The Valley Transportation Authority spent most of 2019 making decisions about how to deploy public transit resources based on the assumption that Bay Area Rapid Transit would open two new train stations in the South Bay before the end of the year. But despite months of promises from BART, that’s not going to happen. Last week,...
VTA installs new safety railings in downtown San Jose
The next time you’re strolling through downtown San Jose while staring at your phone, look up. You might bump into a VTA railing that’s meant to save you from an oncoming train. VTA recently installed a series of railings on Second Street as part of a pilot program to improve safety and speed for VTA...
Transit leaders approve vital agreement for BART extension
A vital agreement between the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority and Bay Area Rapid Transit has finally been authorized, just in time for the completion of Phase I of the Silicon Valley expansion project – the 10-mile BART extension to Milpitas and Berryessa. The VTA Board of Directors voted unanimously Thursday to authorize VTA General Manager...
Traffic concerns engulf San Jose neighborhoods on verge of development
A long history of reckless speeding, hit-and-runs and traffic-related deaths in San Jose’s Northside neighborhood has forced Tony Mangallanez to prohibit his kids from playing outside in the front yard. “Drivers need to act like your kids are living on the street,” Mangallanez said. “I had a car that was totaled in front of my...
Bay Area companies and community groups push for $16B transportation investment
A group of 32 Bay Area organizations, from private tech companies to community groups, on Wednesday urged local lawmakers to take big, new strides to invest in transportation throughout the region. In a letter, signed by Alphabet-owned Waymo, San Francisco-based ridesharing and scooter companies Lyft and Lime alongside a slew of Bay Area bicycle coalitions,...
San Jose lawmaker criticizes highway funds diverted to high-speed rail
Gov. Gavin Newsom has received backlash from both sides of the political aisle after signing an executive order last month that diverts funds away from highway repairs into high-speed rail projects — a move that has some San Jose lawmakers shaking their heads. The funds — up to $5 billion generated annually — stem from...
Frustrations mount over VTA’s no-show buses, lack of communication
Handfuls of VTA riders have unknowingly waited for buses that were never going to arrive. Dan Rouse waited for the 181: @vtaservice why is route 181 skipping the 8:38 warm springs departure? — ???? Dan Rouse ????️???? (@dsrouse) October 10, 2019 The same happened to Enrique Camacho and the 323: @VTA Please post when there...
Riders mourn the loss of a San Jose bus line relied on by vulnerable residents
Riders say they were heartbroken when Silicon Valley leaders recently voted to end a bus route that zig-zags through the city across a dozen neighborhoods serving seniors, people with disabilities and students at San Jose State University and San Jose City College. Linda MacLeod still rides the Route 65 bus. That route represented independence at...
Amid more BART delays, San Jose lawmakers call for a second downtown station entrance
Silicon Valley transit officials uncovered budgetary changes and a drastically revised timeline for the BART Silicon Valley Phase II project during a recent VTA Board of Directors meeting, potentially pushing passenger service back until 2030. But for San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo and Councilmember Raul Peralez, who both sit on the VTA board, the higher...
Activists push for improvements to bus routes during VTA meeting
During an otherwise ordinary VTA Board of Directors meeting Thursday, a dozen activists rallied to urge the board to consider reallocating funds from the 2016 Measure B tax away from highway projects and toward the dwindling network of bus routes throughout the county. Speakers pointed to the county’s recent declaration of a climate emergency as a call to action for VTA...