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...
What’s next for BART and VTA’s evolving Downtown San Jose extension?
With the addition of Google to the Downtown San Jose area looming, a reimagining of the Diridon station underway, and the extension of BART all the way from Berryessa to Santa Clara, there are a myriad of moving parts and pieces that could transform Downtown San Jose and finally tie together the Bay Area as...
VTA committee puts Vasona extension on ice, discusses light rail makeover
At the latest VTA Capital Program Committee meeting, transit leaders discussed the future of the county’s light rail system from system enhancements to possible new technology investments. The meeting started with an item that could have an impact on Campbell and Los Gatos — a presentation about the proposed Vasona expansion of the light rail...
VTA directors ponder their future in latest committee meeting
In the aftermath of this summer’s explosive grand jury findings, VTA has been taking a long, hard look at its current governance setup. At the latest Ad-hoc Board Enhancement Committee meeting, members of VTA’s Board of Directors fielded a wide-ranging discussion about how to best address not only the findings of the grand jury, but...
VTA votes to discontinue Route 65 despite strong support
Transportation leaders voted Thursday to eliminate Route 65, a bus route that runs from Cambrian Park and as far north as Japantown, citing low ridership and alternative routes available. The discontinuation comes after the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority organized a $100,000 two-month ridership community campaign to attempt to increase ridership. This effort included social...
After decades, VTA light rail extension to Eastridge moves forward
The Valley Transportation Authority Board of Directors on Thursday voted unanimously to approve new plans for a light rail extension to San Jose’s Eastridge Transit Center — giving what should be the go-ahead on an almost 20-year-old project. The vote came decades after East San Jose residents waited for the wheels of government to crank...