Eugene B

Improving Story/Keyes in San Jose

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Live, work, or do business along Story Road and Willow Street between Capitol Expressway and Highway 87? The City of San Jose and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) want to hear from YOU.  The goal of these street improvements, according to VTA:

The study will investigate ways to make this corridor safer and easier to use for pedestrians, bicyclists and transit riders while still serving drivers. We are currently evaluating the challenges, needs and opportunities for the study, which will be developed in 2017.

Tonight will be the first of three (3) community meetings to obtain public input on street improvements in the area.

DATE & TIME: November 17, 2016 from 6pm-8pm
PLACE: Leininger Center, Okayama Room, 1300 Senter Road, San Jose (1/2 block south of Story Road)
GETTING THERE: VTA’s 25 and 73 bus lines stop within a short walk of the Center, located near Happy Hollow Park and Zoo.

Want a better street in the area to travel by bicycle, bus, or automobile?  Be there.  Information on the other two public meetings will be available as soon as possible.

Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users

 

NO.

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We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
–Albert Einstein

no-2016-vta-measure-b

Here we go again.  On November 8, Santa Clara County voters will once again decide a transportation sales tax measure for Santa Clara County’s Valley Transportation Authority (VTA).

Remember the slogans of prior transportation sales tax measures in Santa Clara County?  “A + B = Traffic Relief” (1996) and “Traffic Relief NOW” (2000) are some examples.  Ask yourself: is access, speed, and reliability of public transit better than what it was when I was asked to approve a transit sales tax measure?  Is traffic more or less than what it was the last time I was asked to approve a transportation sales tax?

Read on for information that supplements what’s already out there on why you need to vote NO on Measure B November 8.

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From Last Tuesday’s Group Meeting…

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Our group had a chance to meet the new Coordinator of the San Jose Peace and Justice Center, Michele.  We learned that she uses VTA Access (formerly OUTREACH) Paratransit to commute.  She know about the scandal that led to the ouster of OUTREACH as VTA’s paratransit provider.  She especially likes the pages on our site that feature ways she – and others – can hold VTA accountable for better public transit in

It came as a surprise that she was going to vote against VTA’s Measure B on November 8.  She said that she was tired of all the “measures which ask her for money every year.”  We will be working with her and the Peace and Justice Center to help more people learn about our group, and grow together.

One more thing: more on our stance on Measure B will be posted later this week.  Some of our recent posts will give you a hint on where our group will go with this stance.

Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users

Bulls, Bacon…and ‘Ball

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This weekend in Silicon Valley features several interesting events – despite expected rain this weekend. For starters, there’s bull riding and a Bacon Festival in San Jose.  Also, there’s college football in San Jose and Raiders football in Oakland. This transit guide has Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) bus, light rail, and other rail service to and from these events to help you beat traffic gridlock.

More information follows…

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Coming Soon – Our Measure B Stance

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At this time, our group is still discussing our stance on VTA’s Measure B – a 1/2-cent transportation sales tax proposal on the November 8 ballot.  This discussion is taking place on our email list and our Facebook page.

To help you decide whether or not you should support or oppose Measure B, here is the full ballot text of Measure B, as VTA sent it to the County Registrar.  In addition, here are the Attachments A thru D mentioning the proposed projects in the ballot measure.

Also, here are details on where your money on prior VTA transportation sales taxes went.  This Mountain View Voice article from 2014 shows how nearly 80% of the $4.2 billion of your money from the last two ballot measures (2000 and 2008) went to the BART extension to Berryessa in San Jose.  In addition, this Palo Alto Daily Post article from 2014 details how VTA’s spending of your money affected Caltrain and, to an extent, bus service throughout Santa Clara County, since 2000.  For your reference, here’s the ballot text for 2000 Measure A and 2008 Measure B.  For balance, here’s VTA’s “report card” of projects built with your tax money from 2000 Measure A.  (A separate article on how your money was spent from 2000 Measure A is upcoming.)

The Mercury News has already endorsed Measure B.  Here’s a counterpoint on why to vote against Measure B.

Based on the information given above, would you support or oppose Measure B? Our Measure B stance – and why that stance will be taken – will be announced this week.

Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users