VTA Rapid 522 Line 22 Corridor Service Improvements

Frequent, All-day Service
Priority at Traffic Signals
Reduced Stops
Rapid 522 Map
Rapid 522 Schedules

PROJECT OVERVIEW

The El Camino/Santa Clara Street/Alum Rock Avenue corridor is the backbone of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) bus network, providing service along the east-west length of Santa Clara County between the Eastridge Shopping Center in San Jose and the Palo Alto Transit Center. The corridor is 26 miles long and includes the cities of San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Los Altos and Palo Alto. This bus corridor, now served by VTA's Line 22 and Limited Stop Line 300, is VTA's most popular, carrying almost 20,000 riders per day, or 20% of VTA's total bus ridership.

VTA's Rapid 522 will replace Limited Stop Line 300 and supplement Line 22, providing faster, more frequent, and more direct service between Eastridge in San Jose and the Palo Alto Transit Center. The service will combine state-of-the-art technology and service enhancements. In comparison to current Line 300 and Line 22 schedules, travel times may be reduced between 10 and 25 percent.

PROJECT FEATURES

Bus Signal Priority (BSP) – Provides an advantage for buses when traveling through intersections, by extending green traffic signals or reducing the red phase of traffic signals when a bus is approaching. The BSP system along El Camino Real from Palo Alto to Race Street in San Jose was developed and installed by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) in collaboration with VTA. BSP will be installed at additional intersections in San Jose in 2005.

Reduced Stops – Stops (30 in each direction) will be spaced approximately one-half to one-mile apart compared to stops spaced approximately a quarter-mile apart for local bus service.

Frequent Service (Weekdays and Saturdays) – Frequent service linking VTA's Eastridge, Santa Clara and Palo Alto Transit Centers and bus and light rail lines to businesses and residential areas. Initial service will operate every 15 minutes between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekdays and 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Saturdays. Rapid 522 will not operate on Sundays.

Headway-Based Schedules – Buses will serve each bus stop approximately every 15 minutes. However, unlike all other VTA Bus lines, Rapid 522 buses will travel as fast as traffic and signals allow, meaning buses will not sit idle at bus stops when ahead of published time-schedules.

Queue-Jump Lanes – Special lanes allow buses to bypass traffic at congested intersections, by making use of an exclusive right-turn lane and a “receiving” lane across the intersection. Initial queue-jump lanes are located at the Page Mill Road and Arastradero intersections in Palo Alto.

All Low-Floor Buses - Allow for quick and easy passenger boarding and exiting.

Fully Accessible – Rapid 522 service will be fully accessible in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

PROJECT SCHEDULE & COSTS

Phase One (Rapid 522) - Improved service in the El Camino/Santa Clara Street/Alum Rock Avenue corridor will include Bus Signal Priority, limited stops, frequent service, headway-based schedules, queue jump lanes and near-level boarding. Service is anticipated to begin in July 2005.

The budget for the first phase of Rapid 522 service is $3.5 million. This includes $1.6 million in funding from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District's Transportation Fund for Clean Air for queue-jump lanes and Bus Signal Priority implementation.

The Future – Rapid 522 service is the pre-curser to Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service in Santa Clara County. The 2000 Measure A includes $30 million to design and construct BRT corridors in Santa Clara County. Future improvements will include permanent rail-like stations, more intersections with Bus Signal Priority, real-time station display information, new higher capacity vehicles, exclusive bus lanes, and off-vehicle fare payment. Along with the El Camino/Santa Clara Street/Alum Rock Avenue corridor, Stevens Creek Boulevard and Monterey Highway have been identified as potential BRT corridors.

Updated 1/11/05