Commuter Rail Extension Alternatives Analysis - Transportation ...

CALTRAIN EXTENSION TO MONTEREY COUNTYALTERNATIVES ANALYSISDEFINITION OF THE EXPRESS BUS ALTERNATIVE—EXPRESS BUSSERVICE TO SAN FRANCISCO PENINSULAThe shortlisted Monterey County Fixed Guideway Study “Build” Alternatives (Alternatives A, B, and C)address a variety of travel markets. These include Monterey County to San Francisco Bay Areacommuters; local Monterey Peninsula trips; intra-Monterey County trips between Salinas and theMonterey Peninsula; and inter-city trip making by residents and visitors between the MontereyPeninsula and San Francisco. For an Alternatives Analysis, the Express Bus Alternative must bedefined to mimic whichever service or services are selected as the locally preferred build alternative(LPA).Fixed Guideway InvestmentThe Build Alternatives (A, B, and C) shortlisted for detailed definition and testing include componentsto address each of the travel markets noted above. Insofar as the Monterey County to San FranciscoBay Area commuters, all three alternatives specify a Caltrain extension from Gilroy to Salinas toaddress this travel market. The definition of the Caltrain Extension service and capital investment isidentical for all three shortlisted Build Alternatives. TAMC Board policy and the results of this FixedGuideway Study therefore identify the Caltrain Extension as the LPA for this travel market.An Express Bus Alternative does not typically include fixed-guideway investments; however, roadwayand intersection improvements can be constructed to speed local or express bus transportation.These may include high-occupancy vehicle bypass lanes at ramp metered highway interchanges,traffic queue bypass lanes at signalized intersections, and traffic signal priority measures. Thesefeatures are also elements of many non-guideway bus rapid transit (BRT) deployments. Majorconstruction of highway lanes or exclusive roadways for transit is typically beyond the investmentcontemplated for TSM alternatives.In the case of Monterey County, however, failure to address capacity shortfalls in an express bus or“Baseline” alternative merely ignores the county’s transportation problems. Demonstrated capacityproblems exist currently in the U.S. 101, SR 1, Route 68, SR 156, Route 183 and the Marina–Salinascorridors (Blanco Road and Davis Road). Environmental, topographic, and funding constraints, plusthe cost of major road construction, all limit options for non-transit solutions. Therefore, to considerexpress bus or baseline proposals as a viable alternative to “build” transit guideway options, definitionof this alternative must include the delivery of equivalent travel time savings, comfort and conveniencefor transit users.Service/Stations/StopsTo provide Caltrain comparable service, MST express bus service will be established as part of theExpress Bus Alternative and will operate from four Monterey County Transit Centers to the SanFrancisco Peninsula. An MST Transit Center/Park-n-Ride facility will be constructed at Eighth Streetin Marina as part of the University Villages redevelopment of Fort Ord. Additional transit centers withpark-and-ride facilities will be located in Salinas, Castroville, and Pajaro with express bus serviceoperating via existing surface roadways to Santa Clara and San Mateo counties. The location ofthese park-and-ride facilities is illustrated in Figure 3-8.parsons CHAPTER 3: DETAILED DEFINITION OF ALTERNATIVES 76