Every year, San Jose receives hundreds of claims from residents because they tripped on a sidewalk or a sewage backup destroyed their property — but the most commonly settled claims are car accidents caused by police and other city employees. An analysis by San José Spotlight found that of the 1,122 claims filed by residents over...
San Jose wants to curb spike in homeless traffic deaths
Eduardo Almanza has been homeless on and off for years. He’s had a number of close calls with cars and the VTA light rail in San Jose, and he openly admits to becoming disoriented and ending up in the road. He said he’s seen friends with bruises and sprained ankles caused by drivers not paying...
Holiday travelers say San Jose airport is a breeze
Holiday travelers flying out of the South Bay have been treated to short security lines and few cancellations this year. While other travelers across the country have fallen victim to long check-ins, cancellations and delays amid winter weather, San Jose Mineta International Airport spokesperson Ana State said this year’s holiday travel season has been without...
San Jose scores millions to improve its most dangerous roads
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...
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...