County holds meetings on 30-year transportation plan

By KEVIN COURTNEY
Napa Valley Register

Imagine yourself Napa County’s transportation czar. What would your priorities be? How would you spend limited funds?

These essential questions will be asked of county residents in coming weeks as the Napa County Transportation and Planning Agency refines a strategic plan for the next 30 years.

Better roads, more buses, commuter trains and ferries are among the options that will considered at community meetings in American Canyon, Napa and Calistoga.

To reduce congestion, officials will suggest policies to promote housing closer to jobs, new get-about options for tourists and better walking and biking paths near schools.

Twenty transportation strategies have been distilled from public comments at community meetings last fall and interviews with 80 employers and community groups, said Jim Leddy, NCTPA’s executive director.

The results from the new round of public meetings will be presented to the NCTPA board of directors in June. The new transportation plan will help shape public policy for years to come, he said.

While this long-term planning is wrapping up, the NCTPA is considering a transportation sales tax for the November ballot. A decision on whether to try a second time for a tax must be made by August, Leddy said.

The Strategic Transportation Plan will be a broad policy document, while any decision on the transportation tax will focus on more immediate needs, Leddy said.

Any sales tax will have to take into account the county’s great need for road and street repairs, he said.

While NCTPA staff has whittled public comments down to 20 broad strategies, the upcoming public meetings will focus on the most important, said Eliot Hurwitz, NCTPA’s program manager.

On the supply side, maintaining streets, investing in south county roadways and increasing transit options are thought to have the biggest public benefit, he said.

On the demand side, encouraging housing near jobs, car-free tourism, improved bike and pedestrian links to schools and city centers and using parking disincentives to discourage single-occupancy vehicles will be spotlighted.

Any transportation policy must take into account a growing senior citizen population, Hurwitz said. Napa County’s senior population is likely to grow from 15 percent to 25 percent by 2030, he said.

“That will change the needs of our transportation system considerably,” Hurwitz said. More buses and home-pickup options will be needed, he said.

The meetings are 6-8 p.m., with doors opening at 5:30 so the public can review possible transportation strategies.

American Canyon — Wednesday, Canyon Oaks Elementary School, 745 Silver Oak Trail.

Napa — March 19, Napa Valley Unified School District board room, 2425 Jefferson St.

Calistoga — April 2, Calistoga Community Center, 1307 Washington St.

Napa Valley Register Copyright © 2009