Solano County Transportation Planning
Photo by Richard
Rollins
 What's
at Stake
Solano County's traffic congestion is bad and getting worse. To improve
our traffic problems, we need to increase our transportation options by
making transit efficient and affordable, and we need to limit sprawling
housing developments that add more cars to our roads.
Greenbelt Alliance is working with a coalition of Solano County elected
officials and environmental groups called Fair and Safe Traffic Solutions
to make sure that any future transportation sales tax provides transportation
options and preserves our high quality of life in Solano County.
What You Can Do
- We urge you to act now by writing, faxing, or emailing the Solano
Transportation Authority to express your support for the Sensible
Transportation Platform endorsed by Greenbelt Alliance. To see
a copy of the platform click here.
Also see our suggested letter
to the Solano Transportation Authority.
Mary Ann Courville, Chair
Solano Transportation Authority
One Harbor Center, Suite 130
Suisun City, CA 94585
Email: staplan@sta-snci.com
Fax: 707-424-6074
-
Also, voice your concerns by writing letters to the editor in local
newspapers:
Vacaville Reporter (300 words or fewer)
letters@TheReporter.Com
PO Box 1509
Vacaville, CA 95696
Fairfield Daily Republic (500 words or less)
bjames@dailyrepublic.net
P.O. Box 47
Fairfield, CA 94533
Vallejo Times Herald
opinion@timesheraldonline.com
PO Box 3188
Vallejo, CA 94590
Fax: 643-0128
-
Volunteer with the
Solano County Greenbelt Alliance field office to help with this campaign.
Email Nicole at nicole@greenbelt.org
or call 707-427-2308.
Campaign Update
June 2006
The Solano Transportation Tax failed to reach a majority vote and was
a long way from the required 2/3 vote. Anti-government sentiment, high
taxes, and a Grand Jury investigation of Solano Transportation Agency
are the likely reasons why the tax failed.
6/04/2006 Measure
H: Flawed, but necessary, Vacaville Reporter
March 2006
The Solano County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to put the "Fair
and Safe Traffic Solutions" tax measure on the June 2006 ballot.
Greenbelt Alliance is working with supporters of the Orderly Growth Initiative
(which restricts all Solano County growth to existing cities and currently
sunsets in 2010) to get the Orderly Growth Initiative extended to the
same 30 year term as the new transportation tax. The Orderly Growth Initiative
will help to ensure that the infrastructure improvements funded by the
transportation tax will not encourage more sprawl in Solano County. As
a direct result of negotiations between the Solano Transportation Improvement
Agency (STIA), local concerned citizens, Greenbelt Alliance and local
elected officials, the STIA Board of Directors amended the Transportation
Tax Measure Language to encourage transit friendly communities, reduce
the sprawl-inducing effects of the widening of Jameson Canyon and ensure
that transit projects will be funded at a similar rate as large highway
construction projects.
03/01/2006 Sales
tax for transit put on ballot, Vacaville Reporter
February 2006
The June 2006 "Fair and Safe Traffic Solutions" measure is moving
forward with the Solano Board of Supervisors and all City Councils so
far approving the Expenditure Plan. Recent press has acknowledged what
we already know, that the tax measure has very little chance of success
with any organized opposition.
02/26/2006 Undone
Deal, Vacaville Reporter
January 2006
The Solano Transportation Improvement Agency (STIA) is planning to put
a transportation tax measure on the ballot in June 2006. The 2006 measure
is very similar to the two previous measures in 2002 and 2004 (both defeated
by voters), but with fewer transit dollars. Greenbelt Alliance sits on
the STIA advisory committee and has attended STIA board meetings to voice
concerns over the limited transit dollars and lack of growth control language
in the measure. Greenbelt Alliance is working with local City Council
Members, Solano County Board of Supervisors and other interested citizens
to encourage STIA to increase transit dollars and link land use planning
to the measure.
July 2005
Greenbelt Alliance continues to work with a growing coalition of elected
officials and environmental activists, called Fair and Safe Traffic Solutions,
to make sure that any future sales tax proposal does not lead to sprawling
housing developments that put more cars on local highways and degrade
our quality of life in Solano County.
07/01/2005 Area
residents speak out on use of sales tax revenue, Vallejo Times-Herald
June 2005
The Solano Transportation Improvement Authority (STIA) is moving forward
with plans for a third attempt to pass a Solano Transportation Sales Tax.
Solano County voters have twice rejected transportation measures that
did not plan for future growth. In November 2004, Greenbelt Alliance worked
with a coalition of elected officials to defeat a highway focused transportation
measure that would have made traffic worse by encouraging sprawling development
in Solano County's scenic valleys and natural areas. Greenbelt Alliance
is convinced that Solano voters will reject any transportation plan that
fails to manage future growth and provide public transportation options.
06/08/2005 Supes
won't weigh in on transportation tax yet, Fairfield Daily Republic
06/05/2005 Supes
to revisit road tax, Fairfield Daily Republic
May 2005
Greenbelt Alliance is working with the Solano Orderly Growth Committee
and a coalition of local elected officials to promote smart growth and
public transportation options in Solano County's next transportation sales
tax proposal. The Fair and Safe Traffic Solutions Platform that Greenbelt
Alliance is supporting calls for sales tax revenues only to be dispersed
to local governments that do their part to control growth and reduce traffic.
The Platform has been endorsed by City Councils in Fairfield and Benicia.
05/05/2005 Sales
tax debate comes due, Fairfield Daily Republic
05/04/2005 Letter
to the Editor: Traffic coalition offers alternatives to taxes, Fairfield
Daily Republic
05/01/2005 Council
looks at proposal to link transportation tax measure, growth control,
Fairfield Daily Republic
04/24/2005 Letter
to the Editor: Clear growth plan key to transit tax, Vacaville Reporter
April 2005
Solano voters have twice rejected sales tax proposals that did not include
smart land use planning requirements. Greenbelt Alliance believes that
voters will reject any future transportation measure that does not manage
growth in the Bay Area's fastest growing county.
March 2005
At the March 9th Solano Transportation Authority meeting, Greenbelt Alliance,
along with a coalition of Solano County elected officials, released a
Sensible Transportation Platform for Solano County. The platform outlines
key transportation and land use planning policies that should be included
in any future transportation sales tax measure. Greenbelt Alliance is
eager to support a transportation sales tax with significant funding for
public transit and a clearly defined growth management plan.
February 2005
In November 2004, Solano County voters rejected a highway-heavy transportation
tax that would have encouraged sprawling housing developments that dump
more cars our highways. Now, Greenbelt Alliance is working with allies
among Solano County's elected officials to promote a sensible transportation
plan that creates viable transit options and promotes sound land use planning
that can be an alternative to the failed 2004 measure.
November 2004
Greenbelt Alliance worked with a coalition of local elected officials
and environmental allies to defeat Measure A on the November ballot. Measure
A was a transportation sales tax measure that would have expanded Solano
County highways without including growth controls. Without smart land
use planning requirements Measure A would have encouraged sprawling housing
developments and put more cars on local roads.
October 2004
Greenbelt Alliance continues to guide the No on Measure A Steering Committee
to defeat Measure A on this November's ballot. The campaign is working
with local activists, elected officials, and citizen groups to get the
word out that Measure A is a waste of taxpayer dollars that will not solve
Solano County's traffic problems. Measure A will fuel sprawling housing
developments that will dump more cars on Solano County roads and highways.
It deserves a resounding NO vote this November.
The Campaign Steering Committee has installed over 100 large signs around
the county, written ballot arguments, and is working to raise funds for
a targeted voter mail piece or a professional phone bank to sway undecided
voters. The No on A campaign has been endorsed by a growing number of
local leaders and environmental organizations.
September 2004
Greenbelt Alliance is working with local activists and elected officials
to defeat Measure A on this November's Solano County ballot. Measure A
is a 1/2-cent transportation sales tax that will raise over $1.4 billion
to pay for transportation projects for the next 30 years. Unfortunately,
Measure A is a waste of taxpayer dollars. Measure A focuses on highway
expansions and does not include growth control measures. As a result,
Measure A will put more cars on our roads by encouraging uncontrolled
growth.
Greenbelt Alliance has convened a No on Measure A steering committee
to strategize, write ballot arguments, and fundraise for the campaign.
The campaign recently launched the No on A webpage.
July 2004
The Solano Transportation Improvement Authority (STIA) ignored pleas from
smart growth and transportation advocates and approved a highway-heavy
expenditure plan for the 1/2-cent Solano County Transportation Sales Tax
to be placed on the November 2004 ballot. Greenbelt Alliance is concerned
that the measure focuses too heavily on highway expansions that will encourage
sprawl and lead to more traffic. The sprawl-inducing impact of these highway
expansions will be exacerbated by the absence of smart growth incentives
and growth control measures in the plan.
June 2004
On June 24th, the Solano County Transportation Authority (STA) will vote
on a final expenditure plan for a transportation sales tax measure that
could end up on the November 2004 ballot. Greenbelt Alliance has been
working with local allies to push for a transportation expenditure plan
that funds mass transit projects, creates incentives for smart growth
and protects open space. Our public outreach and lobbying efforts resulted
in the STA scrapping plans to expand Highway 12 westbound through Jameson
Canyon and re-allocating funding to Express Bus systems throughout Solano
County.
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