Tag: silicon valley

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

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