A safe parking site for people living in their vehicles will open next month, and San Jose officials have chosen who will manage it. The San Jose City Council on Tuesday unanimously voted to award WeHope, a nonprofit homeless services provider, a $2.8 million contract to oversee the city’s second safe parking site on 1300 Berryessa Road. The...
VTA BART expansion work to include minority-owned businesses
VTA has pledged to increase contracting opportunities for minority-owned businesses in its ongoing BART expansion into San Jose. Sergio Lopez, mayor of Campbell and chair of VTA’s board of directors, signed the Equity in Infrastructure Project pledge on behalf of the agency Monday, alongside more than a dozen local government agencies. The VTA board unanimously...
San Jose starts ban on RV street parking
San Jose has begun temporarily banning RVs in designated areas across the city this week. Under a $3.3 million pilot program, Oversized and Lived-In Vehicle Enforcement (OLIVE), the city has chosen 30 temporary tow-away zones to clear RVs for street sweeping and cleanup throughout this year. It will establish a new temporary tow-away zone every...
San Jose homeless camps spark safety issues for railroad workers
Homeless residents living along train tracks pose an unsafe and dangerous problem for railroad workers across California cities, including San Jose. Recent videos shared by a San Jose-based railroad enthusiast show workers and riders passing by homeless camps close to the tracks — giving a glimpse into some of the most egregious encampment sites. While railroad officials...
California law sparks VTA workplace violence prevention plan
Tragedy and a lack of workplace safety measures led one Silicon Valley lawmaker to call for tighter regulations to protect employees. Senate Bill 553, state Sen. Dave Cortese’s bill relating to occupational safety and workplace violence, took effect this summer. The bill focuses on preventing violent incidents like the 2021 VTA shooting at the hands...
Safety improvements planned for Silicon Valley transit corridor
Stevens Creek Boulevard is on the road to a complete renovation in the name of safety and public transit, but improvements are years away. The Stevens Creek Boulevard Corridor Vision Steering Committee on Wednesday voted unanimously to recommend a plan for the nearly 8-mile, heavily-trafficked thoroughfare. The plan could better the unwalkable, dangerous corridor by...
San Jose cyclists unhappy with traffic safety barriers
Traffic safety improvements meant to protect San Jose and Los Gatos may have actually made cycling on a busy road more dangerous, bicycle riders said. San Jose transportation department workers recently added plastic barriers known as “bollards” along Los Gatos Almaden Road to protect cyclists in the bike lane from reckless drivers. City leaders made...
West Valley lowers speed limits for safety
Roads in certain parts of fast-paced Silicon Valley have just gotten slower. Los Gatos and Cupertino recently slowed some speed limits by 5 miles per hour in an attempt to promote traffic safety and reduce injuries and fatalities. Los Gatos will lower the speed limit from 35 to 30 mph on certain parts of Blossom...
Historic San Jose trolley brings back holiday charm
Commuters pause and stare when the doors open along downtown San Jose’s light rail train stops. Before them isn’t the sleek white transit car they’re used to — but a time machine. VTA officials are reviving their most unique, 96-year-old holiday trolley car after a yearslong absence to run a brief stretch — free of...
Silicon Valley cities get funding for ride-share service
Multiple Silicon Valley cities are raking in money for micro-transit programs, which transit advocates say is critical for areas with sparser public transportation. Sunnyvale has secured a roughly $4.2 million grant from the California State Transportation Agency to cover about half the cost of a micro-transit pilot program for at least five years beginning next year....