7/1/2019 - Napa, CA--Two of Napa County’s leading industry organizations, Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) and Visit Napa Valley (VNV), joined by Napa County Supervisor Alfredo Pedroza, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), and the Napa Valley Transportation Authority (NVTA), have collaborated to help reduce traffic congestion through a newly established private-public partnership, “Napa Valley Forward.”
The core objective of this two-year pilot program is to utilize today’s technologies to encourage commuters to carpool; use private and public transit; and use electronic bikes to reduce the number of cars in the congested areas of Highway 29 and Silverado Trail. To achieve this, the private-public partnership will commit $1 million to understand how and when employees get to and from work and analyze the data to determine incentives to encourage employees to carpool, vanpool, or utilize other transit options.
The first phase of the pilot will focus on utilizing a technology platform for Napa Valley employers to collect data on employee commute patterns to identify opportunities for employers to test various incentives. This platform will aggregate data from multiple participating employers to identify effective incentives for small, medium and large-sized employers. The second phase will add additional funds to provide incentives that are both effective and sustainable.
“I am excited to bring the public and private sectors together and form this new partnership to collaborate on reducing traffic congestion,” said Supervisor Pedroza who also serves as the Vice Chair of MTC. “I appreciate the leadership from Visit Napa Valley, Napa Valley Vintners and the commitment from local and regional government to try new traffic relief strategies.”
“Pretty much every community poll I have seen, including our own, lists traffic congestion as a chief concern for Napa Valley residents. Our own membership has identified it as a priority as well. We are pleased to stand with our partners at Visit Napa Valley, as well as leaders from the Napa Valley Transportation Authority and MTC to try to make some needed traffic flow improvements and appreciate Supervisor Pedroza’s leadership in this important endeavor,” said Rex Stults, senior director of industry relations for the Napa Valley Vintners.
“In 2018, tourism supported 15,872 jobs in our community, and provided $85.1 million in tax revenue for local government entities in Napa County. The tourism industry remains the second largest employer in Napa County and Visit Napa Valley is proud to support ‘Napa Valley Forward’ and partner with the NVV, MTC, and NVTA to find a traffic solution that benefits both our visitors and residents,” said Linsey Gallagher, president and CEO for Visit Napa Valley.
“Small changes at the margins can yield big mobility improvements,” noted MTC Deputy Executive Director for Operations Andrew Fremier. “In some corridors, we’ve seen that even a 3 to 5 percent reduction in the number of vehicles on the road during peak periods can yield as much as a 50 to 70 percent improvement in travel times.”
“New technologies offer a cost effective way to manage traffic and even incremental reductions in auto trips can provide significant reductions in congestion on Napa’s roads,” said Kate Miller, NVTA Executive Director.
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The Board of Supervisors and staff of Napa County are dedicated to preserving and sustaining Napa County for present and future generations as a community with generous open space, a thriving agricultural industry and a quality human and natural environment.
Contact: Korinne Munson, Director of Communications - 707.968.4207, kmunson@napavintners.com
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