"San Jose was an agricultural wonderland. They called it the Valley of Heart's Delight, and most of it has been paved over and turned into high tech now. But this is a connection to our past."
Senate Bill 1167 has received the most favorable press, based on the understanding that the e-bike problem is actually an e-moto problem. The ruckus and ER visits are not caused by pedal-assist class 1 and 3 e-bikes, but by throttle devices that often fail to cut off at 20 mph, leading to safety concerns.
John Goodwin, the communications director for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, stated that the West span path part of the project is 'effectively paused' in the early planning stage, with the soonest work advancing in 2027.
"Caltrain and BART would very likely be looking at shutting down passenger service," Deputy Director of Policy Development Melissa Jones said. "In that case, the agencies would be focused on maintenance, trying to secure our assets, keep everything safe while we regroup for the future."
The Bay Wheels bikeshare program, operated by Lyft, expands into East San Jose this summer. This move links areas like Mayfair and Alum Rock to Downtown San Jose and the Berryessa BART Station, creating seamless routes for work, school, or leisure. Eligible residents can access an annual membership for just $5, with each ride costing $1, making it a practical choice for short trips that also encourage outdoor activity and reduce traffic congestion.
The San Diego Metropolitan Transit System faces a roughly $500 million funding gap over the next four years, but it's not due to diminishing services. Regional riders are enthusiastic about the transit system - it has one of the fastest growing riderships in the country and ranks third for the number of passenger trips and passenger miles in California. However, like other major transit agencies such as BART, the MTS kept things moving after the pandemic through one-time emergency funds from federal and state subsidies.
The Clipper system serves BART, AC Transit, and 22 other Bay Area transit systems, with more than 1.2 million cards in use in December 2025, the last month for which Clipper data is available. Since the Clipper Card upgrade rolled out on December 10, users have been venting to The Oaklandside. Some people have said they've been unable to access the digital cash balance they had before the upgrade; others have said their cards became inoperable or they had difficulty adding money to them.
The doomsday plan includes closing the 10 stations with the lowest ridership. That means closing 20% of its stations, impacting 12% of riders. They include Oakland International Airport, South San Francisco and West Dublin/Pleasanton. "It's a tragedy," said Ed Locker, a BART Rider from Santa Rosa. "Everybody uses BART and has for over 50 years, I think. It would be a real sad thing."