Family returns to train tracks to remember 2 year old son.

New Blossom Hill Pedestrian
Overcrossing
photo: neighborhoodwebsj

Around 200 attendees visited the site of a new pedestrian overcrossing on Friday to help the family remember the two year old Elijah Arriga who died just below on active train tracks. The babysitter's friend walked Elijah and his brother across the train tracks near Monterrey Highway and Blossom Hill Road when the younger brother was struck by a southbound Amtrak train back in 2005.


Here is more information about the bridge, which will be called "Xander's Crossing." According to the VTA.

The bridge includes a 315-foot long prefabricated steel structure with an inside width of 12 feet.

There are two 10-foot wide ramps that comply with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements and stairs to allow users to access Cottle Road and Endicott Boulevard pedestrian paths on the west side and access to Monterey Road on the east side.

New sidewalks and curb ramps connecting to existing paths

Fencing to deter unsafe at-grade crossing of the railroad tracks.

Capital Cost and Project Funding for the Pedestrian Overcrossing 

$0.98 million   00.99%  2000 Measure A Transit Impr Program funds
$6.79 million   64.67%  2006 State Prop 1B Infrastructure Bond funds
$2.48 million   23.62%  Federal Highway Administration funds
$0.25 million   02.38%  City of San Jose

$10.5 million 100.00% Total Funding

Election Nears: Candidate Forum in Willow Glen

Election 2012
Forum in the Glen

State office seekers to address neighborhood on core issues

San Jose, CA.: Willow Glen Neighborhood Association (WGNA) will host a candidates forum October 17th, 2012 featuring runoff candidates for the California State Asembly and Senate Office.

The focus will be on the budget, education, health and health care, the environment and infrastructure. These five core issues are at the heart of California's future recovery and growth. The forum will be held at the Willow Glen High School Library, 2001 Cottle Avenue, San Jose, CA. Doors open at 6:30pm.

In January two of these candidates will take on the challenge of funding California's educational system, tackling our state's growing health care burden, dealing with rapidly changing demands of global warming and preparing the state's infrastructure for the 21st century's competitive world economy.

Who will the voters send to Sacramento: Jim Beall or Joe Coto for State Senate; PaulFong or Chad Walsh for Assembly? The choice is yours. Join us for an informative evening with these four candidates. Members of the public are welcome to attend.

The Willow Glen Neighborhood Association (WGNA) was formed in 1973 by concerned citizens of Willow Glen who volunteered to represent citizens on issues of importance to Willow Glen, San Jose and beyond. The WGNA is known for its community engagement and passion for preserving and advocating for quality of life for all.

Willow Glen Neighborhood Association

Friday Ride/bys

Guadalupe River Trail
at the Airport SJC

Riding along the Guadalupe River Trail next to the airport this afternoon I encountered spotted a sign asking for just a little more patience. Although most of the painting at this location is done there still is some work being completed near the 880 freeway. Estimated opening date 10-3-2012. I wonder if they will have a grand opening; maybe even a ribbon cutting?

 Update 9-28-2012 2:40 PM - According to Richard Masoner of Cyclelicious, fog seal is being applied today from 101 to Montague Expressway.


Also in the "build it they will use it" category, I spotted Ryan this afternoon delivering freight by bike; that just happened to be bicycles. Ryan works at IMinusD bicycles on the Paseo de San Antonio across from San Jose State University. IMinusD along with Bicycle Express are personal favorites. Talk to Mark or Ryan at IMinusD or Karen or Chuck at Bicycle Express.

Ryan of iMinusD delivering
bicycles by bike

Whether its individuals selling bikes along the 11th St. bicycle corridor or bike shops using the 4th St. bike lanes to transport inventory from the warehouse to the retail shop greater numbers have been seen along the new bikeways.

This week I just finished reading An Economist Gets Lunch - New Rules for Everyday Foodies by Tyler Cowen. I've read his other book, Discover you Inner Economist, another economics book in the Freakonomics vein. 
I've just started reading Ill Fares the Land byTony Judt. I heard about this book while listening to a recent podcast of "To The Best of Our Knowledge". Judt is a British Historian, essayist and college professor who know lives in the United States.

Renewing an Old Idea: Common Good (New York Times, March 16, 2010)

Radio Open Source with Christopher Lydon - Tony Judt’s “Social Democracy” in America: A Call for Help! 

Champion of the unpopular and unfashionable, "Thinking the Twentieth Century" - The Globe and Mail, February 24, 2012

 

Currently Reading:
Canals for a Nation - The Canal Era in the United States 1790-1860, Ronald E. Shaw
Cadillac Desert - The American West and Its Disappearing Water, Marc Reisner
The Age of Heretics - Heroes, Outlaws, and the Forerunners of Corporate Change - Art Klein (Tribes Biography)
The Leaderless Revolution - How Ordinary People Will Take Power and Change Politics in the 21st Century, Carne Ross
Ill Fares the Land byTony Judt

The following service changes will take effect on Monday, October 1, 2012. Please note the inclusion of the 323 line from Downtown San Jose to DeAnza College. This service will be similar to the 522 service along El Camino Real as "Rapid" or "Express Bus"

Line 10 - Free Airport Flyer: Santa Clara Transit Center-Metro Airport LRT Station via San Jose International Airport
Minor weekday schedule changes will be made.

Line 22- Palo Alto Transit Center to Eastridge Transit Center via El Camino
Minor weekday and weekend schedule changes will be made.

Line 23- DeAnza College to Alum Rock Transit Center via Stevens Creek Boulevard
Weekday service will be rescheduled to provide 12 minute service (in conjunction with the introduction of new Limited stop Line 323).  Minor weekend schedule changes will also be made.

Line 37- West Valley College to Capitol Light Rail Station
Minor weekday schedule changes will be made in the westbound direction.

Line 40- Foothill College to LAvenida & Shoreline
In the northbound direction, the San Antonio Transit Center timepoint will be moved to Showers & El Camino.  Minor weekday and weekend northbound schedule changes will be made to reflect that change.

Line 48- Los Gatos Civic Center to Winchester Transit Center via Winchester Boulevard
Major weekday and minor weekend schedule changes will be made.

Line 49- Los Gatos Civic Center to Winchester Transit Center via Los Gatos Boulevard
Major weekday and minor weekend schedule changes will be made.

Line 57- West Valley College to Great America via Quito Rd
Minor weekday and weekend schedule changes will be made.

Line 58- West Valley College to Alviso via Fruitvale
Minor weekday schedule changes will be made.

Line 63 – Almaden Expwy. & Camden to San Jose State University
Minor weekday schedule changes will be made.

Line 65- Kooser & Meridian to Downtown San Jose
Minor schedule changes will be made. 

Line 104- Penitencia Creek Transit Center to Palo Alto
The 6:47 a.m. westbound trip will leave Penitencia Creek Transit Center at 6:39 a.m. due to increased traffic congestion. Minor schedule changes will be made to the other morning and afternoon trips.

Line 168- Gilroy Transit Center to San Jose Diridon Transit Center
The 5:42 a.m. northbound trip will be moved 6 minutes earlier due to passenger requests.

Line 181- Fremont BART to San Jose Diridon Transit Center
Minor Saturday schedule changes will be made to improve connections with BART.

Line 323- Downtown San Jose to De Anza College
This new Limited Stop line will operate between De Anza College and downtown San Jose via San Carlos St. and Stevens Creek Blvd. It will remain on Stevens Creek Blvd. between Bascom Ave. and Winchester Blvd. and not serve the Valley Fair Transit Center. The last eastbound stop will be 1st & St. John, and the first westbound stop will be 2nd & St. John. Line 323 will operate every 15 minutes from approximately 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. on weekdays. (See map), which also includes a list of stops.

Line 201- Downtown Area Shuttle (DASH)
Minor schedule changes will be made to coordinate with the new Caltrain and ACE schedules.

NEW PAPER SCHEDULES

On October 1st, new schedules can be found on board VTA buses and light rail as well as:

• VTA Downtown Customer Service Center, located at 2 N. First Street, Suite 100, at Santa Clara Street, San Jose.
  The hours are Mon. - Fri., 9 am to 6 pm
• VTA Marketing and Customer Service, located at 3331 N. First Street at River Oaks, San Jose. The location is in the lobby of Building B.
  The hours are Mon. - Fri., 8 am to 4:30 pm 
• Email us at schedules@vta.org to have them mailed to you.

For more information, please contact VTA Customer Service at (408) 321-2300, TTY (408) 321-2330

VTA Introducing New Limited Stop Line 323 on October 1st

Frequent service and fewer stops

September 24, 2012

San Jose, CA – On October 1st, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) will launch a new bus line that will provide faster and more direct service between De Anza College and Downtown San Jose – introducing Limited Stop 323! Currently, VTA operates Line 23 in this corridor which is the third most used bus service by VTA commuters, carrying 9,800 daily riders or about 10% of VTA’s overall bus ridership. New Limited Stop 323 will supplement Line 23 on weekdays which will relieve the over-crowding experienced by Line 23 passengers. Line 23 will return to a 12-minute service frequency while Line 323 will operate every 15 minutes on weekdays from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.  

There will be 28 stops that will be spaced out about one-half to a mile apart compared to the 94 total stops on Line 23. Line 323 will continue down Stevens Creek Boulevard to San Carlos instead of detouring to the Valley Fair Transit Center on Forest Avenue.  There will be a 323 bus stop on Stevens Creek conveniently located for easy access of the Valley Fair and Santana Row shopping centers. In addition, the De Anza College stop will be located on the southbound side of Stelling, adjacent to the De Anza parking lot.

With Line 323, VTA is laying the groundwork to accommodate the recent surge of Santa Clara County residents using public transportation.  Line 323 is the first step towards building an effective Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line along San Carlos Avenue and Stevens Creek Boulevard. The benefits of BRT include dedicated lanes that bypass automobile congestion, 10-minute (or faster) frequencies, new stations and vehicles, and faster boarding options. VTA’s Stevens Creek BRT Project is in the planning and early design phase with a delivery date of 2017.

In addition to the launch of Line 323, quarterly service changes will feature bus schedule modifications to further improve system on-time performance, reliability and passenger connectivity to other public transit systems. All service change information can be found on the VTA website at www.vta.org/nbs or by calling VTA’s Customer Service Center.  VTA's Trip Planner powered by Google will have the latest schedule information when the service change takes place on Monday, October 1, 2012. 

For more information on service changes or for a customized trip plan, contact VTA Customer Service at (408) 321-2300; for the hearing impaired only call (408) 321-2330. You can also log onto www.vta.org and sign-up to receive VTA email updates. Find VTA on Facebook at “SCVTA”, Twitter at “SantaclaraVTA”, and YouTube at www.youtube.com/scvta.

Caltrain adds additional bike capacity beginning Monday, October 1st

Important Service announcement from Caltrain
Sept. 27, 2012

New 92 Train Schedule Adds Benefits for Bicyclists

Dear Bicycle Community Member:

As you may have seen in recent months, Caltrain is experiencing record ridership growth following 24 months of consecutive increases.

In response to this growth, Caltrain is adding two new trains and restoring four others, previously cut due to budget constraints beginning Monday, Oct. 1. For the bicycle community, this means 416 new bike spaces added across six trains.

It also adds service to existing trains to provide more options for Caltrain customers. In addition, Train #324 will be equipped with a Gallery train set, increasing bike capacity to 80.

Caltrain passes Palo Alto Station
photo: Richard Masoner

In June, Caltrain reached an all-time high averaging more than 50,000 riders each weekday. For a passenger that means many peak-hour trains are full or standing-room only. When the additional service rolls out next week, it isn’t expected to completely eliminate crowding on all trains, but it does offer more options for peak-hour commuters and more frequent trains during the midday to appeal to passengers who need service alternatives during the off-peak.

The new schedule includes “shoulder” trains, or trains on the edges of the regular morning and afternoon commutes, to increase travel options for commuters. It also adds either a Palo Alto or Sunnyvale stop to 12 limited service trains. The additional stop should give customers more flexibility in planning their commute without a significant increase in the overall operating time.

Please check the new schedule for more details at www.caltrain.com.

Inspiring video from Europe on great bicycle (and human) infrastructure

Here is a video a friend sent to me highlighting some great city infrastructure. The clip highlights investments geared towards making people feel comfortable in an urban setting. Traffic engineers have use manuals for years to reference what makes great roads, highways, bridges, and ramps. These manuals are supported by AASHTO  (American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials, sadly the emphasis is on the word Highway) and other traffic engineering professional groups.

Have you ever heard of cities having professional placemaking groups with a goal of making excellent public spaces? Does your city have design guidelines that prioritize residents, workers, pedestrians, and people when designing their public spaces? Why hasn't our cities' plans and agendas incorporated the design of excellent public spaces? Isn't it about time you started to ask?


Thanks Mark S.

Hedding St. maintenance project underway

Construction signs are out on 10th and
Hedding Streets.

The San Jose City voted unanimously on August 21, 2012 to add bike lanes to Hedding Street between the Guadalupe River Trail and Seventeenth Street. This bicycle infrastructure project was to piggyback on the urgently needed maintenance project for that stretch of road. While riding along Hedding yesterday morning I got a shot of some of the work in progress. Actually the contractor started a couple of weeks ago. I am not sure of the estimated completion date.

Related posts:

• Hedding St. bikeway to be discussed
• San Jose City Council Agenda - 6. Transportation, August 21, 2012 
• San Jose City Council votes to create a key east/west corridor on Hedding St.

View Proposed Hedding St. Bike Lane Addition in a larger map

Campbell's Hacienda Avenue to get new improvements

Campbell's Public Works Department has announced new improvements coming to Hacienda Avenue between Winchester Boulevard and Burrows Road/San Tomas Aquino Road. This project, entitled the Hacienda Avenue Green Street Project, is anticipated to address existing concerns regarding pavement condition, missing sidewalks, improper drainage, as well as pedestrian and traffic safety in a manner that incorporates green street elements and sustainable design concepts.

Current design elements under consideration include:

Design elements to be considered include:

• Street pavement rehabilitation.
• Installation of missing sidewalks, accessibility ramps, and curbs and gutters.
• Installation of landscaped linear parkways along each side of the roadway that will be available to capture and percolate stormwater runoff.
• Reduction of heat island effect through the installation of additional street trees and a reduction to the overall asphalt pavement area.

The project is made possible through a generous grant from the Proposition 84 Chapter 2 Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) Grant Program, administered by the State Department of Water Resources. This competitive grant program provides funding for projects that assist local public agencies to meet the long term water needs of the state including the delivery of safe drinking water and the protection of water quality and the environment. Additional grant funds have also been provided by the Valley Transportation Authority’s Community Design and Transportation Program, which allocates funding on a competitive basis to projects that are creative, enhance connections with transit facilities, employ innovative and high-quality design, improve the pedestrian environment, enhance economic vitality, make better use of the land, infrastructure, and resources, and/or improve community connectivity, liveability, sustainability, and sense-of-place.

View Larger Map
City staff conducted meetings with the property owners along this stretch of Hacienda Avenue to collect additional input regarding the project, which will assist with the conceptual design process. Upon conclusion of the meetings with the adjacent property owners, the conceptual design will be presented to the community for additional review and input.

The following links are also designed to give you more information regarding this project:

• Council Memorandum (5.37 mb pdf) - Presented to City Council at the August 7, 2012 Study Session
• PowerPoint Presentation (4.63 mb pdf) - Presented to property owners
• Notice of Improvement Obligation (NIO) Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) (20 kb pdf)

Books I've Read List - September 2012

Waiting on a Train: The Embattled Futre
of Passenger Rail Service

Here is a list of what I have been reading the last year with some on my wish list. The list reads from those that I have most recently read to those which I read up to about a year ago. (As of September 25, 2012)

Books I've Read since January 2011


Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software, Steven Johnson
An Economist Gets Lunch - New Rules for Everyday Foodies, Tyler Cowen
Discovering Your Innner Economist  - Use Incentives to Fall in Love, Survive Your Next Meeting, and Motivate Your Denist, Tyler Cowen
The Little Blue Book: The Essential Guide to Thinking and Talking Democratic -George Lakoff and Elisabeth Wehling
Caltrain and the Peninsula Commute Service : Janet McGovern
27 Powers of Persuasion : Chris St. Hilaire 
City Comforts - How to Build an Urban Village : David Sucher
Open Road- A Celebration of the American Highway, Phil Patton
Oil on the Brain - Petroleum's Long, Strange Trip to Your Tank - Lisa Margonelli
Pedal Power - The Quiet Rise of the Bicycle in American Public Life : J. Harry Wray
Linchpin - Are You Indispensable?, Seth Godin
Meatball Sundae - Is Your Marketing Out of Sync, Seth Godin
Tribes - We Need You To Lead Us, Seth Godin
Purple Cow - Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable,  Seth Godin
Highways to Heaven - The Auto Biography of America: Christopher Finch
Waiting on a Train: The Embattled Future of Passenger Rail Service, James McCommons
Getting There - The epic struggle between road and rail in the American Century : Stephen B. Goddard
The Checklist Manifesto: How to get things right, Atul Gawande
Here Comes Everybody - The Power of Organizing Without Organizations, Clay Shirky
Straphanger: Saving Our Cities and Ourselves from the Automobile, Taras Grescoe
Going Local - Creating Self-Reliant Communities in a Global Age - Michael H. Schuman
Fixing Broken Windows: Restoring Order and Reducing Crime in our Communities, George Kelling and Katherine Coles
On Bicycles: 50 Ways the New Bike Culture Can Change Your Life : Amy Walker
As One - Mehrdad Baghai
Open Leadership - How Social Technology can Transform the Way you Lead : Charlene Li
The Neighborhood Project : Using Evolution to Improve my City, One Block at a Time, David Sloan Wilson.
Rebel Bookseller - Why Indie Business Represent Everything You Want to Fight For, Freom Free Speech to Buying Local to Building Communities - Andrew Laties
Wrestling with Moses: How Jane Jacobs Took On New York's Master Builder and Transformed the American City : Anthony Flint
What the Dog Saw: And Other Adventures : Malcolm Gladwell
Metaphors We Live By, George Lakoff and Mark Johnson.
Don't Think of an Elephant, George Lakoff
The Elements of Influence: Introducing the Playmaker's Standard: The New Essential System for Managing Competition, Reputation, Brand, and Buzz : Alan Kelly
Grassroots leaders for a new economy : how civic entrepreneurs are building prosperous communities, Douglas Henton, John Melville, and Kimberly Walesh.
Ignore Everybody : and 39 Other Keys to Creativity, Hugh MacLeod.
Microstyle : the art of writing little, Christopher Johnson.
Behind the dream : the making of the speech that transformed a nation, Clarence B. Jones and Stuart Connelly.
Why We Buy - The Science of Shopping : Paco Underhill
What Women Want - The Global Market Turns Femaile Friendly : Paco Underhill
The Call of the Mall - The Geography of Shopping :Paco Underhill
Changing places : Rebuilding Community in the age of sprawl, Richard Moe and Carter Wilkie
Two Billion Cars: Driving Towards Sustainability, Daniel Sperling
The Organization Man : William "Holly" Whyte (Age of Heretics -Biography)
The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces : William "Holly" Whyte
Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution--and How It Can Renew America : Thomas Freidman
The World is Flat - a brief history of the 21st century : Thomas Friedman
Bowling Alone - The Collapese and Revival of the American Community : Robert Putnum
A Whole New Mind : why right-brainers will rule the future, Daniel H. Pink.
Divided Highways: Building the Interstate Highways, Transforming American Life, Tom Lewis
What the dog saw and other adventure stories, Malcolm Gladwell
Divorce Your Car: Ending the Love Affair with the Automobile, Kate Alvord
Unless it moves the human heart : the craft and art of writing, Roger Rosenblatt
Home From Nowhere : remaking our everyday world for the twenty-first Century (reread), James Howard Kunstler
The Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape,(reread) James Howard Kunstler
Blink - The Power of Thinking Without Thinking : Malcolm Gladwell
World Made by Hand : James Howard Kunstler

The Death and Life of Great American Cities (reread), Jane Jacobs
The Economy of Cities, Jane Jacobs
Cities and the Wealth of Nations, Jane Jacobs
The Nature of Economies, Jane Jacobs
Systems of Survival: A Dialogue on the Moral Foundations of Commerce and Politics, Jane Jacobs
Change or Die: The Three Keys to Change at Work and in Life : Alan Deutshman
Outliers - The Story of Success : Malcolm Gladwell
Traffic - Why we drive the way we do, and what it says about us : Tom Vanderbilt
Soft Energy Paths - Towards a Durable Peace, Amory Lovins
Brittle Power - Energy Strategy for National Security, Amory Lovins
Winning the Oil Endgame, Amory Lovins 
Stick Your Neck Out - A Street-Smart Guide to Creating Change in Your Community and Beyond : John Graham
Your Innner Economist - Use Incentives to Fall in Love, Survive Your Next Meeting, and Motivate Your Dentist : Tyler Cohen
Freakonomics - A Rouge Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything : Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner
The Privitization Decision: Public Ends, Private Means : John D. Donahue
The Great Inversion and the Future of the American city : Alan Ehrenhalt
A pattern language - towns, buildings, construction : Christopher Alexander, Sara Ishikawa, and Murray Silverstein
Introduction to logic and critical thinking : Merrilee H. Salmon
Joyride: Pedaling Toward A Healthier Planet : Mia Birk
The City in Mind: Notes on the Urban Condition : James Howard Kunstler
Two Billion Cars - Driving towards sustainability : Daniel Speriling
Wow Wal-Mart is Destroying America, and What You Can Do About It : Bill Quinn
Pedaling Revolution: How Cyclists Are Changing American Cities : Jeff Mapes
Triumph of the city : how our greatest invention makes us richer, smarter, greener, healthier, and happier, Edward L. Glaeser.
Last Child in the Woods - Saving our Children from Nature Deficit Disorder : Richard Louv
Drill here, drill now, pay less : a handbook for slashing gas prices and solving our energy crisis, Newt Gingrich with Vince Haley.
The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference : Malcolm Gladwell
The Black Swan : the impact of the highly improbable, Nassim Nicholas Taleb
The Memoir Project : a thoroughly non-standardized text for writing & life, Marion Roach Smith
The Science of Fear - How the Culture of Fear Manipulates Your Brain : Daniel Gardner
The Storytelling Animal : how stories make us human, Jonathan Gottschall
Cadillac Desert - The American West and Its Disappearing Water, Marc Reisner
Special Events and Festivals : how to plan, organize, and implement,Angie Prosser and Ashli
Brew to Bikes - Portland's Artisan Economy: Charles Heying
Green Metropolis: Why Living Smaller, Living Closer, and Driving Less are the Keys to Sustainability : David Owen
The New City State - Change and Renewal in American Cities : Tom McEnery

And Prior
Rules for Radicals, Saul Alinsky (Age of Heretics -Biography)
The Reckoning, David Halberstam (Age of Heretics -Biography)
The Fifties, David Halberstam
The Ecology of Commerce - A Declaration of Sustainability, Paul Hawken (Age of Heretics -Biography)

On my reading list:

Doing More with Less, Burce Piasecki
The Icarus Syndrome - A History of American Hubris, Peter Beinhart (recommended by Chuck Marohn of Stongtowns.org)
The Big Roads: The Untold Story of the Engineers, Visionaries, and Trailblazers Who Created the American Superhighways : Earl Swift
Small is Profitable - The Hidden Economic Benefits of Making Electrical Resources the Right Size, Amory Lovins
Reinventing Fire - Bold Solutions for a New Energy Era - Amory Lovins
Together: The Rituals, Pleasures and Politics of Cooperation, Richard Sennett
Placemaking, Charles Bohl
The Quest - Energy Security and the Remaking of the Modern World - Daniel Yergin
The High Cost of Free Parking : Donald Shoup
ReThinking a Lot: The Design and Culture of Parking : Eran Ben-Joseph
Better Together: Restoring the American Community : Robert Putnam
The Witch of Hebron: A World Made by Hand Novel : James Howard Kunstler
Too Much Magic: Wishful Thinking, Technology, and the Fate of the Nation : James Howard Kunstler
The Long Emergency: Surviving the End of Oil, Climate Change, and Other Converging Catastrophes of the Twenty-First Century : James Howard Kunstler

Railroaded: The Transcontinental Railroads and the Making of Modern America : Richard White
The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger : Marc Levinson
The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York : Robert Caro (Open Road Biography)
Stealth of Nations - The Global Rise of the Informal Economy : Robert Newwirth
Now Your See It - How the Brain Science of Attention Will Transform the Way We Live, Work, and Learn : Cathy N. Davidson
America The Philosophical : Carlin Romano
Small Town Rules - How Big Brands and Small Business Can Prosper in a Connected Economy : Larry J. Molitz & Becky McCray
The Nonprofit Board Answer Book - A Practical Guide for Board Members and Chief Executives
No Way to Run A Railroad - The Untold Story of the Penn Central Crisis : Stephen Salsbury
Derailed - What Went Wrong and What to Do About America's Passenger Trains : Joseph Vranich
End of the Line: The Failure of Amtrak Reform and the Future of America's Passenger Trains : Joseph Vranich
The Powers That Be : David Halberstam 
The Best and the Brightest : David Halberstam 
Supertrains: Solutions to America's Transportation Gridlock : Joseph Vranich
Bold Endeavors - How our Government Built America and Why it Must Rebuild Now : Felix Rhoyhatyn
Moving Millions - An Inside Look at Mass Transit : Stan Fischer
Stuck in Traffic - Coping with Peak-Hour Traffic Congestion : Anthony Downs
Breaking Gridlock- Moving Towards Transportation That Works : Jim Motavalli
Making the Car Pay Its Way: The Case of Minneaapolis Roads : John Biley, Institute for Local Self-Reliance
The Pressue Boys: The Inside Story of Lobbying in America : Kenneth Crawford
The Interstate Commerce Omission: The Public Interest and the ICC : Robert C. Fellmeth
The Pavers and the Paved - The Real Cost of America's Highway Program 1971 : Ben Kelley
The Motorization of American Cities : David J. St.Clair
Superhighways Super Hoax : Helen Leavitt
The Automobikle and American Culture 1986 : David Lewis
The Going Rate - What it Really Costs to Drive : James J. McKenzie World Resource Institute, Washington DC
The Path Between the Seas: The Creation of the Panama Canal, 1870-1914 David McCullough
The Economics of Competition in the Transportation Industries : John Robert Meyer
The Era of Thodore Roosevelt and the Rise of Modern America : George E. Mowry
Railroads - The Free Enterprise Alternative : Daniel Overbey
No Way to Run a Railroad: The Untold Story of the Penn Central Crisis : Stephen Salsbury
Building the American Highway System: Engineers as Policy Makers : Bruce E. Seely
The Interstate Commerce Commision and the Railroad Industry: A History of Regulatory Policy 1991: Richard D. Stone
Silent Spring : Rachel Carson
Suburbia - It's People and Its Politics 1979 : Robert C. Wood
The Prize - The Quest for Oil, Money and Power : Daniel Yergin (Age of Heretics -Biography)
On a Clear Day You Can See General Motors 1979 : Patrick J. Wright (Age of Heretics -Biography)
What Are People For - Essays : Wendell Berry (Age of Heretics -Biography)
Voluntary Simplicity - Towards A Life That is Outwardly Simple, Inwardly Rich, Duane Elgin  (Age of Heretics -Biography)
A Grunch of Giants : Buckminster Fuller  (Age of Heretics -Biography)
The Worldly Philosophers: The Lives, Times, and Ideas of the Great Economic Thinkers, Robert Heilbroner  (Age of Heretics -Biography)
Let Them Call me a Rebel - Saul Alinsky, His Life and Legacy : Sanford Horwitt  (Age of Heretics -Biography)
The Glory and The Dream,William Manchester  (Age of Heretics -Biography)
The Seven Laws of Money, Michael Phillips (Age of Heretics -Biography)
The Seven Sisters: The Great Oil Companies and the World They Shaped, Anthony Sampson (Age of Heretics -Biography)

Superhighways Superhoax, Helen Leavitt (Open Road Biography)
Interstate: Express Highway Politics 1941-1956, Mark Rose (Open Road Biography)
The Last Landscape, William "Holly" Whyte  (Open Road Biography)

Architects Charles Kahn and Greg Tung speak to the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association

(L to R) Carlos Babcock WGNA VP, Charles
Kahn, WGTS Architect, Kevin Swanson
WGBA past pres., &
David Dearborn WGNA Treasurer

Last night, the two principals involved with the Willow Glen Town Square, Charles Kahn and Gregory Tung came to speak to the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association about how bring life to a classic business districts such as Willow Glen. Charles Kahn's firm also designed the Bikestation Building in Berkeley, CA.

Charles Kahn's (Kahn Design Associates) gateway building located at the corners of Willow and Lincoln in Willow Glen has redefined private space used as the public square with the return of the meeting place in front of Willow Glen Creamery. The newest addition to the avenue will include 1 existing restaurant (Willow Street Pizza), and three new restaurants; Crepevine, Willow Glen Cremery, and the re-opening of the historic Lou's Village. This coincides with the recent grand opening of The Table,  Executive Chef Jim Stumps newsest addition to the culinary scene.

The new plaza at Willow and
Lincoln in Willow Glen.

Gregory Tung of Freedman Tung + Sasaki has already made a local name for himself and his firm with projects such as the downtowns of Mountain View, Livermore, and Redwood City. Last night Charles and Greg spoke about how to expand the human space at the street level. With most of the ground or street level being used to move cars, pedestrians are also designed into commercial district as a second thought. By extending sidewalk pavement textures and colors out into the street parking zone and moving street trees out as well it not only provides a physical buffer but a psychological buffer as well. By moving trees out into the street, drivers now drive more carefully as they experience a narrowing of the roadway.

Mr. Kahn also talked about an early design feature that they have incorporated into their work. Known as Flexible Space, or flex space it is now used in San Francisco under the name of parklets. By merging the interior private space with the exterior public space you encourage a more vibrant commercial life, or what James Howard Kunstler calls a "permeable membrane" (5:25).

The use of trellises to define space.

In the case of the city of Livermore, that private space seems to extend into the street with addition of trellises and street trees. The additional of bulbouts (or curb extensions) helps elderly pedestrians as well as slowing traffic.

The community came out to thank Charles Kahn for reinvigorating downtown as a modern, viable traditional shopping are. Thanks Charles and Gregory.

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Watch this excellent 10 minute video to see how downtown Livermore reinvigorated their downtown, while remembering their history.

Upcoming Cycling Events in the Bay Area - September 20, 2012

Upcoming Events in the Silicon Valley

1980's era cycle clothing on display.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

San Jose Bike Party - Rocky Horror Ride

Friday September 21, 2012 8:00 pm

Route posted 24 hours before ride time at www.sjbikeparty.org

Read about a San Jose Bike Party Memorial for Charles Schaffer.

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Bike Party is growing - In the Bay Area .....San Jose, East Bay, and San Francisco.

Also now in Washington DC , Baltimore, Chico CA and Salinas, CA.

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Every Friday at San Jose City Hall....

Bike to Lunch Fridays at 11:55 am. Meet at Bamboo Garden on the South Side of City Hall to ride to a nearby restaurant. Just bring a bike, a lock, some lunch money....and follow the rules of the road. Host John Brazil, San Jose City Bicycle Coordinator.

 

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Peninsula Bike Party
Friday, September 21, 2012
(More info)

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Tour de Fat

Lindley Meadow in Golden Gate Park (Map)
Saturday, September 22, 2012
(More Info)

REGISTRATION 10:00am
PARADE 11:00am - 12:00pm
REVIVAL 12:00pm - 4:00pm
BENEFITING San Francisco Bike Coalition
Bay Area Ridge Trail Council
...

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Luna Park Chalk Art Festival

Backesto Park, San Jose (Map)
Saturday, September 22, 2012 10 am - 5 pm
(More Info)

and....during the Luna Park Chalk Art Festival ....


The Art Box Ride

Meet at the Art Box Project SJ table in Backesto Park.10:30 am

Backesto Park, San Jose (Map)

In celebration of the Art Box Project SJ's first anniversary, we welcome you to join us on an inspired tour of original works of art on city utility boxes led by the Bike Clinic of San Jose.
Enjoy the displays at the Luna Park Chalk Art Festival...nosh some Art Box Project SJ anniversary cake (while it lasts) and then enjoy the art box tour.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
(More Info)

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Critical Mass 20th Anniversary Ride and Interstellar Ride
Saturday, September 24, 2012 until September 30, 2012
On the last Friday of September, 1992, a group of San Franciscan cyclists showed up on Market Street for the first ever Critical Mass. This leaderless ride became a monthly “organized coincidence”, and in the years that followed, spread around the world. Celebrating a shared sense of rediscovering urban spaces, Critical Mass riders cross borders and find common cause to have a good time on foot-powered wheels. These uplifting rides also challenge the use of city streets and the domination of cars and oil in

our transportation system.

To mark the 20th Anniversary of the first Critical Mass ride, a group of enthusiasts has formed a Welcome Committee that is organizing a week-long celebration September 24-30, 2012. With great pleasure, we invite you to join us in San Francisco, California for our planned events, and we encourage you to get involved and/or create your own activities.

Dozens, hundreds, maybe a thousand friends from around the world will arrive here to help us commemorate this milestone. Friday the 28th is of course the big birthday, the Interstellar Critical Mass ride, which we hope will be a giant, crazy, awesome evening ending in a big party under warm skies.

More Info

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San Francisco Bike Party
Friday, October 5, 2012
(More info) 

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Santa Cruz Open Streets
West Cliff Drive Santa Cruz
Sunday, October 7, 2012 9am-1pm
Free community event. Enjoy West Cliff Drive without automobile traffic. Bicyclists, joggers, strollers, skaters...come one, come all! Streets for people from Lighthouse Field to Natural Bridges State Park.
 More Info

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East Bay Bike Party

Friday, October 12, 2012
(More Info)

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Ride ESSJ - Second Sunday
Ride East Side San Jose
Sunday, October 14, 2012
(More info

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DC Bike Party
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
(More info) 

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San Francisco Sunday Streets (Street Closure Event) - Excelsior

Sunday, October 21, 2012 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Mission Street, from Silver to Seneca; Seneca from Mission to San Jose (Tentative) More Info

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Tour De Coop
October 27, 2012
Silicon Valley's first Tour De Coop in western Santa Clara County. The first annual Silicon Valley Tour de Coop,  a self-guided bicycle tour of chicken coops and gardens, announces its call for coops.
The tour is designed to educate visitors about keeping hens, inspire the bike rider and gardener in all of us, and build community. Open to adults and children, the tour will feature various hen houses and breeds.


 

Also note the Guadalupe River Trail will be closed for paving construction soon. The closed portion will extend north of 880 all the way to Gold Street in Alviso. check Twitter for more details.

Too see all rides on the map click the link just below the map. Thanks.

View Upcomming Bay Area Bike Events in a larger map