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IN THIS EDITION:
- International Walk To School Day: Wednesday, October 12
- STA Board recommends $15M of Federal OBAG 3 Funding for Ten Projects
- STA Board Approves Expansion of Guaranteed Ride Home Program for Solano Express Riders to help address Service Disruptions
- STA Board Adopts Solano Countywide Transit Electrification Transition Plan
- STA Awarded $1M in State Funding by Assemblymember Lori Wilson for EV Chargers
- STA Adopts Local Road Safety Plan and Regional Vision Zero Policies
- Safe Routes To School (SR2S) 2021-2022 Annual Report
- Get Involved with STA Advisory Committees
- STA Staff Update
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International Walk To School Day: Wednesday, October 12 | |
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This year, International Walk to School Day is October 12th, a global event where children from across Solano County and the United States, as well as in 40 other countries worldwide celebrate walking to school on the same day. STA’s Solano Safe Routes to School, in partnership with Solano Public Health, organizes this event every year with the goal to encourage children to walk or bike to school regularly as a healthy, safe, and car-free alternative. Last year 1,500 students from 21 Solano County schools participated in this fun, community-building event.
Participating schools will receive free incentive items for students who walk. Schools can register at https://tinyurl.com/w2sd2022.or by email at solanosr2sinfo@sta.ca.gov before Wednesday, September 28, to ensure timely delivery of the incentive items.
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STA Board recommends $15M of Federal OBAG 3 Funding for Ten Projects | |
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The STA Board approved a list of ten projects for the funding allocation of $15 million in One Bay Area Grant (OBAG) 3 funding at the September 14 Board meeting. The evaluation process for this federal funding included a scoring system based on the ten evaluation criteria approved by the STA Board. The STA Board divided the funding into three categories: the Active Transportation/Vision Program, the Suburban Housing Incentive Partnership (SubHIP) Program, and the Mobility Program.
Next, these recommendations will be submitted to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) for their final approval. MTC is anticipated to select projects and programs for funding in January 2023.
For the Active Transportation/Vision Program:
1. $2.1M for the County of Solano’s Solano 360 Transit Center Phase 1
2. $850,000 for the City of Vallejo’s Sacramento Street Road Diet Phase II
3. $1M for the STA’s Safe Routes to School Program
4. $4M for the City of Fairfield’s Travis Safe Routes to School and
Transit Project
5. $1.4M for the City of Benicia’s Military West Project
6. $1.4M for the City of Vacaville’s Markham and Kairos Safe Routes
to School Improvements
7. $366,000 for the City of Suisun’s Driftwood Drive Path Gap Closure
Project
For the Suburban Housing Incentive Partnership (SubHIP) Program:
8. $2.2M for the City of Fairfield’s Linear Park Node 4 Safe Routes to
School and Transit
9. $260,000 for the City of Benicia’s East 5th Street Affordable Housing
Streetscape Improvements
For the Mobility Program:
10. $1.5M for STA’s Solano Mobility Programs (One Stop Call Center
and Employer Program)
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STA Board Approves Expansion of Guaranteed Ride Home Program for Solano Express Riders to help address Service Disruptions
Due to a driver shortage, Solano County Transit (SolTrans) has not been able to provide a number of service runs in Solano Express Routes. Transit operators around the region and state have experienced similar issues regarding driver shortages. This has impacted service on all four Solano Express lines (Blue, Red, Yellow, Green). To help address this issue, the STA Board approved the expansion of the Guaranteed Ride Home Program to allow Solano Express riders to utilize the Uber app to get a ride to work or a ride home from work if their route is cancelled.
In addition, the STA Board approved provision of a free monthly pass to monthly pass holders who have been impacted by service disruptions during September/October. SolTrans is currently actively recruiting for drivers to fill vacancies.
To sign up for the Guaranteed Ride Program or for more information, call the Call Center at (800) 535-6883 or click on the link below for your Solano Express bus route.
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STA Board Adopts Solano Countywide Transit Electrification Transition Plan | |
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The STA Board approved the adoption of the Solano Countywide Transit Electrification Transition Plan during the September 14th STA Board meeting. The Plan is the culmination of several months of analysis and coordination with each of the five transit operators in Solano County and will serve as a guiding document to identify the need, propose a transition timeframe, and provide a year-by-year summary of proposed changes. This can be used by transit operators, and STA alike, to define upcoming needs and apply for funding necessary to accommodate zero emission bus (ZEB) fleets. The Countywide Transit Electrification Transition Plan was funded by a Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) grant in 2020.
In support of this effort, the City of Fairfield was awarded $12M for transit electrification for the FY22 Bus and Low- and No- Emission Grant Awards. Along with the other state and local funds, this award provides funding for the first phase of transit electrification: the purchase of five GILLIG battery electric buses, three ABB chargers, infrastructure upgrades, vehicle maintenance facility upgrades, and workforce development.
SolTrans is scheduled to receive the first Solano Express over-the-road coach bus and is planning a ribbon cutting event in support of the new bus and installation of inductive chargers at the Curtola Park & Ride in Vallejo on September 27th.
To view the Solano Countywide Electrification Transition Plan, click HERE.
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STA Awarded $1M in State Funding by Assemblymember Lori Wilson for EV Chargers
A $1 million allocation in the 2022-23 state budget was secured by Assembly Member Lori Wilson (Suisun City) for the construction and installation of the Electric Vehicle (EV) Infrastructure in the Cities of Fairfield, Rio Vista, Suisun City, and Vacaville. This funding will be distributed by STA in coordination with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) beginning in 2023.
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STA Adopts Local Road Safety Plan and Regional Vision Zero Policies
The STA Board adopted the countywide Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) at the Sept. 14 meeting. The LRSP was adopted in consultation with the seven Solano cities and Solano County and will serve as a framework for organizing stakeholders to systematically identify, analyze, and prioritize roadway safety improvements on local roads. STA’s LRSP identifies high crash locations from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2020, and recommends safety treatments to reduce the frequency of future fatal and severe injury (KSI) collisions.
The LRSP (or its equivalent Systemic Safety Analysis Report [SSAR] or Vision Zero Action Plan program) is required for the cities of Benicia, Dixon, Fairfield, Rio Vista, Suisun City, Vacaville, Vallejo, and the County of Solano to be eligible to apply for the federal Safe Streets for All (SS4A) Program and to be eligible for future Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funding.
At the same Board meeting, the STA Board authorized the submittal of a grant application for the Safe Streets for All Program. The SS4A call-for-projects allowed local agencies to submit applications for either Action Plan Grants or Implementation Plan Grants. STA's LRSP, in partnership with member agencies, qualifies as an Action Plan as defined by the SS4A Program. The amount authorized for FY22-23 is $1 billion for safety improvement projects that reduce KSI collisions, especially for vulnerable road uses, such as for cyclists and pedestrians.
To view the Solano Countywide Local Road Safety Plan, click HERE
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Safe Routes To School (SR2S) 2021-2022 Annual Report | |
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For Fiscal Year (FY) 2021-22, STA's Safe Routes to School Program focused on acclimating to post-Covid norms. SR2S staff focused on completing Cycle 2 Microgrant capital projects and continued to provide SR2S education and resources to Solano County schools.
The SR2S Program is currently supporting 78 schools with 38 SR2S events, activities, and meetings engaging a total of 1,455 students. In addition to outreach and events, 13 of the 17 microgrants have been completed. This includes sidewalk improvements at St. Basils in Vallejo and the installation of radar feedback signs at various schools in Vacaville. This fiscal year, SR2S was able to reinstate annual events such as International Walk to School Day (October) and National Bike to School Day (May). As the 2022-23 school year approaches, SR2S staff is preparing to engage new schools to offer support and activities and reengage with administration and community members.
SR2S is encouraging Solano County schools to host a Walk or Wheel (WoW) Day. Walk or Wheel is an ongoing, school-wide event where schools can schedule them weekly, or monthly, to encourage students to walk or wheel (by bike, scooter, or skateboard) to school. Schools have the freedom to market their event as “Walk or Wheel (WoW) Day”, “Walking Wednesday”, or “Fit Friday”, whatever they may choose. SR2S provides incentives for participating students, as well as promotional materials for schools to market their event. Dixon Montessori Charter School and Gretchen Higgins Elementary School (Dixon) currently hold a regular WoW Day. For information on how to get your school participating, contact SR2S at (707) 399-3222.
To view the Safe Routes To School (SR2S) 2021-2022 Annual Report, click here.
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Get Involved with STA Advisory Committees
At the Sept. 14 Board meeting, the STA Board approved multiple appointments to the Citizen Advisory Committees. Patricia “Cookie” Powell was appointed as the Dixon representative for the Pedestrian Advisory Committee (PAC), Dennis Elliott was appointed to the Rio Vista Representative position for the Solano Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC), and Dwayne Hankerson was appointed as the MTC Policy Advisory Committee Member (MTC PAC) representative for the Paratransit Coordinating Council (PCC).
STA is asking for your help to build a more bicycle and pedestrian-friendly Solano County. The STA currently has open positions on our Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC) and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (PAC). The BAC and PAC advise the STA on the development of bicycle and pedestrian facilities as an active mode of transportation in Solano County. Committee members also help STA develop countywide transportation plans and projects and provide funding recommendations for active transportation projects.
We are looking for the following representatives:
Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC)
- City of Fairfield
- City of Suisun
Pedestrian Advisory Committee (PAC)
- City of Vacaville
- Member-at-Large
- Member-at-Large (Solano Community College)
For more information on the BAC Open Positions, click here, and click here for more information on the PAC Open Positions.
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Nicholas Burton was hired to fill the vacant Director of Projects position and his first day with STA was September 19, 2022. He was most recently the Director of Public Works for Yolo County and worked previously for the County of Solano for over a decade. He is replacing Janet Adams, who recently announced her retirement after a stellar and productive 17-year tenure working for STA. | |  |
Nicole Williams was hired to fill a vacant part-time Customer Service Representative position in the Solano Mobility Call Center, and her first day with STA was September 7, 2022. She is a Benicia resident and is supervised by Erika Dohina, Program Services Supervisor. | | |
On September 12, Sean Doria joined STA’s Solano Mobility Program as a part-time Customer Service Representative for the Call Center. He is a resident of the City of Fairfield and also reports to Erika Dohina, Program Services Supervisor. | | |
Sean Person made the move from part-time Customer Service Representative to full-time Legislative Assistant on September 19, 2022. He reports to Vincent Ma, STA's Legislative Policy and Communications Manager. | | | | | | |
