Transit signal priority for Silicon Valley bus rapid trans.

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) has embarked upon the deployment of bus rapid transit (BRT) on its major bus corridor, the Line 22 corridor. Line 22 is the backbone of the VTA bus network, providing service along the east-west length of the Santa Clara Valley between the transit center at Eastridge Shopping Center in San Jose and the Caltrain station in Menlo Park (in San Mateo County). Line 22 is twenty-seven miles long and is illustrated in the paper. Buses run every 10 minutes during weekdays, primarily along King Road, Santa Clara Street, The Alameda and El Camino Real (SR 82). Line 22 serves the cities of San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Los Altos, Palo Alto, and Menlo Park. It is VTA's most heavily used line, carrying over 23,000 riders daily and representing 16% of VTA's total bus ridership. The line operates near capacity with many buses at standing room only. Line 300, a limited stop express service along generally the same corridor, supplements line 22. Lines 22/300 connect with regional rail services as well as 55 VTA bus lines. A major connection occurs in downtown San Jose, where Line 22 intersects the north-south Guadalupe Light Rail Line. VTA's vision for Line 22 is that it operates as a "BRT Corridor." To achieve this vision, VTA will implement a variety of improvements over the next four years by providing: o faster, more reliable service; and o better passenger and security at stops A complete package of improvements will be needed to transform Line 22 into a BRT corridor. The design elements will be consistent and integrated to provide BRT service with a distinct identity. This package will include a combination of the following features: o advanced communications system; o signal prioritization for buses to reduce delay; o improved passenger facilities at stops; o bulb-outs at selected bus stops; o queue bypass lanes at congested locations; o high capacity, easy-access, and cleaner buses; and o more frequent and direct service. This paper provides an overview of the project and detailed discussion on the signal priority for buses system under development for the corridor. The initial signal priority implementation will include 27 signals over a distance of six miles, grouped into three subsystems.