Tag: Santa Clara County

Issues affecting all of Santa Clara County.

They All Did Good At Super Bowl 50

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Super Bowl 50 crowd goes to VTA light rail after the game has ended.

Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara is now history. Congratulations to the Denver Broncos for winning Super Bowl 50 last Sunday over Carolina by a score of 24-10.

A big “Thank You” goes to BART, Caltrain and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) for providing public transit to and from Super Bowl 50. VTA carried 9,500 fans to and from Super Bowl 50. Of that number, 60% of them transferred from light rail to Caltrain in Mountain View, according to Mass Transit Magazine.

Here’s how those who took VTA and Caltrain saw Super Bowl 50…

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Merry Christmas!

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christmas 2013

On behalf of the Silicon Valley Transit Users, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.  I especially wish a Merry Christmas to those who cannot be with their families.

Today, many transit agencies serving Silicon Valley (VTA, SamTrans, are running a Sunday/Holiday schedule.  Also, Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) rail service and Dumbarton Express buses will not run today, with service resuming on Monday.

Flying to or from San Jose? Read our transit guide for VTA and other bus service to and from Mineta San Jose International Airport to help you beat traffic gridlock.

Taking Greyhound or Megabus to or from San Jose? Our transit guides to the Greyhound bus station in downtown San Jose and Diridon Station for Megabus help you beat traffic. Note that Diridon Station also serves Caltrain, Amtrak buses and trains, VTA buses and light rail, Monterey-Salinas Transit buses, and Highway 17 Express bus service to Santa Cruz.

Doing any last-minute or post-Christmas shopping? Our transit guide to shopping centers and malls throughout Silicon Valley helps you beat parking hassles and traffic gridlock. You will always have a parking spot when you take a bus or train to shop.

Make sure to stay safe out there this Christmas holiday season.  See you on the bus or train.

Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users

 

First Group Meeting Of 2015 This Thursday

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Please join us at our first meeting of 2015 this Thursday, January 29 at 6pm in San Jose.  Meeting agenda is as follows:

  • Things YOU can do to make Bus Rapid Transit on El Camino Real between Palo Alto and San Jose happen
  • How YOU can help make VTA buses and light rail run more on time
  • Other Santa Clara County transit issues you want to discuss

The meeting is expected to be no more than one (1) hour.

Here are VTA bus, rail, and automobile directions on getting to the San Jose Peace & Justice Center. Be advised there is NO live video or audio streaming (yet) for our group meetings. The only way to know what’s going on and how YOU can make taking VTA better: BE THERE.

Bring a pencil or pen and paper (or smartphone/tablet notepad program) for our meeting. This is because information will be given to you during our meeting talks (see agenda above) which you need to make note of.

Please spread the word about our group meetings as needed. ALL ARE WELCOME! See on on Thursday.

Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users

First VTA Board Meeting Of 2015 Tonight

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This evening, the very first Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Board of Directors meeting of 2015 will take place.

Amongst the items the Board will vote on, according to their meeting agenda (Adobe PDF Document):

  • Initial remarks from Perry Woodward of Gilroy, who will chair the VTA Board this year
  • Approving or rejecting an initial study for a new parking structure at the Tamien Light Rail Station area
  • Approve or reject spending $11.7 million of your money on a construction contract to construct Phase II of the Mountain View Light Rail double-tracking program.

The meeting site is the County Supervisors’ Chambers at the County Government Offices 70 W. Hedding Street (at North First Street) in San Jose.  The County Government Offices are one block north of the Civic Center light rail station and the bus stop for VTA’s 61, 62, 66 and 181 express bus lines. Plan on driving to the VTA Board Meeting? There’s free on-street parking in front of and across Hedding Street from the County Government Offices, starting right at 5:30pm.

Want to speak at tonight’s VTA Board of Directors meeting? Here are some rules and procedures you need to follow to get your voice properly heard.

See you this evening!

Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users

The Evolution of “Hotel 22”

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Hotel 22 Trailer from Elizabeth Lo on Vimeo.

The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA)’s 22 bus line runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. It is Santa Clara County’s only 24-hour public transit service. Because of this, the 22 bus line is infamously known as a place where homeless people who can’t obtain proper shelter end up sleeping overnight. As a result, this bus line is known amongst the homeless population as the “Hotel 22.”

More on the increase in homeless people on additional VTA bus lines and light rail – and what can be done to end homelessness in Silicon Valley – follows.

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