Work that smile, shake hands firmly and consider the bend-and-snap; Sacramento State needs to lobby hard for some of that sweet, sweet gas tax money.

California’s 12-cent-per-gallon tax on gas goes into effect Nov. 1. The money from the tax increase is slated to go toward improving the quality of the roads and freeways all over the state and help create funding for expanded public transit systems and better transportation programs overall.

That second part should get all of our collective stingers way, way up.

The parking and driving situation at Sacramento State is a nightmare. Some of that is temporary; ongoing construction has removed around 1,200 parking spaces on campus, and even before then, students and employees know it’s been an issue for much longer.

Though the ending of construction and a new parking garage will eventually help alleviate that crunch, it won’t solve one key issue.

Sac State has always been, and continues to be, a “commuter campus.” As the cheapest, most accessible university in the Sacramento area, it draws people from many other areas, and not all of them are willing to leave home and move into the dorms or surrounding apartments to attend. It’s unlikely to change, and that’s fine.

For those Hornets who choose to live in Sacramento (or had already lived here before attending), our free Regional Transit passes ensure admittance onto buses and light rails; RT, as a whole, is widely criticized by those who regularly use it, or used to before giving up on it.

Criticisms include buses and light rails nearly always running late, being unclean or even dangerous to ride and not spreading across Sacramento adequately considering the expansive nature of the city’s surrounding neighborhoods.

The Hornet shuttles are almost always late as well, and its hours end early considering the amount of students still on campus after the 5 p.m. end time for the Gold, Green and Stinger lines.

But don’t worry, the line to Ramona Lot goes well into the night! The cold, poorly lit and uncovered night.

Though riding your bike is an option, it is increasingly harrowing as construction on campus has risen. It’s hard to share the road on campus, and it’s even harder to get to campus safely on a bike depending on the distance.

So, Sac State needs to take some it’s brightest, most persuasive figures (Herky?) and send them straight to the State Capitol so future students can have a better time getting to campus or maybe even consider living closer, if it’s convenient enough.

How about more direct lines from high-population areas in Sacramento to campus? More buses that find their way closer to campus? Another parking structure where Parking Lot 7 is now? Shuttles running later into the night?

Some of these ideas could have their costs offset by selling Ramona Lot, as it’s about as useful long-term as a ham sandwich.

Some ideas may or may not be possible considering that Sac State is surrounded by a river, a freeway and a railroad. But with Science II almost wiping out campus reserves, money is tight, and anything the University can get from this new gas tax could seriously help change Sac State for the better.

It’s practically assured that Sac State students commuting from all over Northern California will be heavily paying into this gas tax. We may as well fight hard to get some of it back.