Santa Clara County Local News: Transportation


All Local Transportation News articles contributed by our local media allies and other local newsrooms.

Image caption: California transportation history runs from railroads to today’s car culture.
California’s History of Transportation: From Railroads to Highways

The history of transportation in California has shaped the state, from the railroads to today’s highways, making the need for planning increasingly urgent. Here’s how it all happened, and where we stand today.

Image caption: Over two weekends last October, residents of Santa Cruz and Watsonville  participated in demonstration rides aboard an electric streetcar on rails.
The ‘Rail Trail’ Movement, Explained

Thousands of miles of railroad track, including some in Santa Cruz County, now sit idle. The fate of those largely abandoned tracks has become a burning controversy.

San Jose Spotlight logo From San Jose Spotlight...

05/15/2025
Image for display with article titled Silicon Valley Paratransit Operator Cries Foul Over VTA Decision

VTA has a new shuttle service operator for people with disabilities and the previous contractor is raising concerns about why it was ousted.

California Local Pin Marker From The Sacramento Bee...

05/14/2025
The California Highway Patrol is introducing "discreet" Dodge Durangos into their fleet of patrol vehicles.

San Jose Inside logo From San Jose Inside...

05/02/2025
Image for display with article titled DA Decides Not to File Charges in Morgan Hill Nazi Flag Incident

In March, a  Nazi flag was hung on the north Morgan Hill overpass in where supporters of President Donald Trump had gathered for a political demonstration.

San Jose Spotlight logo From San Jose Spotlight...

05/01/2025
Image for display with article titled San Jose Transit Agency Considers Regional Sales Tax Measure

VTA could join a regional sales tax measure benefiting public transit in 2026, but is deciding how to balance local needs.

California Local Pin Marker From Mountain View Voice...

05/01/2025
Delivery drone service for small packages has begun in Mountain View and Sunnyvale.

San Jose Spotlight logo From San Jose Spotlight...

04/30/2025
Image for display with article titled San Jose Business Owner Loses Property for BART Expansion

Sridhar Kollareddy walks between thousands of imported marbled granite slabs, slated to become countertops or gravestones. His business, Silicon Valley Granite, has sold the slabs across the Bay Area for 20 years from his San Jose facility. But now, he’s being forced to vacate the property in less than 72 hours to make way for a yearslong transit project.

San Jose Spotlight logo From San Jose Spotlight...

04/30/2025
Image for display with article titled Will Self-Driving Taxis Come to West Valley?

Self-driving cars could hit the West Valley's small, suburban streets as one company tries to expand its footprint outside big cities.

California Local Pin Marker From Los Altos Town Crier...

04/29/2025
Three road construction projects are scheduled for this summer in downtown Los Altos.

Los Gatan logo From Los Gatan...

04/24/2025
Image for display with article titled Bike and Pedestrian Infrastructure Celebrated in Los Gatos With Opening of Hwy 9 Bridge

On an overcast spring day—20 years after planning began—a new prefabricated pedestrian, bicycle and ADA-compliant bridge was dedicated at Highway 9.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

04/24/2025
Unions are pushing for shorter freight trains to make railways safer, but that could raise the cost of goods and delay passenger rail service. It also may not be legal.

California Local Pin Marker From Los Angeles Times...

04/23/2025
You need a Real ID to fly, and the deadline to get one in California is May 7.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

04/22/2025
From higher costs to export worries, California’s agricultural and wine industries face many possible tariff effects. But some hope for opportunity.

San Jose Inside logo From San Jose Inside...

04/21/2025
Image for display with article titled VTA Says It Has Three Labor Agreements in Hand, One to Go

Negotiations with the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 265, which represents about 1,500 transit workers, remain unresolved.

San Jose Spotlight logo From San Jose Spotlight...

04/17/2025
Image for display with article titled VTA Finalizes Contracts With Three Unions, Excludes Frontline Workers

Three of VTA’s four unions ratified new contracts for the next four years, leaving the transit agency’s frontline workers hanging.

California Local Pin Marker From The Mercury News...

04/17/2025
Robotaxis may be a fixture on San Jose streets as Waymo applies for permits to operate in the city with the support of Mayor Matt Mahan and local Congressperson Sam Liccardo.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

04/15/2025
Almost everyone gets nervous during a traffic stop, but people with disabilities also worry about whether an officer understands their condition or could misinterpret their symptoms.

California Local Pin Marker From Palo Alto Online...

04/14/2025
In their April 14 meeting, the Palo Alto City Council considered choices to either mix parking and housing or just move forward just with parking at the corner of Hamilton Avenue and Waverley Street.

California Local Pin Marker From CalMatters...

04/13/2025
The California DMV routinely allows dangerous drivers with horrifying histories to continue to operate on our roadways. Too often they go on to kill. Many keep driving even after they kill. Some go on to kill again.

California Local Pin Marker From Mountain View Voice...

04/12/2025
Silicon Valley area crosswalk buttons have been hacked and speak in voices imitating Elon Mush and Mark Zuckerberg saying ... interesting ... things.

San Jose Spotlight logo From San Jose Spotlight...

04/11/2025
Image for display with article titled Ruling to End VTA Strike Upheld by Appeals Court

An appellate court judge has denied an appeal from a union representing bus drivers and light rail operators with VTA — doubling down on the decision to end a historic worker strike.