Tag: San Jose

Sweating Details At A Workshop

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This Friday morning promises to be an event for public transit in Silicon Valley. Then, in San Jose, members of the Valley Transportation Authority’s Board of Directors will discuss what will go into a proposed sales tax ballot measure in November. (Adobe Acrobat PDF Document)

Take any VTA bus, light rail or Caltrain? Learn how YOU are affected by the proposal by reading this article from Adina Levin of Green Caltrain.

The VTA Workshop will be webcast LIVE to the public starting at 9am on Friday.

EVENT: VTA Envision Silicon Valley Workshop
DATE & TIME: Friday, April 22nd at 9am
PLACE: VTA Headquarters, 3331 N. First Street, San Jose
GETTING THERE: VTA Headquarters is right next to the River Oaks light rail station.

If at all possible, join us to ensure VTA continues to build a proper transit system for everyone in Santa Clara County – including YOU.  Remember: it will be (more) sales tax money from YOU that will be spent on these transit projects.

Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users

DISCLOSURE: Our group is one of the stakeholders of the Envision Silicon Valley effort.

VTA’s Incredible Shrinking Bus Ridership

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A bus ridership crisis at the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) has publicly reared its head. Gary Richards of the San Jose Mercury News reports on how VTA bus ridership has dropped 23% since 2001. Richards’ report details highlights of a presentation from worldwide transit planner Jarrett Walker detailing solutions to the bus ridership crisis.

More details on that story, the report, and what YOU can do follow after the jump.

Read more →

AUDIO: Silicon Valley’s Housing & Transit Crisis

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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

February 2016 Group Meeting Agenda

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Here is the meeting agenda and other details for our upcoming meeting February 23 at 6:00pm in San Jose
  • status on the Alum Rock Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project and what we can do to ensure it’s completed properly
  • how to report good (and bad) VTA bus/light rail operators, and early/late/no-show buses/light rail
  • an update on the likelyhood of another transit sales tax vote this fall
  • any other idea you want the group to pursue to make VTA run better and more efficient

Here is a map and directions showing how to get to the San Jose Peace and Justice Center. The Center is only one (1) block north of the San Jose State University campus.

Plan on driving to our meeting? There is limited FREE parking in the back of the Peace & Justice Center. There is also limited on-street parking nearby and at the Grocery Outlet lot on Santa Clara Street.

Can’t make it to our group meeting? You can dial in to our group meeting by calling (415)655-0001. When prompted, use PIN # 194 171 125 as the meeting number. Note that you must dial in after 5:55pm and that there is limited space.

Bring a pencil/pen and paper with you to our meeting for note taking. Also, be ready to start taking action on what we discuss.

See you next Tuesday. Please distribute this invitation to everyone where (legally) permitted. ALL ARE WELCOME!

Eugene Bradley
Founder, Silicon Valley Transit Users