Mountain View Appoints First Chief Transportation Officer to Oversee Autonomous Transit and Rail Safety

The City of Mountain View announced the appointment of veteran urban planner Angela Rivera on Tuesday as its inaugural Chief Transportation Officer, establishing an executive leadership post dedicated to managing the city's expanding portfolio of autonomous mobility pilots, Caltrain corridor upgrades, and regional pedestrian networks. Operating from City Hall on Castro Street, Rivera will coordinate joint municipal initiatives with major tech employers, regional transit agencies, and state transportation authorities.

Rivera brings more than eighteen years of senior transportation engineering experience across Silicon Valley and San Francisco, having previously directed regional bus rapid transit expansions and multi-modal safety programs for Santa Clara County. In Mountain View, her primary responsibilities will include leading the environmental review and engineering design for the Castro Street grade-separation project, which aims to eliminate vehicle-train conflicts near the downtown Caltrain transit center.

City Manager Kimbra McCarthy praised Rivera's technical acumen and collaborative approach, highlighting that modern urban transit requires balancing high-speed regional rail with micro-mobility safety and zero-emission automated fleet corridors. Rivera stated her immediate priority is accelerating the city's Vision Zero safety improvements, expanding protected bike lanes connecting residential neighborhoods to North Bayshore employment hubs.

Mountain View commuters, transit advocates, and residents can review the city's comprehensive multi-modal transportation plan and upcoming project timelines online at mountainview.gov. Inquiries regarding traffic signal timing, bicycle corridor maps, and public transportation advisory committee hearings may be directed to the Mountain View Public Works Department Monday through Friday at (650) 903-6311. Rivera will present her initial departmental work plan to the city council in December.