The Solano Transportation Authority has proposed placing a new $1 billion, 20-year transportation sales tax on the ballot in November 2002. Deciding what to include in the sales tax offers Solano County an unprecedented opportunity to choose investments that will expand transportation choices and build a safer and more livable county. Initial planning documents suggested STA's plan would focus largely on highway construction, but elected officials and community groups have demanded a balanced plan that invests in mass transit and planning incentives for smart growth.

·         The “Transportation for a Livable Solano County” platform recommends how Solano County can choose investments that will expand transportation choices and build a safer and more livable county.

·         Balanced Transportation: Achieving Congestion Relief and Meeting Transportation Needs in Solano County is a recent report which presents local and national research to support these recommendations, along with detailed numbers on the funding needed for each one. Balanced Transportation was released by the Coalition in partnership with Solano Orderly Growth, Greenbelt Alliance, and the Surface Transportation Policy Project.

·         Tell STA how to spend $1 billion

·         Write a letter to the editor

·         Endorse the "Transportation for a Livable Solano County" recommendations

·         Volunteer in the Greenbelt Alliance Solano County field office.

·         Eight elected officials and five community groups have endorsed the “Transportation for a Livable Solano County” recommendations.

·         STA has released three scenarios for the sales tax plan – “transit emphasis” and  “highway emphasis” scenarios along with a “balanced plan” recommended by STA. STA is asking for input from the public, city councils, and the Board of Supervisors before adopting a final plan in July 2002.

Transportation interests in Solano County are working towards putting a $1 billion, 20-year transportation sales tax on the November 2002 ballot. Deciding what to include in the sales tax offers Solano County an unprecedented opportunity to choose investments that will expand transportation choices and build a safer and more livable county.

Initial planning documents suggested the plan would focus largely on highway construction. The Solano Transportation Authority’s (STA) first estimate of how to distribute funds from a local transportation sales tax and other new revenue source was 85% towards highways and freeways, 10% to mass transit, and 5% to alternative modes, including smart growth and bicycle-pedestrian facilities.

Local elected officials and community groups such as the Solano Orderly Growth Committee have demanded a balanced plan that invests in mass transit and planning incentives for smart growth, and have asked for help from the Coalition and Greenbelt Alliance.

In March 2002, the Coalition and local groups released ten “Transportation for a Livable Solano County” recommendations, which have now been endorsed by eight elected officials and five community groups. In June 2002, the Coalition and three other groups published a report entitled Balanced Transportation: Achieving Congestion Relief and Meeting Transportation Needs in Solano County.

STA has released three scenarios for the sales tax plan – “transit emphasis” and  “highway emphasis” scenarios along with a “balanced plan” recommended by a local funding subcommittee. STA is asking for input from the public, city councils, and the Board of Supervisors before adopting a final plan in July 2002.

Last updated 6/21/02