In an almost desperate effort to grab up every possible inch of unused concrete to get the Bay Area’s terrible traffic moving again, agencies across the region are pushing to allow buses and possibly carpools to drive on the shoulder of freeways and bridges during the heaviest commute times.
Next year, the California Transit Association along with the Valley Transportation Authority, the Contra Costa Transportation Authority and other planning groups will seek statewide legislation to bring this once unthinkable practice to everyday commutes. Highway 87 through San Jose, Interstate 680 in the East Bay, Highway 101 along the Peninsula, Highway 1 outside Santa Cruz, Interstate 280 in San Mateo County, and the Bay Bridge and Dumbarton Bridge are on the list of vital roads where this change could be implemented.
“We think this is a good idea,” said Randy Iwasaki, executive director of the CCTA, who has followed similar projects in Minnesota, Virginia and on Interstate 805 in San Diego County. “We believe we can replicate that success on 680.”
Last week, the VTA issued the results of a study on plans for the 10 miles of Highway 87 from Almaden Valley to north of Mineta San Jose International Airport, where speeds, even in carpool lanes, frequently drop below 40 miles per hour. There is no space to add a fourth lane in each direction and advanced metering lights can only do so much.
“The use of shoulders can help to get more throughput where needed with less cost than adding new lanes,” VTA spokesperson Holly Perez said. “However, there are operational aspects of shoulder use that would need to be further explored in partnership with other agencies.”
Shoulders are now off limits except for emergencies such as stalls, crashes and police stops. A driver in an adjacent lane could be intimidated by a 40-seat bus barreling down just inches away from where previously there was an empty stretch of road.
The state Office of Traffic Safety says it supports any measures that make roadways safer and encourage safe driving practices. The CHP won’t take a firm stance until legislation is proposed and details ironed out. But a survey of 1,600 Highway 87 drivers found half agreeable to the idea.
“Why doesn’t the greater Bay Area use more shoulders especially the left one for travel lanes to ease congestion?” asked Peter Schmidt of Walnut Creek. “The Los Angeles area appears to use the shoulders more for normal traffic, so why doesn’t San Francisco? There are safety concerns but it has to be cheaper than widening the freeway in a region with some of the worst commuter traffic in the nation.”
Not so fast, countered trucker Paul Carlson of Hayward.
“A good idea? Nah. There are so many accidents. Such a plan would get in the way of fire trucks and ambulances and tow trucks, etc. Make them all the more late to the scene.
“Buses are wide, while cars and trucks will edge to the left and right of their lanes, not to mention that many of those freeway shoulders are narrow. More so in construction areas.”
Here is how a shoulder could be used on a 10½-foot area: Overhead electronic signs could have green arrows meaning it is open to traffic say from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. or 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. When off limits, the arrows would be red.
On I-680, a part-time transit lane between Bollinger Canyon Road and Ygnacio Valley Road would be considered on the outside shoulder during morning and afternoon peak hours in both directions. When traffic in other lanes “slows to 35 mph, public buses can use the part-time transit lane to keep on schedule and provide reliable bus service,” Iwasaki said. And perhaps lure more bus riders and take cars off the road.
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission in San Francisco is a strong proponent of the issue, especially across the Dumbarton Bridge. It is meeting with Caltrans and the CHP to examine bus-on-shoulder operations to make transit a more attractive option for travelers in that Fremont to East Palo Alto corridor.
Officials are also buoyed by converting the eastbound shoulder to traffic on the Richmond Bridge, calling it an unqualified success.
“Backups on eastbound I-580 in Marin County have been eliminated,” said MTC spokesman John Goodwin, but adding “it’s not as easy a puzzle to solve as it might appear.”
It could take two years to get some relief on the Dumbarton. But, hey compared to today’s commutes, that’s warp speed.