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Categories : Amtrak Fresno TransitTags : air amtrak bus coronavirus covid-19 FAX fresno area express pandemic rail service cuts service reductionLeave a comment

COVID-19 Impacts to Fresno Area Transportation as of May 17, 2020

On May 17, 2020May 17, 2020 By jamesinclair

I can’t believe it’s been over a month since my last roundup of how COVID-19 (coronavirus) has affected transportation providers in Fresno and the surrounding areas. Time is really moving in strange ways these days. At this point, it’s clear we’ve reached the bottom in terms of service cuts, short of an airline declaring bankruptcy (cough, AA, cough). How quickly service is restored is an open question. Some transit agencies have already said they don’t expect to return to full service until the end of the year. Agencies that rely heavily on rush-hour commuters are going to be the most affected, as some jobs (such as Twitter) may remain remote forever. It will be interesting to see if those agencies restore more off-peak service than peak-service, which would create a flatter utilization of their fleet, and that may end up being a good thing in the long run. Click to read more!

Categories : FresnoTags : city beat death George Hostetter. fresno bee passing1 Comment

On the passing of former Fresno Bee reporter George Hostetter

On May 11, 2020May 11, 2020 By jamesinclair

Last Thursday, the news came that former Fresno Bee reporter George Hostetter died of prostate cancer at age 70.

If you read this blog, you’re most likely familiar with his work, particularly his “city beat” reporting of downtown Fresno news. For years, when Mr. Hostetter needed to go to City Hall, he would get there by taking a long walk around downtown from the Bee offices on E street. It doesn’t matter what the weather was, he would walk, making notes about any development (or lack of development) along the way. He would also talk to all sorts of people to get their perspective. Click to read more!

Categories : Fresno TransitTags : ADA bench bus stop construction update crosswalk FAX fresno area express photo tour shelters upgradeLeave a comment

A look at Fresno’s improved bus stops

On April 28, 2020April 28, 2020 By jamesinclair

Last November, I reported that Fresno Area Express (FAX) received funds to update various bus stops. The upgrades include making them ADA accessible, so they can be used by those in wheelchairs, and adding new amenities like seating and shelters. Unlike the three-plus year odyssey that has been the reconstruction of the Manchester Transit Center, FAX has moved very quickly with these updates, and they’re almost all done.

For reference, here was the render they shared:

And here is what they look like in real life. Remember, they were previously just a sign planted on dirt.

You can see the new crosswalk and accessible ramps from the sidewalk to the island. Click to read more!

Categories : Fresno TransitTags : FAX fresno area express ridership service expansion4 Comments

Fresno’s Bus Ridership Was Going up Before COVID-19

On April 26, 2020April 26, 2020 By jamesinclair

A transit agency can lose ridership extremely quickly and it can take years to build it back up again. When a bus route is cut, or service is decreased, riders are immediately affected and have to change how they get around. In some cases, that might mean getting a car and never looking back. But when service is added or increased, it can take people months or years to notice. Ask yourself, how often do you look up the schedule for buses you don’t normally ride?

In July 2015, I posted about how Fresno Area Express (FAX) had seen seven full years of ridership declines. Those declines weren’t unexpected, as the city kept cutting routes and service. In March 2018, I followed up by looking at twelve years of data, and the results weren’t pretty. Fortunately, Fresno started adding back some service. Three buses routes received more frequent (15-minute) service. “Night” buses were launched (until 10pm). Service on weekends was improved as well. In July 2018, it looked like these additions were helping FAX turn the corner. Click to read more!

Categories : Fresno High Speed Rail Housing RetailTags : brewery district broadway community hospital construction update downtown fresno fulton street h street high speed rail photo tour update van ness Warehouse Row6 Comments

Belated Downtown Fresno Photo Update

On April 18, 2020April 18, 2020 By jamesinclair

I went downtown a couple of months ago (January) to take photos, as I usually do. I hesitated on posting them because frankly, not much has changed over the last year. This is in contrast to five years ago, when there was always a new building popping up.

Then corona hit, and the photos seemed even less relevant, but now I’ve changed my mind on that. With the virus, everything is essentially frozen in time. Nothing is under construction, nothing will be open any time soon, and nobody is lining up to lay down piles of cash on new development. That is, even if the virus suddenly disappeared tomorrow, there are too many questions about the economy for investors. Will people get their jobs back? Will there be a change in demand for office space? Click to read more!

Categories : Airlines Amtrak Bakersfield Clovis Fresno TransitTags : air amtrak bus coronavirus covid-19 FAX fresno area express pandemic rail service cuts service reduction2 Comments

COVID-19 Impacts to Fresno Area Transportation as of April 8, 2020

On April 8, 2020April 7, 2020 By jamesinclair

Ten days ago, I decided to make a record of how COVID-19 (coronavirus) has affected transportation providers in Fresno and the surrounding areas – including the Bay Area and LA region. This post is a follow-up, to chronicle what has changed since. I have also added a few agencies I missed last week. It is sort of lucky I waited until today to make this, instead of last Sunday, as a bunch of changes go into effect today!

Local Transit

Fresno Area Express (FAX)

Officially, no changes to the schedule, but the system has been struggling with drivers calling out, as seen in this tweet:

We had a great day today @FresnoFAX about 20 call outs but all service went out as scheduled. Thanks for trusting us to serve you
— @FresnoFAX (@FresnoFAX) April 5, 2020

This makes Fresno one of the only transit systems to continue running full service. Click to read more!

Categories : Amtrak TransitTags : ace Altamont Corridor Express amtrak ceres merced modesto sacramento san joaquins stockton valley rail3 Comments

Environmental Impact Report for Valley Rail Project Now Open for Public Comment

On April 3, 2020April 3, 2020 By jamesinclair

Are you sitting at home, twiddling your thumbs, looking for something to do? Lucky for you, the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for the Valley Rail Sacramento Extension Project is now available for public review! You have until May 15, 2020 at 5:00 p.m to send in any comments you have.

Unlike many rail projects, this is one you should take seriously, because they got $500 million in funds to actually build the thing. As I mentioned back in 2018, the improvements are aimed at both the Amtrak San Joaquin line and the ACE commuter line.

According to the project team, the purpose of Valley Rail will be: Click to read more!

Categories : Airlines Amtrak Fresno TransitTags : air amtrak bus coronavirus covid-19 FAX fresno area express pandemic rail service cuts service reduction4 Comments

COVID-19 Impacts to Fresno Area Transportation as of March 29, 2020

On March 29, 2020March 29, 2020 By jamesinclair

If you’re anything like me, you’ve spent the last few weeks reading a LOT of news about COVID-19 (coronavirus). All the bad news has taken away most of my motivation to write blog articles, and not just because “regular” news is on pause, but because it’s been pretty exhausting. I also figured that because the news has been changing so quickly, there was little reason for me to write. This isn’t like a new trail, where posting two weeks late is still timely. By the time I get around to posting any news, it has likely changed.

That being said, I’m thinking there may be some value in having a static record looking backwards. Because of the volume of news, six months from now, it will be pretty difficult to do a Google search to find exactly what the transportation impacts were. So the goal of this post (and a probable follow up), is to have one place summarizing what the impacts of the virus were on Fresno-area transportation. Here is what the impacts looked like as of March 29, 2020. Click to read more!

Categories : Fresno RetailTags : construction update dead malls food hall manchester center manchester mall photo tour14 Comments

Your Annual Manchester Center Photo Update

On February 23, 2020February 23, 2020 By jamesinclair

Is it really a construction update if not much construction is going on? Perhaps that’s a bit of a spoiler as I do my annual tour of what’s going on with Manchester Center. As a reminder, here are some previous posts on the topic:

The photos I’m posting today are a few weeks old, but with these timelines, who cares?

We start outside where the only real changes could be found. Ironically, all the construction has taken place at Sears – which is owned independently. That is, while the Sears building is connected to the mall, it’s not part of it. If you weren’t aware, last year Sears decided to empty out half their store and lease the space to two (or three?) other companies. This year, they decided to vacate the remaining space as well (hence the store closing signs). Click to read more!

Categories : Fresno TransitTags : changes FAX fresno area express herndon new service public outreach route 12 route 20 route 28 route 29 route 3 route 35 route 4510 Comments

FAX considering changes to several bus routes

On February 17, 2020February 17, 2020 By jamesinclair

For the first time in forever, Fresno Area Express (FAX) is seriously considering some pretty major changes to bus routes. This could include the much-needed Herndon route, and a bus line to the new Amazon and Ulta warehouses built in southwest Fresno. However, the new service comes at the expense of existing lines. In this post, I take a look at how FAX is getting the word out, and what those changes are.

Public Outreach

FAX has started holding public events and workshops on the proposed changed. This looks to be an extensive outreach effort, with the following pop-up events at bus stops throughout the system: Click to read more!