It really depends on where you live. Some areas are VERY light rail accessible, some, not so much. I’ve used the bus service in a limited capacity, and it actually seems pretty decent. Just be sure that the maps you get are the most recent… they’ve been doing some route changes lately, and I got stuck waiting for a bus that didn’t exist anymore one day. :)

Accessibility to public transit depends on where you will be working and where you will be living. The bus is usually easier to access than the train because San Jose’s train does not cover many areas. The following website may be helpful to you. If you already know the addresses of your place of employment and housing you can enter them and find out the best route to take. It will also provide you with the cost of your trip.
http://transit.511.org/tripplanner/index.asp

As for biking in San Jose it is relatively safe. I have biked 4 miles to school and have had few problems. The only problem is there are not many bike lanes so it can be a bit scary at times.

As for purchasing a bike there are many discount stores you can get one for a reasonable price (around $100). I bought one for about that price at Sport Mart. If you are looking for a used bike you could check at www.craigslist.org. Bikes are listed in the ‘for sale’ section.

I hope you enjoy your stay in San Jose!

With the new addition of the light rail things are much easier than they used to be. Like the previous people said, it really depends on where you are and where you want to go.

San Jose is safer than a lot of places to bike in. I know that a lot of people bike when they don’t have cars (the same amount of people also walk).

My dad has a tandum that he uses. I don’t know if biking in the city is as safe as in the surrounding areas of San Jose. I grew up in Campbell… we ALWAYS biked where ever we wanted to go, even if it was to Saratoga (a little more risky).

You’ll be fine, just make sure you always look at the busing schedules and the rail schedules. I know that the rail near me comes by every fifteen or twenty minutes. It’s not so bad at all.

If you couple bike with the rail it should be a-okay (as long as their is room on the rail for your bike, if not, other passengers have priority)

As others have said, it really depends on where you live and where you need to get to. San Jose is a large metroplex with suburbs and lots of other cities imbedded around its edges. It is not like San Francisco or New York where you have a contained core.

Assuming you have some choices about where to live, take the light rail routes into consideration. The busses aren’t bad but they are slooooooow. If I drive to work (25 miles) I can get there in 30 minutes. By bus and rail it takes about 1-1/2 to 2 hours.

And do check craigslist for a used bike. And to look at housing costs if that is something you’ll need info on.

I think this depends on what you want from San Jose. Will you be here for the summer visiting family/friends? Will you be here for a job?

Tell me where you’re going to be centered—what neighborhood. Or if you aren’t decided about that, let me suggest you center yourself around:

—Downtown if you’re interested in a somewhat urban experience.

—Near Valley Fair Mall (actually Santa Clara) and Santana Row if you’re somewhat Yuppie.

—Near Cupertino if you’re into family stuff.

—Near a train stop if you anticipate wanting to use the train (personally I would find having to take a bus to the train a pain). A train to the city (San Francisco) is about 90 minutes I think.

Mountain View or near Downtown Sunnyvale, in Los Gatos, in Palo Alto—they are all different experiences. What do you want? We’ll tell you where to find it.

Kristine