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Improving Safety and Speed on VTA's Light Rail System



A Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) pilot project aims to improve both the speed of trains through the busy downtown area of San Jose, CA, and safety around the system.

Trains traveling to downtown at 35 mph are forced to drop to 7 mph as they move along the transit mall, which is often crowded with pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles. As travel speeds plummet, so too does the train’s appeal. “VTA’s light rail system has yet to achieve the ridership envisioned at its inception more than three decades ago, and slow speeds are a big reason why,” said Holly Perez, public information officer for VTA.

Background
The downtown slowdown is the product of two decisions made in the 1980s: light rail construction through downtown at street level and a design that blends the trackway with the pedestrian environment. Tracks merge with the sidewalk for three-fifths of a mile. Uniform granite tiles blend the pedestrian and transit spaces, belying the danger presented by approaching trains. The design was intended to facilitate permeability of the trackway and minimize negative aesthetics, but it also induces conflicts between trains and pedestrians. Trains are permitted to travel 10 mph downtown, but operators choose to go slower to allow more braking time for unexpected track intrusions.

Downtown, tracks currently merge with the sidewalk, but temporary railings will better delineate pedestrian and public transit spaces.
Photo by Lisa Chau, VTA
Addressing the Issues
To tackle the slowdown and safety issues, VTA’s Downtown Light Rail Safety and Speed Pilot Project seeks to better delineate pedestrian and public transit spaces, and direct pedestrians to safe places to cross the tracks. The six-month pilot project will install temporary railings with breaks for driveways and crosswalks along one block of downtown San Jose. Improved warning signals at driveways will discourage vehicles from stopping on the tracks as they emerge from driveways, and new signage and street markings will direct pedestrians to safe crossings.

“Making light rail faster and more appealing will be key to accommodating the increase in travel demand expected for the big changes poised for downtown San Jose,” said Perez. A planned San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit extension, high-speed rail and a Google mega-expansion so large that it required a rewrite of the city’s downtown plan will arrive in the coming years.

The pilot project stems from VTA’s goals of making public transit safer, faster and more reliable. It also supports the city of San Jose’s recently-adopted Vision Zero Program and General Plan goals of increasing the share of trips made on public transit—the latter of which will only be achieved if public transit can become more time-competitive with driving.

Selecting the Best Option

To develop the pilot, VTA staff evaluated strategies used in other cities to prevent pedestrians from intruding on tracks, including the use of bollards, planters, fencing, sidewalk-embedded lighting and overhead lighting that illuminates when trains approach. A wide cast of stakeholders was consulted about the potential treatments, including San Jose staff, downtown businesses and residents and VTA train operators. Railings emerged as the preferred treatment for aesthetics, ease of installation and maintenance reasons.

Opting for the railing-based approach was not without challenges as the very notion of physical barriers along the trackway conflicts with the original permeable design of the transit mall. The pilot project will be a test of human behavior as well as the tolerance of those who prefer the original open design. VTA staff will observe pedestrian volumes and circulation patterns before and during the pilot project and will continue to seek input from stakeholders.

If the treatments prove successful in making the transit mall safer and allowing trains to operate at permitted speeds, permanent railings could be installed throughout downtown. A downtown-wide installation could provide the California Public Utilities Commission, which regulates VTA light rail operations, with the justification to increase the 10 mph speed limit. And this means faster trains and more riders.

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