Showing posts with label Bay Area Traffic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bay Area Traffic. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

Would You Pay a Toll?

One of new newer concepts in Bay Area transportation is something called an Express Lane. An Express Lane is a carpool lane that also can be used by toll paying solo drivers. The video below by the Alameda Congestion Management Agency is for an express lane under construction on I-680 in Alameda and Santa Clara counties. VTA, where I work, has about a 20 percent stake in this project.

Following this project are four other Bay Area projects with similar designs. There's another that is under construction along I-580, a major artery to the Central Valley of California. We're managing the other three projects that are in Santa Clara County and are under various stages of design.

These projects offer the ability to use capacity on existing freeways without widening of freeways and at the same time allow for the generation of sorely needed revenue to pay for roadway maintenance and operations, and improvements. We'll see how these projects pan out.

Other areas like San Diego, Minneapolis, Miami, and Seattle have already constructed express lanes. Other areas like Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. have projects under development.

Parking in SF

The first car that we bought together was a VW Golf. One of the reasons was to make finding parking in San Francisco easier. We don't go into the City as much now so we do fine in our mini-van.

However, for those of you still battling for parking spaces in the City, check out the following web site: findingthesweetspot.com.

This also brings to mind a former co-worker. He had the most amazing parking karma. We would go to eat lunch in the busiest of places right in the thick of lunch hour on a Friday. This was in the Silicon Valley in the midst of the technology boom. Places like Ranch 99 in Milpitas. Never fail, if we were with Jeff, we would always find a parking space. It was amazing.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

David and Christina Star on Evening News!

It's not too often that one gets to see a local news story featuring co-workers and friends. Last night was an exception.

The video clip below features David and Christina from out office explaining one of our projects. The footage of these two was taken at a public meeting held at Mountain View City Hall where the public was invited to provide input on the project.

I arrived when Lloyd LaCuesta and the cameraman were packing up to leave. I was told that they asked for suggestions for their on-site footage. The In-N-Out Burger near the Charleston Road on-ramp was the near unanimous suggestion based on proximity to the freeway and the existing safe refuge in the parking lot ... and oh, yes, In-N-Out Burger serves up decent burgers.

http://www.ktvu.com/video/18893851/