San Jose is getting millions in federal dollars to make some of the city’s most dangerous roads safer. San Jose will use $12.9 million from the Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program to add safety features to four transit corridors. City officials and safety advocates announced the award and detailed the safety changes...
Transportation
Transportation
San Jose hosts a futuristic vision of mass transit
The future of transportation arrived in San Jose via a conference centered on automated, sustainable forms of public transit for the region and beyond. The 2023 Podcar City transit innovation conference took place Friday at San Jose City Hall, where about 100 representatives from transit organizations, companies and municipal governments from around the world gathered...
San Jose aviation director turns in his wings
San Jose Aviation Director John Aitken’s bags are packed and he’s ready to go. The head of San Jose Mineta International Airport for the last six years isn’t leaving on a jet plane, though. Aitken is planning to retire in March after a 31-year career with the airport. Aitken worked his way up from airport...
Crosswalk coming to deadly East San Jose street
One of San Jose’s most dangerous streets will be getting new safety features to protect children going to school. Councilmember Peter Ortiz and a group of parents from Rocketship Fuerza Community Prep, led by community organizer and teacher Blanca Carbajal, hosted a town hall Thursday to talk about a new crosswalk coming in front of...
San Jose to pilot traffic cameras to reduce speeding
San Jose could hand out more speeding tickets next year, thanks to a controversial bill bringing traffic cameras to several California cities. Assembly Bill 645 legalizes the state’s use of surveillance cameras in school zones and “safety corridors” to catch speeding drivers for a five-year pilot program. Six cities will participate in the pilot, including...
Sunnyvale officials to consider traffic safety plan near schools
Walking and biking in two Sunnyvale neighbors is about to become safer for children going to school. The Sunnyvale City Council is slated to award a $3.9 million contract for pedestrian improvements in the Sunnyvale Neighbors of Arbor community, which includes La Linda and the San Miguel neighborhood. Residents in these north Sunnyvale neighborhoods have...
Silicon Valley transit agency unsure of when it will ban problem riders
Beginning next year, VTA will have the ability under state law to ban troublesome passengers who attack frontline transit employees. But there’s a catch—the transit agency won’t actually be able to wield that authority until it completes a series of critical steps. These include creating an advisory committee to define why someone could be prohibited from VTA’s...
‘Now is the time’: Silicon Valley transit leaders discuss future
Local transportation experts say safety and collaboration between agencies in the Bay Area are critical to pushing forward the future of Silicon Valley transit. Transportation leaders gathered on Wednesday to discuss the future of public transportation during a panel hosted by San José Spotlight. Panelist Rod Diridon Sr., a prolific transportation advocate whose namesake marks San Jose’s downtown...
San Jose builds bridge between police and lowriders
San Jose’s rocky relationship with lowriding is taking an unexpected turn—the city will have a police car converted into a cruise-ready piece of art. The San Jose City Council voted Tuesday to donate a Ford Crown Victoria Interceptor to be transformed into a lowrider, a customized car with hydraulics that allow it to bounce or...
San Jose grapples with crowded RV street parking
San Jose officials are struggling to solve the growing number of RVs lining city streets—and the road will not be easy. Mayor Matt Mahan and three San Jose councilmembers want to explore ways to manage homeless residents living in vehicles while simultaneously ramping up available safe parking sites. Solutions being discussed include fully banning RVs in certain...