Tag: morgan hill

Happy New Year 2019!

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On behalf of the Silicon Valley Transit Users, I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year.

On Tuesday, all public transit agencies serving Silicon Valley like Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA), Caltrain, and SamTrans will run a Sunday/Holiday schedule.

All three transit agencies will have FREE service on the night of New Year’s Eve (about 8pm), until early morning on New Year’s Day (about 5am). This includes VTA, Caltrain, and SamTrans.

Please make sure to take advantage of these FREE transit services on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day – especially if you have been drinking.  To help you use public transit on New Year’s Eve – and any other time – read our new First Time Transit User guide.

Have a safe and sane New Year!

Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users

This Thursday, Sam Comes To Our Club

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The Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Board Chair will see some of his managers this week.  San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo – also VTA Board Chair this year – will be our guest at our group’s upcoming meeting this Thursday in San Jose. 

TIME/DATE: Thursday, April 26 at 6pm
PLACE: San Jose Peace & Justice Center, 48 S. 7th Street (between Santa Clara and San Fernando Streets), San Jose
GETTING THERE: Many VTA bus lines like the 22, 522 Rapid, 72, 73 and Highway 17 Express stop near the Peace and Justice Center.  There is limited bicycle and automobile parking behind the building, so it’s advisable to take public transit to and from the building.  There is also wheelchair access behind the building.

The agenda and a toll-free dial-in number to the meeting follow…

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Next Network, Current Concerns

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Huge changes to your bus and light rail service in Santa Clara County will be discussed this week.  At Thursday evening’s VTA Board of Directors’ meeting, the Board members will further discuss what VTA staff proposed under the “Next Network” transit service restructuring proposal.

If you haven’t done so already, read up on VTA’s “Next Network” proposal.  Learn whether or not it may be made harder for you to reach your job, school, or doctor by public transit in Santa Clara County this fall.  This is especially true if you live in Gilroy, Morgan Hill, Almaden Valley, or some parts of Palo Alto, Mountain View or Sunnyvale.  This is also true if you take any of the VTA express buses from Fremont, as they are proposed to be eliminated when BART opens in December.

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Next Meetings For the “Next Network”

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For transit in Silicon Valley, 2017 is off to a fast start.  In addition to changing its logo, colors, and tagline, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is holding meetings in January and February to take your input on its “Next Network” bus and light rail service restructuring proposal.  Recall VTA’s prior bus service restructuring in 2008 which has been documented, as a guide.

If approved by the VTA Board of Directors in April, changes will take affect this fall.

Public meetings have already been held in cities like San Jose and Milpitas, with more to follow until the end of February.  More on the VTA’s “Next Network” proposal – and some of our thoughts on it so far – are below.

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Next Network “Phase II” From VTA

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One week after Measure B’s passage, more bus service reductions in Santa Clara County are being discussed.  At a workshop today in San Jose, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) will propose to staff “an “85/15 balance between ridership-purposed and coverage-purposed services.”  What this could potentially mean:

If VTA pursues a more ridership-purposed transit network, routes that would be leading candidates to be decreased or discontinued are coverage-purposed routes located in the low density areas of Palo Alto, Mountain View, Los Altos, Saratoga, Los Gatos, Morgan Hill, Gilroy and the Almaden Valley, East Hills and Evergreen areas of San Jose. Some of the riders in these areas depend on VTA for transportation and VTA is exploring alternatives to retain their mobility while lowering the per-ride subsidy that VTA currently pays, which generally ranges from double to triple the system-wide average per-ride subsidy.

Where VTA’s “Next Network” workshop will be held:

TIME & DATE: November 18 at 2:00pm
PLACE: VTA Auditorium at VTA’s River Oaks headquarters, 3331 N. First Street, San Jose
GETTING THERE: VTA’s headquarters is across the street from River Oaks light rail station.  It is also served bh the 58 bus line.

Special thanks to @CALHSR on Twitter for informing our group of this news item.

More information on VTA’s proposal will be posted this weekend.

Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users