit to Work Day" on March 21 – helped educate and inspire workers who are exploring private vehicle-free alternatives to commuting. Everyone was encouraged to log their transit trips in an online challenge that included prizes such as free transit passes.
"We need to make transit travel convenient and seamless for everyone, especially for the core riders that already rely on transit service, to get from where they live to the destinations they want to reach every day," Sustainability Program Manager Jeanie Ward-Waller said. "This work starts with Caltrans employees changing the culture of our agency and embracing transit travel. Try Transit Month has demonstrated that change is well underway."
In a Caltrans News Flash that promoted Try Transit Month, Public Information Officer Alisa Beccerra interviewed Ward-Waller's boss, Ellen Greenberg. As Caltrans' Deputy Director for Sustainability, she is armed with insider information about riding the rails.
"I'm able to travel on what they call a multi-ride ticket, and I keep my ticket on my smartphone," Greenberg said, displaying her device. "When I'm on the Amtrak train, the conductor checks my ticket, (and) I can get transfers to SacRT at no cost.
"So if I'm in a hurry, I'll take the light-rail, which goes directly from the train station to the office. That's the kind of connection we want to make available for a lot more people in the State."
To learn more about what Caltrans' Sustainability Program is doing statewide to enable and encourage active transportation, visit the program's home page – accessible via a smooth, vehicle-free commute off our intranet's onramp page.