The challenges of a commuter bus on Jamieson

By Jim Leddy

 In response to the recent Talking Points posted regarding the need for a bus from Napa to Solano (“Where’s the bus from Napa to Solano?,” Sept. 12) here is some information that will help inform the needed discussion.

The Napa County Transportation and Planning Agency is currently in the midst of a wide-ranging review of all of our transportation alternatives (see www.nctpa.net/future for ways to participate) and as part of that, we will be carefully considering any and all potential solutions to our pressing transportation needs, including a fresh look at our transit options.

As with every single transportation challenge in Napa County, congestion on Jamieson Canyon Road must be approached from multiple angles. NCTPA has indeed investigated the feasibility of a bus service to Solano County with its sister agency, the Solano Transportation Authority, and we both would like to do it. A major challenge to making it happen is funding.

Unfortunately, the funds to widen Highway 12 through Jamieson Canyon cannot be used to fund transit. Transportation financing from both federal and state sources is cut up into many pots, with more strings attached than a puppet show version of “Carousel.” The funds to be used widening Jamieson Canyon come from special statewide bond funds (Proposition 1B) dedicated to improving roadways throughout the state.

When NCTPA investigated a possible bus service, we found that it would not be cheap — transit never is. The NCTPA has four hybrid buses on order today at $500,000 each, and to have service through the canyon, we would need a minimum of four new additional buses beyond our four hybrids on order. Transit operating money is even more difficult to come by. A large bus costs about $80 an hour to operate even with a minimal schedule. The estimate to start and operate the service was $260,000 per year in 2004. This figure does not account for inflation.

In our analysis it was found that even if we had funding available, such a service would not make a measurable difference in the congestion in the canyon. The transit ridership rate in Napa County is 1 percent, and in Solano it is 3 percent. Even doubling that effort to the more optimistic figure of 6 percent would not remove enough cars to improve conditions in the canyon. If 10 percent would ride, that would have a noticeable impact. Without a noticeable reduction in cars and without widening the road, new buses would sit in the canyon like everybody else — not exactly a beacon to attract riders.

Does this mean we will not seek out additional transportation alternatives to our beloved cars? Absolutely not! We will and must as a community continue to look at ways to move around without such reliance on cars especially single occupant cars!

The NCTPA does have bus service to Vallejo (and the Vallejo Ferry) and is working towards express service (limited stops and faster service) from Calistoga all the way to the ferry. This service was created by hard-fought special funding.

Ultimately all of our congestion issues must be addressed by a broad-based approach that addresses the myriad causes. From increased transit opportunities to housing closer to where we work, to bike and pedestrian alternatives, to appropriate road capacity, we can work together, change our behavior and address congestion.

Thank you for the suggestion and know it will be included in the ongoing discussions happening through the Strategic Transportation Planning Process.

(Leddy is executive director of Napa County Transportation And Planning Agency.)

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