By WIll Reisman, @WillReisman
Stand up For Transportation Day a Resounding Success: More than 350 organizations representing some 150 communities across the country came out to publicly back transit initiatives as part of Stand up For Transportation Day, a national advocacy effort organized by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). The nationwide event, held on April 9, was organized as a way to urge state and federal leaders to provide adequate funding levels for the country’s public transportation needs. That message was hammered home by representatives of several Bay Area transportation agencies, who gathered at the temporary Transbay Terminal in San Francisco to lobby for increased support for public transportation. Thousands of people across the country attended similar gatherings, and, according to APTA, #standup4publictransportation—the official hashtag of the event—was the third-highest trending topic on Twitter on April 9.
Regular Season Baseball Returns to the Bay: The Giants, defending World Series champs, open up their regular season home slate with a game against the Rockies at 1:35 p.m. today. That contest is the first of a nine-game homestead at AT&T Park, which is just one block from the San Francisco Caltrain Station. Caltrain’s weekday and weekend schedule gives baseball fans plenty of options to make it to AT&T Park in time for the opening pitch. Following the contest, Caltrain offers extra service to accommodate the large crowds that take the train. Last year, Caltrain carried more than 718,000 passengers for the Giants regular season and playoff home games.
Help Out California State Parks as Part of Earth Day Restoration Efforts: State parks across California will be hosting restoration activities this Saturday as part of Earth Day 2015, which takes place on April 22. The annual restoration effort is in its 16th year, and volunteers can help pitch in and clean up conditions at 27 State Parks, including Half Moon Bay State Beach on the Peninsula. SamTrans Route 17, which operates along the San Mateo County coastside, has a stop just a few blocks from Half Moon Bay State Beach. Route 17 runs every two hours in Half Moon Bay during the weekends.