Contentious plans for the Charcot Avenue Extension project in North San Jose are reaching the end of the road. San Jose’s Rules and Open Government Committee on Wednesday unanimously recommended the city halt plans to build an overpass that would cross over Interstate Highway 880 from Paragon Drive to Oakland Road and divert the remaining...
Spike in employee complaints at Santa Clara County transit agency
Amid a surge in civil rights complaints, VTA is taking applications from consultants to study how to transform the agency’s workplace culture. Data received by San José Spotlight shows 129 complaints have been filed with VTA’s Office of Civil Rights as of Dec. 9. That is significantly higher compared to last year, when employees filed 76...
San Jose’s VTA, union draft potential agreement for wage increases
VTA and its largest union don’t often see eye to eye, but they have cautiously agreed to wage increases and a bonus for roughly 1,500 bus and light rail operators, mechanics and other workers. Amalgamated Transit Union Local 265 struck a tentative agreement with VTA on Dec. 22 to establish a 10% pay raise for ATU...
San Jose’s VTA light rail trains are increasingly empty and slow
The VTA light rail system is much like the famed song “Rock Island Line”: if you want to ride it, you gotta ride it like you find it. Light rail riders find the commute to be clean, comfortable, easy to use, handicap accessible and on schedule. It can also be time-consumingly slow, with a cross-town...
Here’s where San Jose lawmakers traveled during the pandemic
Three San Jose officials spent at least $8,000 in tax dollars on trips this past year—a fraction of what the city used to spend on business travel prior to the pandemic. Lawmakers traveled to Washington, D.C., Ohio and nearby cities like Sacramento for conferences and White House events—with taxpayers footing the bills, according to city documents. These...
San Jose traffic fatalities near record levels for 2021
As 2021 draws to a close, San Jose officials have concerns about traffic fatalities for the year climbing toward record levels despite ongoing investments in street improvements and educational outreach. At least 55 people have died in traffic accidents involving pedestrians, cyclists and motorcycles as of Nov. 30, making 2021 one of the deadliest years...
San Jose lawmakers establish design goals for BART extension
San Jose lawmakers and transit leaders are cautiously laying the groundwork for how to integrate new BART stations in San Jose. The City Council received an update Tuesday from VTA and BART officials on the latest stages of the BART Silicon Valley Phase II project. This major infrastructure development will extend BART service by six...
Uptick in holiday travel at San Jose airport
After a turbulent year, the Mineta San Jose International Airport is seeing a promising uptick in passengers traveling for the holidays. Approximately 300,000 passengers passed through the airport from Nov. 19 through Nov. 28. Daily traffic data is not yet available, but airport officials say overall travel volume was nearly three times higher than the...
San Jose transit agency looks to improve work culture
As VTA prepares for the end of a year marked by unprecedented tragedy and challenges, the public transit agency is exploring how to change its work culture for the better. During the VTA’s most recent board meeting, CEO Carolyn Gonot outlined a multi-pronged approach to stabilize and transform the agency after a year marked by...
VTA pulls funding from San Jose’s Charcot Avenue extension
VTA is diverting funding from a controversial highway project—the target of community outrage for years. The transit agency’s board of directors agreed to approve nearly $200 million for 11 infrastructure projects to relieve highway congestion in Santa Clara County during its Thursday meeting. At the urging of director and San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo, the...