Hornets, are you ready to jump on the Herky Streetcar bandwagon?

A brand-new electric shuttle service, operated by UTAPS (University Transportation, Parking, and Support Services), runs along Moraga Way – between Amador Hall and Parking Structure 5 – from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday throughout the academic year.  

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant shuttle is steered by a trained, licensed student driver, who makes the loop every 15 to 18 minutes. The shuttle also stops at Capistrano Hall/Parking Structure 1; at the intersection of Sinclair Road and Moraga Way, near Eureka Hall; and between Lassen and Yosemite halls.

The Herky Streetcar is one of several recent improvements to Sacramento State’s transportation landscape. Starting this fall, for instance, Moraga Way is open only to pedestrians, cyclists, and the shuttle, with delivery vans granted occasional access.

The decision to close Moraga Way to motorized vehicles was all about safety.

“One-way traffic on a narrow street busy with delivery trucks, bikes, and pedestrians created safety problems,” says Tony Lucas, UTAPS senior director.

“The repurposed Moraga Way will provide an attractive and dedicated pathway for pedestrians and cyclists. And in the future, I can imagine Moraga Way as the site of food truck festivals, public art, a plaza connecting it to Yosemite Hall, and perhaps an archway to create a sense of place.”

To make up for the ADA-compliant spaces lost with the closure of Moraga Way, Lot B (at the Bay Laurel Way intersection) was reconfigured to include disabled-access parking. Additional ADA spaces can be found across the street at Parking Structure 5 (PS 5).

Fall 2018 is the first time most students and many faculty have the chance to park in PS 5, which opened in mid-May.

Sac State’s fifth garage – a six-story structure near the campus’ north entrance – gives students 681 designated spaces, with an additional 393 spaces reserved for students who live in the campus residence halls. Students also have regained the 448 spaces in Parking Structure 1 that were given over to faculty and staff during PS 5’s construction.

PS 5, distinguished by an array of decorative aluminum “leaves” that pay homage to the University’s urban forest, can accommodate 1,750 vehicles. Faculty and staff have 448 parking spots inside the garage and 121 ground-level spaces outside.

The $42 million structure is state-of-the-art in its conservation programs, with the University’s first tire-inflation station, a bike compound for 100 two-wheelers, and the infrastructure for a future photovoltaic solar array.

Electric-vehicle charging stations can be found on every level, and carpool/clean-air vehicle spaces are on multiple floors. ADA-compliant parking is available on all levels, near the elevators.

Additionally, an occupancy-sensor system alerts drivers to the number of available parking spaces via the Sac State app and an electronic board on Arboretum Way. Inside, drivers can watch for LED lights on overhead fixtures, which glow green if open spaces are in the vicinity, red if not. The interior lights are motion-sensitive and dim to 30 percent power when no moving vehicles or people are present. – Dixie Reid