Eugene B

New Site For Tonight’s VTA Board Of Directors Meeting

Due to construction at the County Supervisors’ office, today’s VTA Board of Directors meeting will be at the Auditorium at VTA headquarters, 3331 N. First Street (near River Oaks) in San Jose.  The meeting will start at 5:30pm as always.

Among the agenda items to be discussed at today’s Board of Directors meeting:

  • finalizing a purchase of land near Orchard Supply Hardware on Auzerais in San Jose to rebuild the Los Gatos Creek railroad bridge for Caltrain (and High-Speed Rail in the future)
  • finalizing language for the upcoming transportation sales tax ballot measure VTA will have in November
  • a co-sponsorship deal with the operators of Levi’s Stadium for the upcoming 49ers football season, having a game-day and season light rail pass to and from 49ers games for $25 and $149 per person, respectively.

Can’t make it to tonight’s Board of Directors’ meeting? Watch the Board meeting activities online.

Come join me at 5:30pm to help make VTA accountable to every citizen. Including YOU.

Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users

What You Missed At Our Last Meeting

svtru group gathering 07262016

Here is what you missed at our last meeting July 26 in San Jose.

We discussed VTA’s recenter termination of its paratransit contract with OUTREACH.  As VTA starts the bidding process for a new paratransit, we will all need to be vigilant. While no current paratransit service will be affected, we will still need to monitor the transition progress.  One such way to monitor progress (if you are not doing this already): attend and speak up at VTA’s “Committee for Transit Accessibility” (CTA) meetings. The next such meeting for CTA will be in October.

We also discussed having a debate between a supporter and an opponent of VTA’s latest transportation sales tax ballot measure for our group’s next meeting August 30 in San Jose. This will help our group determine whether we will support or oppose VTA’s latest sales tax measure.  This will likely be known on the November ballot as “Measure B” as Measure A has been reserved for Santa Clara County’s “Affordable Housing” bond proposal.

More details on our August 30 “VTA sales tax debate” will be posted as soon as details warrant.

Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users

Independence Day Transit Guide

Happy-4th-of-July

On behalf of the Silicon Valley Transit Users, I want to wish everyone a Happy Fourth of July.  This post details public transit service to and from all Independence Day celebration events throughout the South Bay.

Of note: there is NO BART service between Fremont and South Hayward in both directions due to track work until Tuesday.  BART is running free shuttle buses between South Hayward, Union City, and Fremont in all directions.  Taking BART to the East Bay from Fremont?  Allow at least 30 minutes additional travel time.

Otherwise, all Silicon Valley transit agencies such as VTA, Caltrain, and SamTrans will run a Sunday/Holiday schedule on Monday.  Service hours will return to normal on Tuesday.

Here are your public transit alternatives to Fourth of July events, below.

WATCH: VTA “Next Network” Meeting In San Jose

For the second time in a decade, VTA is redesigning its bus network. Its goal is to make transit “more usable and cost effective, and to maximize connections with BART.”

Tonight at 6pm, VTA staff will have a presentation at San Jose City Hall detailing its proposed bus network restructuring plan.

The in-person meeting details are below, followed by the live stream that will play at the top of the page starting at 6pm SHARP. Details on how to get to San Jose City Hall are below.

San Jose City Hall (Rooms 118-120)
200 East Santa Clara Street, San Jose, CA, 95113

Light Rail and many VTA bus lines like the 22, 23, 522 Rapid, 64, 66 and 68 stop within a 2-block walk of San Jose City Hall.

What do YOU think about VTA’s bus network restructuring proposal? Please comment below.

See you at San Jose City Hall at 6pm tonight.

Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users

Big Time Transit To Big Time Events

Sharks fans on VTA light rail. Photo courtesy @execlaw on Twitter

Sharks fans on VTA light rail. Photo courtesy @execlaw on Twitter

This weekend in the Bay Area has championship events that are being seen worldwide. From Stanley Cup Finals games 3 and 4 in San Jose, to the NBA Finals in Oakland on Sunday, to the Copa America Centenario games in Santa Clara, the world is watching the Bay Area sports scene.

This post details the bus and rail options available for these big time sporting events.