• New Bus Shelter

Wildomar recently got two additional bus shelters in town. 

One in front of the library, and the other in front of Falcon Square (which is where Weichert Realtors, and Boost Mobile is).

To mark the occasion, there was a ribbon cutting at the library. A few words were spoken by 2017 RTA Chair Linda Krupa, then Wildomar's own Bridgette Moore, and followed up by RTA CEO Larry Rubio.

It was a little dicey trying to get this shot, as car were speeding by. This was taken from across the street by Grace Morabito and Christopher Yepez. Councilmember Bridgette Moore is wielding the scissors, and in the crowd is also councilmember Marsha Swanson, RTA Chair Linda Krupa, Librarian Melina Velasquez, EVMWD board member George Cambero and few more dignitaries.

That boosts the total up to five bus shelters in town. The rest of the bus stops in the area are lucky to have a bench. (Though more benches have been added recently.)

In order to get such a shelter, the area first must meet all the requirements set out by the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). 

I asked RTA CEO Larry Rubio how much it cost to put in such a shelter, and he told me that without adding in improvements (see photo below) they run about $10,000 each.

Awhile back, I heard one estimate at a T-NOW meeting, that after going through a typical lengthy permitting process, the costs can approach $50,000 if the site wasn't already in compliance. Gotta love our bureaucracy. 

To accommodate the fencing and the shelter, the slab had to be extended by several feet.
That contributes to the costs going beyond the entry level figure of $10K.

These shelters are solar powered, and have lights that go on after dark. The lights, which aren't obtrusively bright, stay on during the entire night.

My guess is that less than 3% of all Wildotuckians could tell you where Falcon Square is by name.

I asked Wildomar city council member Bridgette Moore, who also represents the City of Wildomar on the RTA Board of Directors for her thoughts.

“RTA is making good on its commitment to continually improve passenger amenities,” She further added, “This new shelter not only improves the streetscape, but also enhances our customers’ overall travel experience.”

We now have 5 upgraded bus shelters in Wildomar.
The four shelters are located at:

• Palomar & Central

• Wildomar Community Library
• Wildomar Assisted Living Senior Center
• Inland Valley Hospital
• Clinton Keith and George (near Oak Springs Ranch Apartments)

A representative of Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez's office stopped by with a certificate for the occasion.

Hemet mayor Linda Krupa, Wildomar council member Bridgette Moore
and Samantha Stilwell of Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez's office.

Any opinions on where the next such shelter should be located? Suggestions have included: in front of the Elks Lodge; in front of Circle K at the corner of Bundy Canyon and Mission Trail; and near the Rite Aid at the corner of Palomar and Clinton Keith.

As aside, the funding for these bus shelters came from RTA. No Wildomar dollars were used to get them here. 

What local event is complete without some of GoNutz Donuts specialized creations?

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Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.

— William Butler Yates, 1865-1939

Wildomar Rap tip of the day: Wait till the iron is hot to flatten those wrinkles. Also, striking the iron isn't as effective as plugging it in.

• RTA 25¢ All Summer

Calling all parents! 

If your school age child is looking for something different to do this Summer, or you just want them out of the house for a few hours, consider taking an RTA bus trip for just a quarter.

I was at a T-Now meeting (Transportation Now), and spoke to RTA rep Eric Ustation about the program.

I asked who this program is targeted at and he told me, "Students, grade 1 through 12, with a valid student ID, or some proof that you're a student, and you can board any bus that goes anywhere, except for dial-a-ride. Commuter link, fixed route, go to the beach, go to the mall, go wherever we go."

This is valid through September 10th, 2016. 

I know that the world has changed a lot since I was a kid (when riding buses all over town was the norm), and many parents don't seem to give their kids much freedom these days, but if you're not one that has your child perpetually swaddled in bubble wrap, think about sending them off on an adventure for the afternoon. 

It'll be fun, just like it was when we were that age.

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"25 cents to go through this thing? Eh, we'll walk first!"

 — Bugs Bunny to the toll taker at the Panama Canal, 8 Ball Bunny, 1950 

Wildomar Rap reminds you: that all the bubble wrap in the world won't keep your kid from running you through the ringer... at least once.

• RTA Rider Appreciation Event

As part of the local T-NOW group (which meets monthly to discuss the RTA in our area), I attended a Rider Appreciation event at the Outlet Mall in Lake Elsinore. It was from 4:00am to 7:00am on November 18th.

A look at the first pick up and another at the last one of the event.

Wolfee Donuts provided coffee and donuts for the riders on this chilly morning as several RTA Board Members engaged in conversation with the commuters that take public transit into, and back from, LA or OC everyday.

A panoramic look at the bus stop (the lights in the center of the pic) as the Sun was coming up... about 90 mins into the event.

I learned that the top reasons these people chose the bus/train over their own automobiles varied a bit, but none listed saving gas money as a top reason.

Top reasons for taking public transit included:

• Avoiding traffic
• Less stress
• Saving wear and tear on their cars
• Camaraderie among the regular riders

Most people that I asked about their top reasons for taking public transit mentioned how avoiding the stress of driving was top of their list. 

One man, that makes the commute to UCI, mentioned how he uses the ride home to unwind from his day at work. He views driving to still be working, and he prefers to be done working once he's off the clock. He either watches movies, listens to books on tape, etc and when he gets home he's ready for family time. 

12 year commuter CeCe and Bridgette Moore before the 4:26am pick up.

Another of the many hats that Mayor Pro-Tem Bridgette Moore wears is being a Board Member of RTA. In the picture above, she poses with daily rider CeCe who was been taking public transit to work in OC for the last 12 years.

As for me, I only commute one day a week these days, and it's over Ortega Highway where there is no public transit, but if I worked in LA or OC I can see the advantages of taking this route to work if you have a regular five day a week job and you're not a fan of the 91.

On my driving day I no longer can just leave at 6:00am and be there at 7:00am. What used to be an hour commute has morphed into at least 90 mins (on a good day) if I leave at 6:00am. So, to avoid the mess, I have to leave at 4:45am and then since I'm way to early to start work, I end up parked for an hour.

The coffee and donut station as supplied by Wolfee Donuts.

Based on the stories I heard from the various riders this morning, their commutes aren't much longer than driving, and it's relatively stress free compared to being behind the wheel. Something to consider if you're fed up with the Corona Crawl that only seems to be getting worse with time.

A look at the intrepid group that was set to greet the riders as seen through a selfie of Murrieta Mayor Randon Lane.

From L-R: Randon Lane (Murrieta), Joseph Morabito (WR), Nichole Daily (LE), Brad Weaver (RTA), Deni Horne (Field rep for Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez), Bridgette Moore (W'mar), Wolfee rep, John Zaitz (Canyon Lake), Amy and Daryl Hickman (LE).

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“Fresh popcorn is near impossible to resist, second only to fresh doughnuts.” ― Shannon Wiersbitzky

Tip of the day from Wildomar Rap: When your hands are cold before the sun has risen, discard the paper cup sleeve on your coffee and let it heat up your hands...if you're wearing gloves that is.

• Southwest Transportation NOW

Went to an RTA meeting in Murrieta called Southwest Transportation NOW.

Click to see the official webpage for Transportation NOW.

First thing I'll remark on is Murrieta's City Hall. I'd seen it from the road countless times, but this was my first time inside. What a nice place it is and the residents there must be proud of it.

Murrieta City Hall

Back to the meeting at hand.

It was a short meeting chaired by Lake Elsinore City Councilman Daryl Hickman. Gotta love a meeting that is scheduled from 12:00 to 1:00 and all the business gets addressed, a sandwich and salad get eaten, some chatting and visiting go on and you're home by 1:00... which included a quick stop at the bank. At the RTA Roadeo, from a couple of weeks back, he did drive the fastest so it makes sense that his meetings would fly by too.

The interesting part was the Ridership Report. It was announced that the ridership of October 2014 was the highest in the history of RTA at around 962,000.

Falling gas prices, and possible effects on ridership, were discussed. Deni Horne, field representative for Melissa Melendez's office,  reminded people that gas prices will spike at the first of the year due to a hidden gas tax (read the LA Times article on it here).

It was mentioned that even though gas prices have come down, that the economy hasn't really changed and that the costs associated with operating an automobile are still prohibitive to those that use the bus as their way of getting around.

In the announcements part of the agenda, Deni Horne mentioned a Holiday Open House that will be hosted by Assemblywoman Melissa Melendez and County Supervisor Kevin Jeffries at The Links at Summerly, on December 9th from 4pm-7pm.

Even if you just stop by for a moment, it'll be a good chance to meet some of your elected officials.

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Justice without strength is helpless. Strength without justice is tyrannical. So many times, unable to make what is just strong, we have made what is strong just. — Blaise Pascal

Wildomar Rap would love to offer The Daily Jumble... but Wildomar Rap isn't even a daily publication so that would be silly.