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...
East Side lawmakers worry about light rail extension’s future
East San Jose has eagerly awaited a light rail connection to the Eastridge Transit Center since Santa Clara County voters approved Measure A almost 20 years ago. By imposing a 30-year sales tax, county voters in 2000 decided to expand a light rail service into San Jose, but now it appears the long-awaited Capitol Expressway...
VTA recommends saving Route 22 overnight bus
A VTA bus line dubbed ‘Hotel 22’ that provides shelter to countless Silicon Valley homeless residents is safe — at least for now. Transportation officials on Friday recommended saving Route 22, a bus line that travels from Palo Alto to East San Jose. Earlier this year, officials recommended eliminating the route from 1 a.m. to...
VTA Board allocates Measure B funds to controversial San Jose project
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Board on Thursday approved $25 million in transit Measure B funds for a controversial traffic calming project in San Jose. Critics say the Charcot Avenue Extension project, which would cross over highway I-880 from Paragon Drive to Oakland Road, would endanger the safety of children at nearby Orchard Elementary School....