Due to city sewer replacement work, the Palo Alto Transit Center will be closed for bus service until January 27. As a result, SamTrans and Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) bus riders must board buses on El Camino Real and Quarry, near Stanford Shopping Center. Here is the SamTrans bus boarding plan and the VTA bus boarding plan during the work. Staff from both agencies are expected to be on hand to assist those who need transfers between these buses and Caltrain. Meanwhile, Caltrain will still serve the Transit Center.
Tag: Palo Alto
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.
https://twitter.com/CALHSR/status/799401608622682112
More information on VTA’s proposal will be posted this weekend.
Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users
Hoedown At the Hofbrau
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The first of the debates for Measure B took place on Monday. At the Santa Clara County Democratic Club at Harry’s Hofbrau in San Jose, both sides debated Measure B – VTA’s latest transportation sales tax proposal. Santa Clara County Supervisor and current VTA Board Chair Cindy Chavez debated the for side. Gladwyn D’Souza, San Carlos Belmont Group Chair at Sierra Club’s Loma Prieta Chapter, debated the against side.
Who do YOU think won last night’s Measure B debate? Please comment below.
Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users
Bus Crashes On Both Coasts
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Early Friday morning, two New Jersey Transit buses crashed into each other in downtown Newark, NJ. Two people – including the driver of one of the buses – died as a result of the crash. Seven bus passengers are in critical condition at a nearby hospital.
According to the Associated Press (AP), investigators are determining whether the bus driver killed in the crash ran a red light. The same AP report mentioned that the intersection the bus crash occurred was one of the first in New Jersey to feature surveillance cameras that caught red light violators. That surveillance camera program was discontinued in 2014 amid controversy.
Later on Friday, in downtown Palo Alto, a Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) bus jumped the curb and hit some newspaper racks after making a right turn. While Palo Alto Online reported that no one was , it is rather interesting to note that the driver was allowed to continue the route on another bus. This is something worth asking VTA, I have never heard of this practice after an incident involving a bus and passengers.
On behalf of the Silicon Valley Transit Users, our condolences go out to the hurt and perished in the Newark bus crash.
Let’s all be careful when riding – and driving the buses and trains…
Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users
Independence Day Transit Guide
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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.