Santa Clara VTA Bus Stop Signs Standard Disclaimer: This information is being provided by me as a private citizen and is in no way to be
considered to be official VTA information. This is a brief history of the various bus stop signs used by SCCTD/TA/VTA from 1973 to the present. Sign 0
Signs SCCTD/TA inherited from San Jose City Lines/Greyhound/Peninsula Lines/Peerless. Not counted as SCCTD/TA signs. Greyhound used to operate
local service between San Jose and Palo Alto with stops along El Camino Real. These stops had the Greyhound logo to identify them. Sign 1
Blue 12"x12" sign with picture of bus. One of the last of these signs in the field was removed from a stop that had not been used in
around 10 years. This sign had the original version of the County Transit "Snail" logo. Sign 2
Blue 12"x18" with picture of
bus, info number and route numbers. Sign 2A
Slight variation on sign 2 using a different typeface. Sign 3
Slight variation of sign 2, bus picture changed. Sign 4
Slight variation of sign 3, bus picture
changed. Orange 12"x12" sign used to denote express stops. Sign 4A
Slight variation of sign 4, orange bottom for express only
signs. Sign 5
First major redesign in a while, sign size changed to 14"x20", grid placed on sign for route numbers, phone number
put on in red to denote Express stop, wheelchair symbol to denote accessible routes, circular sticker to denote "Bonus Bus" (Limited Stop Routes) Sign 5A
Test sign version of 5 that is white instead of blue. Part of a test to see which color was easier for the drivers to see. Some of the test
signs remained in the field for years after the test. Sign 6
White sign, 15"x20" with strips for each route with the number of the
route and the destination. red strip saying Express Stop to denote express stops. Max. 6 strips per sign, extra wing used for additional strips. This was the last sign that had the old
"Snail" logo on it. Sign 7
Current Sign. Blue sign, 15"x23". A larger version 15"x31" is also used. Strips have 3"
route numbers followed by route destinations in 1/2-3/4" letters. Signs installed in various combinations of small and large depending on number of routes serving stop. Color of strip is
used to denote type of route, red=express, green=limited, blue=regular service, Light Blue=Non-VTA service (DB), white=rapid bus lines. These signs were installed in the spring of 1995.
These signs were installed for ADA compliance. Sign 7A
This is a slight variation in sign 7 where the TA logo is replaced by the VTA logo.
This project is mostly complete and most signs should meet this standard. Sign 7B
This is a slight variation that is designed to have route
number strips installed on both sides of the sign. Designed for use at locations with multiple stops, such as transit centers. I don't have exact dates for most of the signs, Sign
5/5A were installed in the early-mid 80's, sign 6 was first installed in 91. During the last updating of the signs, various older signs were deleted, most where sign 6, but all
others were found except 1 and the orange 12"x12" signs used for express stops. Once the last few stops were installed, SCCTD/TA/VTA began using the same type of sign at all stops for
only the second time since 1973. The last time that occurred was with sign 1. Over the years there have also been a few special use signs. These include special signs for some
of the Transit Centers (Palo Alto, Valley Fair, and Eastridge) and special shuttle routes (Downtown Shuttle, Sharks Shuttle, and special signs for the women's NCAA to name three).
This is as complete as I know it, there may be mistakes and some people might number the signs differently. |
