The article would be vastly improved by a link to a site showing the routes and schedules of the service...

Link to show routes and schedules:

http://mvcommunityshuttle.com

Hope this service (and others like it) continue to be supported. Programs like this really help to make Mountain View a great community!

Killing the Pear Ave stop by the Movie Theater/7-11?

Now its a Google shuttle that doesn't go to Google!

Waaah.

It'd be much more useful if it ran until 8PM on weekdays, instead of the current 10AM to 6PM. That's not late enough to get dinner downtown. It'd also make sense to run extra shuttles around lunch.

But that would cost money, of course.

Seems like they simply ran the routes on the streets with the least traffic. Might have been good to at least come close to more shopping--like the Shoreline Safeway which has small parking lots in a tiny lot. Which is probably why you always see jaywalkers running across Shoreline from the apts. across the street

Sparty, the people crossing the street aren't doing it because of lack of parking, they're doing it because it makes no sense to drive a car 100 feet when you can walk that in less time.

Also, not once have I been unable to find parking in that lot.

Really wish Palo Alto and Mountain View weren't treating themselves like islands. Many of us wish for public transportation that went across the Berlin Wall (sorry I mean San Antonio).

I would love to be able to get from Midtown Palo Alto to Castro Street easily.

@Rich

I totally agree! Links are added, as requested.

Web Link

Crossing shoreline at Safeway probably is not necessarily jaywalking. A pedestrian may generally cross a roadway anywhere along the road without jaywalking. The exeptions seem to not apply here.

VTA publishes its system performance data. These 2 comparison routes don't average 27 riders per hour. What they report is boardings per hour. For the 34 bus, a Community Bus by VTA classification, boardings are 11 per hour. For the 35 bus, a Local Route by VTA's terms, boardings are 21.5 per hour.

The 34 Bus doesn't run on the weekend, either.

The figures for the 35 bus in boardings per hour peaks at 21.5 per hour on Saturday. On Sunday it is 18.2 boardings per hour, and weekdays it is 17.2 boardings per hour.

The MV Community bus is on par with the VTA services referred to.

>Sparty, the people crossing the street aren't doing it because of lack of parking

Really? Maybe they should drive, since walking alllllllllllllll the way to the crosswalk might add a whole 2 minutes to their trip.

Then again, maybe your right, it's far better to run through traffic, and stand on the islands where drivers may or may not see you when you step out.

Little known facts about where it's legal and illegal to walk across a street:

(1) It legal to cross midblock outside of a crosswalk unless the two nearest intersections have traffic signals. That means walking across Montecito to get to Safeway near the apartments is 100% legal. See CVC 21955

(2) Every corner has a legal crosswalk, whether or not it's marked as such. The only exceptions are when the path between corners is marked "no crossing" or if the streets don't have sidewalks. See CVC 275

So before you say someone was "jaywalking" take a look at the CVC. They may be crossing completely legally.

Yet Google still have over 50 buses for there workers.

"it's far better to run through traffic, and stand on the islands where drivers may or may not see you when you step out."

As opposed to the crosswalks where you depend on other traffic seeing you, which they regularly do not ... I do cross at the crosswalks there regularly. If there isn't much traffic I'd rather cross one side at a time with a safe place halfway than to have to depend on drivers looking and yielding.

> That means walking across Montecito

As clearly mentioned in the post above. JAYWALKING. Across SHORELINE.

Not walking across Montecito. S H O R E L I N E.

Shame your cut and paste left a few things out....

V C Section 21950

"21950. (b) This section does not relieve a pedestrian from the duty of using due care for his or her safety.

No pedestrian may suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a vehicle that is so close as to constitute an immediate hazard."

Which they do...all the time....running across Shoreline. As mentioned. Not Montecito. Shoreline.

So before you tell others what to post, at least pay attention to what they are saying, before selectively quoting the CVC

Great service! My kid can get places without me driving her around. Thank you,
Google! Adding some stops will make it better.

Kudos to Google for providing this. That said, our city leaders have shown poor enough judgment to plan around something like this- and Google has zero obligation to continue it (just like their employee busses, which will someday go away and turn Mtn View into a traffic nightmare that will make the 405 look like a country road)