Tag Archives: transportation

San Jose Mercury News: Roadwork Around SJSU to Yield Bike Lanes

Downtown San Jose road work will result in better biking

Posted by the San Jose Mercury News June 20, 2012.

By Eric Kurhi

To encourage pedal-powered transit downtown, San Jose roads are being ripped apart, repaired and repainted.

“We’re striving to make downtown San Jose the most bike-friendly downtown in the Bay Area,” said Jesse Quirion, a transportation specialist with the city.

That entails more than laying down the paint for bike lanes and buffer zones. The work is being done along with scheduled pavement maintenance. And the problems on some of the roads are more than just asphalt-deep, Quirion said.

“Some areas have what we call dig-outs,” he said. “Base failure. We need to repair the underground first and then do the overlay and slurry seal.”

Work is currently being done on Third Street, Fourth Street, 10th Street, 11th Street and Almaden Boulevard — all expected to be completed by mid to late July.

Some roads will have traditional bike lanes. Others will have additional room via painted buffer zones, and one stretch of Fourth Street will be physically separated from traffic by a 4-inch-high rubberized barrier where it runs alongside San Jose State University.

Existing traffic lanes on most of the affected arteries are being reduced to two lanes instead of three as part of a long-term plan to encourage people to get around without a car, Quirion said.

“Initially we may see some traffic impacts, but we hope it will be alleviated over time,” he said. “Hopefully people will make a shift to alternative transportation.”

Quirion said other bike projects are on tap to start later this summer, including a green-colored bike lane on San Fernando Street from Cahill Street to SJSU like the one on Stevens Creek Boulevard in Santa Clara as well as selected corridors in San Francisco.

“It makes it stand out, highlights it and notifies drivers that the bike lane is there,” Quirion said.

The city also is partnering with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to set up 20 bike share stations throughout downtown, where public bikes can be checked out with a credit card and returned to a different location.

Quirion said similar programs are proving popular in New York City, Washington, D.C., and a few locations in Miami.

San Jose’s bike share program will begin in September, Quirion said.

Contact Eric Kurhi at 408-920-5852. Follow him at Twitter.com/erickurhi.

UPD Expands Evening Guide Escort Program

CSU police badge

The new SJSU Evening Shuttle will offer campus community members safe transportation to nearby destinations.

Jan. 25, 2012 – San Jose, Calif. – The San Jose State University Police Department has expanded its Evening Guide Escort Program to include an Evening Shuttle that provides service beyond the previous two-block off-campus limit.

The new boundaries for the Evening Guide Escort Program and Evening Shuttle include South 16th Street, Julian Street, First Street, and Interstate 280.

The Evening Guide Escort Program and Evening Shuttle provide a safe means of nighttime travel for campus community members who need to get to their nearby residences, workplaces, classrooms, study areas, cars, or public transportation stations.

The off-campus Evening Shuttle is only available to current SJSU faculty, staff, students with Tower Cards or on-campus employment identification, and it will operate Monday through Friday from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m., excluding holidays. Traditional on-campus Evening Guide services do not require ID.

The Evening Shuttle is limited to groups of three at a time and one single round-trip per rider/group per night. The Evening Shuttle does not provide transportation to and from alcohol related establishments, such as nightclubs, bars, or taverns, and visibly intoxicated individuals will not be allowed to ride.

Those wishing to receive an Evening Guide escort on or off campus must call the UPD directly at the Evening Guide Hotline at (408) 924-2000, or use a campus blue light phone. The Evening Shuttle will not stop for flag-downs.

Read more on the Evening Guide Escort Program and Evening Shuttle Service.

Recent Grad Wins VTA Mobile App Contest

Passengers boarding VTA light rail.

Vashishtha Jogi, who recently graduated with a master's in computer engineering, won with "San Jose Transit."

By Pat Lopes Harris, Media Relations Director

In June, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority launched a contest challenging professional developers and hobbyists to create a mobile app to enhance the VTA travel experience.  Members of the public submitted a variety of apps that are supported by Apple’s operating system, Google’s Android platform, or both. After carefully evaluating all contest submittals, “San Jose Transit” designed by Vashishtha Jogi was declared the winner! When asked why he entered the VTA contest, Jogi cited his interest in public transit and desire to make it easier for the public to navigate the system. “I love learning new technology, and this industry plays a huge role in my desired career path,” said Jogi.  “I aspire to be someone who builds something useful for other people and not done by anybody else.” Jogi recently completed his master’s in software engineering at San Jose State in August. The app offers schedules for light rail, bus and train service. Read more.

Bike Share Program on the Horizon for SJSU

A picture of a red bike share bicycle taken in China during a Global Technology Initiative trip. Bikes include a modular shape and contains a basket for carrying items.

Hangzhou, China, is often credited with hosting one of the world's largest bike share fleets. Soon, SJSU will join a similar effort funded by a Bay Area regional grant. The Bay Area program is expected to be in operation by the end of next summer (photo by Karin McKie).

By Amanda Holst, Public Affairs Assistant

Bike sharing, a popular trend in Europe, will soon be making a paceline to SJSU. Associated Students’ President Tomasz Kolodziejak said the program, expected to be completed in September 2012, will add a sense of community to the city and campus.

“It will give students the freedom to explore the city if they don’t own a bicycle, if they don’t have enough room to store one, or don’t want to go through the trouble of maintaining one,” Kolodzejak said.

Eyedin Zonobi, manager of the A.S. Transportation Solutions office, said a bike share program would play well with the estimated 1,000 bicycles on campus per day each semester.

“Although we have six cages to accommodate parking for bikes, plus open racks in front of every building, parking for bikes is reaching its limits,” Zonobi said. “This program would alleviate some of the impact.”

Bike Share Grant

The project is being funded by a $4.29 million Metropolitan Transportation Commission grant to provide bicycles and kiosk stations to the cities of San Francisco, Redwood City, Mountain View, Palo Alto and San Jose. In addition, San Francisco, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties will contribute matching funds, making this a $7 million project.

San Jose is expected to receive 150 bikes, placed in up to a dozen automated pods around the downtown area, linking the San Jose Diridon Transit Center to other high-activity locations, according to Bike and Pedestrian Program Director John Brazil.

Transportation Solutions is joining efforts with Parking Services and Facilities Development and Operations on campus to work with the City of San Jose and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority. An SJSU planning committee will find three or four locations on the campus perimeter for bike share hubs. VTA is in the process of issuing a request for proposals for vendors.

Features, depending on the vendor, may include modular bike stands, metal baskets, solar or electric locking and tracking technology, and GPS capabilities. Bikes will be inexpensive to rent and there will be different payment and membership options to chose from.