Bus Rapid Transit on Silicon Valley s El Camino Real: Working Together to Create a Grand Boulevard Steven Fisher Senior Transportation Planner Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority San Jose, CA
How is BRT different from local bus? Specialized vehicles Enhanced Stations Dedicated Lanes Bulbout Stations Faster Boarding Unique Branding Transit Signal Priority Off-board fare collection Real Time Transit Information 2
Recommended Corridors El Camino Real Plan/Eng: 2010-2014 Construction: 2014-2016 Begin Service: 2016 Stevens Creek Plan/Eng: 2012-2014 Construction: 2014-2017 Begin Service: 2017 Santa Clara-Alum Rock Plan/Eng: 2008-2011 Construction: 2012-2014 Begin Service: 2014 3
El Camino Real Corridor 4
Optimized Project 5
Ridership Projections Daily Boardings 2010 Base TSM (2015) TSM (2035) 4+2 (2035)* Rapid 522/BRT 522 3,035 7,315 12,085 22,717 Line 22 10,946 9,916 8,750 15,681 522 + 22 13,981 17,231 20,835 38,398 *4 general lanes, 2 dedicated lanes from Lafayette to Showers 6
El Camino Real Mode Share (2035) Person-Miles Traveled (PMT) 7
(What Happens to Traffic) With Preliminary Investment Strategy Greatly improve BRT travel time in PM peak hour EB from 107 min to 71 min (-34%) WB from 74 min to 53 min (-28%) Little impact to auto travel time EB from 58 min to 57 min WB from 43 min to 45 min Mode shift some people do switch from cars to transit Level of Service stays about the same 5 intersections at LOS F, but most with less delay Some traffic diverts to multiple other routes 8
Grand Boulevard Initiative 9
Additional Transit Trips (from Baseline) BUS RAPID TRANSIT There are synergies to changing land use and transit together. The benefits of doing both together are greater than doing them separately. In order words, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. 50,000 45,000 40,000 35,000 30,000 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 Comparison of Separate Enhancements vs. Combined Land Use and Transit Enhancements 0 Effects Separately Combined Effects Effects of Enhanced Land Use Alone Effects of Enhanced Transit Alone 10
Precise Plan for El Camino Real from City of Sunnyvale Adopted January 2007 Vision for the Future The street will continually be improved to provide good traffic flow, while also encouraging enhanced access for walking, bicycling and public transportation. Long-Range Goals To maintain and enhance the capacity of the street to accommodate automobile and transit traffic, while providing improved facilities for bicyclists and pedestrians. To encourage development which supports the use of public transit. 11
Santa Clara General Plan 5.4.1-G4 5.4.1-P15 Page 5-47 Pedestrian, bicycle and transit priority for mobility in the El Camino Real Focus Area. Work with Valley Transportation Authority to improve transit access, information and frequency along El Camino Real, including the implementation of a Bus Rapid Transit or similar transit service near Regional Mixed-Use areas. Transit, including a Bus Rapid Transit or similar facility, is envisioned along the entire corridor and would take priority over single occupancy vehicles This corridor should emphasize levels of service for pedestrian and transit circulation rather than single-occupancy vehicles. 12
Photosimulation El Camino Real and Scott Blvd Intersection 13
Photosimulation El Camino Real and Scott Blvd Intersection 14
Photosimulation El Camino Real and Scott Blvd Intersection 15
Lessons Learned 16
Good Transit Not Enough Where I Come From! 17
What s In It for My City Project needs to be attached to other city goals. 18
Find Your Allies Early and Open the Process to Them 19
Find Project Champions 20
Make the Project Bigger Include Urban Design, Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements as Part of Plan 21
Include City Planners as Part of Project Development Team 22
Project Website: www.valleyrapid.org Use new media 23
THANK YOU 24