Section IV. How to Find More Information
3. Overview Documents
Regional Transportation Plan (RTP)
The Regional Transportation Plan is a state-mandated, long range planning document that serves as a blueprint to guide future transportation funding decisions. The RTP outlines transportation challenges and establishes investment priorities for all of Santa Cruz County. The plan includes lists of transit, highway, local road, bike, and pedestrian needs in the region and estimates the amount of local, state and federal dollars that may be available for these projects for a 25-30 year period. The plan is updated to reflect the latest funding and project needs every three to four years. The Regional Transportation Commission adopted the 2005 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and accompanying Environmental Impact Report (EIR) on May 5, 2005 for the period through 2030.
Regional Transportation Improvement Program (RTIP)
State and federal funding for various types of state highway and other major transportation projects is programmed every two years through the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). The Regional Transportation Improvement Program (RTIP) is the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission's proposal to the state for how the region's share of state funds should be programmed.
The projects identified in the RTIP must be included in or be consistent with the Regional Transportation Plan.
Transportation Monitoring Report
The 2006 Transportation Monitoring Report provides detailed information about Santa Cruz County's transportation system, including traffic volumes, vehicle occupancy, collision, air quality, and census data, as well as transportation alternatives available to county residents. Key findings are listed below.
• Mission Street, 41st Avenue, Mt. Hermon Road, and Main Street in Watsonville are the four most heavily traveled non-freeway roadways in the county.
• Caltrans reports an Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) for Highway between Soquel and Morrissey of 110,000 vehicles and Highway 17 north of Highway 1 of 69,000 vehicles.
• At UCSC, while traffic in ten years has increased by 18% in Spring and 29% increase in Fall, enrollment has grown at 49%. This is likely due to growth in alternative transportation programs.
• Vehicle occupancy counts show that 85% of vehicles traveling in both directions on Highway 1 during the a.m. peak hours are occupied by just one person; 75% northbound and 80% southbound are single occupant vehicles during the p.m. peak. On Highway 17, counts show that 76% of vehicles traveling southbound and 88% of vehicles traveling northbound during the a.m. peak hours are occupied by just one person; 86% northbound and 82% southbound are single occupant vehicles during the p.m. peak.
• According to observations during vehicle occupancy counts, during morning commute hours truck traffic constitutes over 6.6% of all southbound traffic on Highway 17 and 1.9% of all northbound traffic on Highway 1.
• According to the 2000 census, countywide, 70% of commuters drove alone, 14% carpool, and 16% chose other alternatives to driving alone. Carpooling in Watsonville (25% of commute trips) exceeded the countywide standard of 14% of trips; while the use of alternative modes in the City of Santa Cruz was higher than in the rest of the county (61% of commuters drove alone). Countywide data from the 2005 American Community Survey by the US Census indicates 72% of commuters drove alone, 10% carpool, and 18% chose other alternatives to driving alone.
• The number of injury collisions declined in 2004 and 2005 from 2003 for motor vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians.
• The Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District served over 4.6 million passenger trips in FY 05-06, not including the Highway 17 Express Service. Passenger trips declined 15% from the previous fiscal year. Highway 17 Express bus ridership was at an all time peak in 2004/05 but declined in 2005/06. The decline in ridership in 2005/06 can be attributed to 37-day labor strike which halted all fixed-route service and service cuts that resulted from reduced revenues.
Major Transportation Investment Strategy (MTIS)
MTIS Final Report - Prepared By Parsons Brinckerhoff
An analysis of eight alternatives within the Watsonville Junction to Downtown Santa Cruz to UCSC Campus corridor was undertaken in the Major Transportation Investment Strategy (MTIS). The final report summarizes the results, evaluates the alternative investment strategies, and concludes with the consultant team's recommendations for an investment strategy to be pursued by the RTC. After the completion of this study, the RTC selected projects to pursue in this corridor. These projects have been incorporated into funding decisions and the RTP.
Measure J
The Regional Transportation Commission developed a transportation sales tax measure, Measure J, that was on the November 2, 2004 ballot. The measure received support of 42% of voters, short of the necessary 2/3 (66.66%) support needed to pass. This local sales tax measure would have helped fund the Highway 1 HOV Lanes Widening Project and other transportation improvements such as local street repairs, sidewalks and bike lanes, transportation for seniors and disabled persons and safety programs on Highway 17. Below you will find links to additional information related to Measure J.
Guide to Specialized Transportation for Seniors and People With Disabilities
The Regional Transportation Commission prepared this guide for use as a resource of local services which provide accessible transportation options to seniors and people living with disabilities. Service profiles for thirty three transportation providers are detailed including: contact information, organization history, hours of operation, fees, service area, scheduling information, priorities, fleet size, and wheelchair accessibility.