The Santa Clara VTA Riders Union (SCVTARU –
www.vtaridersunion.org), a transit advocacy and watchdog group in
the South Bay, has issued a mass transit usage guide. Titled Always
A Parking Spot: How To Reach South Bay Malls Via Mass Transit, the
guide shows readers how to use Valley Transportation Authority
(VTA) buses and light rail to beat holiday traffic gridlock to area
malls such as Eastridge, Stanford Shopping Center and the Gilroy
Outlets.
The Santa Clara VTA Riders Union (SCVTARU – www.vtaridersunion.org), a transit advocacy and watchdog group in the South Bay, has issued a mass transit usage guide.
Titled Always A Parking Spot: How To Reach South Bay Malls Via Mass Transit, the guide shows readers how to use Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) buses and light rail to beat holiday traffic gridlock to area malls such as Eastridge, Stanford Shopping Center and the Gilroy Outlets.
Inspired by SCVTARU supporter and contributor Antony Nispel’s “How To Thrive On Mass Transit In Santa Clara County (http://home.earthlink.net/~awnispel/pt.html), the guide shows readers where they can access VTA buses, light rail, and other regional transit systems at each mall listed.
With reports of mall parking lots such as the Great Mall, Eastridge and the Gilroy Outlets at or near capacity, SCVTARU felt it was time to do what VTA management has failed to do thus far – inform the public that there is a better alternative to traffic gridlock and road rage in the form of mass transit.
The guide was created as a project of concerned taxpayers and transit riders. It was not created with the endorsement or assistance of the VTA, although the guide uses its online bus and light rail schedule listings.
The guide is available online at www.vtaridersunion.org. For those without online access, our guide is available by writing to P.O. Box 390069, Mountain View, CA 94039-0069.
As an example on how to use the online guide, a shopper wants to get to Eastridge Mall in East San Jose. After logging on to www.vtaridersunion.org and clicking on Mall Transit Guide in the middle of the page, the user can select Eastridge Mall.
They are then taken to a map of Eastridge, with the mall’s web site, and a description of major retail stores (J.C. Penney, Sears and Macy’s) available. Any landmarks within walking distance, such as Raging Waters and Reid-Hillview Airport, are also noted.
A listing of the transit stops at Eastridge is provided, along with each bus or light rail service serving that stop. In this example, the Eastridge Transit Center is listed as Stop 1 (with a description of stores near the stop for the visually impaired). Stop 1 lists that VTA bus lines 22, 26, 39, 70, 71, and 74 serve Stop 1. The user would click on the bus line of interest (the 26), where a separate browser window would point to VTA’s web site for the schedule for the 26 bus. The user is advised throughout the guide to contact VTA at (408)321-2300 if there are questions regarding transit schedules and fares.
Founded in October 2000 by Eugene Bradley, the Santa Clara VTA Riders Union is a grassroots-based organization dedicated to ensuring that elected officials improve and implement cost-effective, frequent and reliable mass transit in Santa Clara County. Its web site is located at www.vtaridersunion.org.
