SamTrans seeks new ECR route improvements

“Community engagement is going to be very important moving forward, and the second thing that goes with that is aligning the goals of this effort with our SamTrans riders,” Gee said.

SamTrans staff presented initial findings for its Transit Signal Priority Preliminary Evaluation and an El Camino Real Bus Speed and Reliability Study for Route ECR at the Aug. 5 meeting. Transit Signal Priority on El Camino Real is designed to reduce travel times by allowing green lights extensions for SamTrans buses running behind schedule. Sensors installed on the bus send a radio signal to a traffic sensor to hold a green light or turn a red light green sooner. Twelve cities along 26 miles of El Camino Real have Transit Signal Priority equipment that started in January. Route ECR runs on El Camino Real near the Caltrain and BART lines and runs from Daly City BART to the Palo Alto Transit Center and vice versa. SamTrans staff highlighted its proximity to BART and Caltrain stations and that it generates 25% of daily SamTrans ridership and about 20% of bus operations budget.

“It also intersects 17 of the 22 priority development areas in San Mateo County, so as the county continues to grow, this route will continue to serve the new growth throughout the county,” SamTrans Senior Planner Gwen Buckley said. “It also provides connections to BART and Caltrain stations. Five of the BART stations and 10 Caltrain stations are within a quarter-mile of El Camino Real.”

The Route ECR study concluded on-time performances and wait times for Route ECR are unreliable, with riders consistently encountering late arrivals and extended wait times. The average bus speed on El Camino Real is declining as it carries high traffic volume and delays at major intersections during peak hours. Traffic congestion, signals and frequent stops are primary drivers of speed and reliability concerns, with slow segments occurring throughout the route, especially in a few cities. Bus segments tend to be slowest in Daly City, San Bruno, San Mateo, Redwood City and Menlo Park/Palo Alto. The return of traffic following COVID, time of day and area all affect bus speeds. SamTrans wants to make service faster and more reliable, with faster service during COVID-19 cited as an example of improvement. Wait times are often inconsistent at the ends of the routes, with passengers experiencing unreliability due to bus delays and bunching.

SamTrans is looking at improvements by prioritizing segments with the greatest potential for improvement based on bus speeds, passenger numbers and local city partnership potential. Other potential improvements could be made on Transit Signal Priority enhancement.

Vice Chair Peter Ratto suggested all-door boarding as a way to improve speed for routes on El Camino Real.

“It’s been great for Muni, yes I know Muni has a much higher density of riders than we do, but nonetheless, I think all-door boarding certainly can improve trip speed overall,” Ratto said.

Transit Signal Priority preliminary results showed up to four minutes of travel time saving between individual time points compared to February 2019. It also saw improvements in on-time performance from 71% in February 2020 to 84% this February. SamTrans staff said it was still too soon to evaluate if there was a ridership increase or cost savings.

curtis@smdailyjournal.com

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