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Bicycle safety is an ongoing challenge in the Bay Area, but San Jose is working to change that. “When residents are asked why they don’t bike, the No. 1 answer is safety,” Shiloh Ballard, executive director of the Silicon Valley Bike Coalition, told San José Spotlight. Within the first five months of this year, five...
San Jose residents clamor for a good night’s sleep
Silence is golden for downtown San Jose residents. Since 2018, residents, politicians and the city have worked with Union Pacific Railroad to negotiate a partial quiet zone from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. along the Warm Springs rail corridor, which passes through Japantown and the Hensley Historic District of San Jose. It finally went into...
San Jose opens door to airport connector proposals
Getting to Mineta San Jose International Airport from downtown is difficult on public transportation, but that might change in the future. San Jose officials are opening up the possibility of a transit link between the airport and Diridon Station. The city Department of Transportation is accepting bids to develop a transit project spanning the three miles...
San Jose council ponders airport improvements amid budget talks
As San Jose leaders consider budgets for transportation services, some are expressing cautious optimism about the recovery of air travel. At a recent budget workshop meeting, San Jose Aviation Director John Aitken said the city is focused on the air transportation industry’s recovery. He said the Mineta San Jose International Airport is still well below its pre-pandemic...
Car cruising could return to San Jose streets
After a decades-long ban, San Jose may ease the brakes on cars cruising city streets. On Wednesday, the Rules and Open Government Committee unanimously approved exploring ending fees and fines associated with cruising—arguing it’s inherently discriminatory. The ban, which prohibits lowriders and other decked-out cars from driving slowly through city streets, was implemented in the 1990s to curb gang violence. David Polanco,...
San Jose transit workers face discipline for lack of COVID shots
VTA has mailed its first batch of disciplinary letters to workers who refuse to comply with the agency’s COVID-19 vaccine policy, and more are likely on the way. VTA sent out about 50 letters on Friday to workers who are not vaccinated or received an exemption, according to an agency worker. The letters propose termination for individuals...
Silicon Valley mourns legend Norm Mineta
Norman Yoshio Mineta, a Japanese internment camp survivor, San Jose’s first Asian American mayor and U.S. secretary of transportation during 9/11, died in his Maryland home on Tuesday at age 90. Mineta is a local legend known for his advocacy during the September 11, 2001 attacks. As the secretary of transportation, he swiftly directed planes to fly...
COVID vaccine deadline hits Silicon Valley transit workers
Today marks the deadline for VTA employees to get vaccinated for COVID-19 if they want to keep their jobs, and scores of workers still haven’t submitted proof of vaccination. A VTA spokesperson told San José Spotlight that as of Wednesday, 1,851 workers have reported being fully vaccinated against COVID-19 out of the agency’s 2,142 employees—an 84.6% completion...
Silicon Valley transit agency burdened by old trains, costly parts
VTA pays more for parts on its light rail vehicles than any other transit agency in the country, but the agency’s problems in this area appear to run deeper. VTA officials blame the high price tag on a variety of issues, including difficulties locating parts, supply chain problems exacerbated by COVID-19 and contracts that lapsed...
San Jose union objects to VTA work culture consultant
VTA is postponing voting on a contract for a work culture consultant following a furious outburst from the head of the agency’s largest union. The VTA board of directors unanimously agreed Friday to defer approving a $1.9 million two-year contract with Deloitte Consulting to aid with transforming the agency’s work culture. The board made the decision...
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