Traffic Relief and Transportation

By Ken Yeager

Getting people out of their cars and home safely to their families is a top priority.

I support BART to Silicon Valley. In addition to getting people off congested freeways and into an efficient regional public transit system, BART is critical to the long-term economic vitality of the Silicon Valley.

The neighborhoods I represent on the San Jose City Council are some of the most impacted by Mineta San Jose International Airport. I have seen my role as a councilmember to enhance the residents' quality of life by protecting the nighttime noise curfew and mitigating airport noise and pollution.

At the same time, I recognize the critical role our airport plays in the transportation needs of our region. I support funding for the airport "people mover" project in the quarter-cent sales tax plan for Measure A, to provide a valuable public transit link directly to our airport.

As Chair of the Joint Powers Authority that oversees Caltrain, I was very gratified to help make "Baby Bullet" service a reality. Passengers can now get from San José to San Francisco in under an hour, providing a realistic and practical alternative to commuters who are fed up with sitting in rush-hour traffic. Caltrain's new schedule offers the highest level of service in the railroad's 141-year history, and the first reduction in travel time in close to a century.

As part of the quarter-cent sales tax plan for Measure A, I support funding for the electrification of the Caltrain line. This will convert Caltrain from diesel-hauled to electric-hauled trains, reducing noise and improving regional air quality, while increasing train speeds and performance. Furthermore, electrification of Caltrain will accommodate future high speed rail, an idea that is gaining momentum to provide a transportation alternative between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The Valley Transportation Authority's light rail and bus service continues to be the backbone of our region's public transit infrastructure. As a member of the Valley Transportation Authority's Board of Directors, I was pleased to oversee the planning and construction of the Vasona light rail line, which now connects downtown San Jose to Campbell. Included in the quarter-cent sales tax plan, I support further expansion of light rail to under-served neighborhoods in Santa Clara County.

Neighborhood traffic calming, long a concern of city residents, has only recently been effectively addressed by city government. I was pleased to be a part of the updating and streamlining of San Jose's neighborhood traffic calming policies. When these new policies were not being implemented properly by city bureaucrats, I intervened to bring about change. Now, San Jose neighborhoods have in place a system that is responsive to their concerns regarding safety at crosswalks, speed limits on residential streets, and pedestrian and bicycle safety.