Tag: transit

Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day!

On behalf of the Silicon Valley Transit Users, I want to wish everyone a Happy Labor Day.  Today, let’s honor the working people who help make this country great.

All transit agencies in Silicon Valley such as VTA, Caltrain and SamTrans are running on a Sunday/Holiday schedule today. In addition, there are no Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) trains between Stockton and San Jose today.  Normal transit service will return on Tuesday.

Please stay safe and sane today while we all celebrate the working class people in our country today.

Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users

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

AUDIO: Silicon Valley’s Housing & Transit Crisis

On March 31 in Mountain View, more than 40 people gathered at the Adobe House near the Mountain View Caltrain station. There, they heard Kim Mai-Cutler speak about the affordable housing and transit shortages currently affecting Silicon Valley.  The speech and gathering were organized by the Friends of Caltrain.

As you will hear in the recording above, some of the solutions discussed by Ms. Cutler and the audience, besides the need for additional, affordable housing, include:

  • Citizens must better educate themselves on who the decision-makers are at the city and transit (VTA) level, and lobby for improvements at both levels.
  • Citizens must also educate themselves on where the money goes at the local and state level NOW for housing and transportation. (A future blog post will have more on the transportation aspect of this.)
  • Citizens must realize that they cannot complain about increasing traffic and diminishing quality of life while blocking anything to improve both.

Please comment your own solutions to Silicon Valley’s affordable housing and transit shortage crisis below. Also, comment what YOU would be willing to do at the local government level to make such solutions happen.

Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users

Bus & Rail Service to Christmas Shopping This Week

Want to beat traffic gridlock and parking hassles at shopping centers and malls this week? We have a Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) bus and light rail guide to malls and shopping centers in Santa Clara County.

We also have tips on staying safe and showing respect for other passengers aboard VTA and Caltrain as well.

Finally, make sure to follow @svtransitupdts on Twitter for the latest public transit updates. Follow these tips to help keep @svtransitupdts and others updated.

Have a safe and sane Merry Christmas. Let’s be careful out there!

Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users