Equity Principles

As a nationally-recognized expert, Charles T. Brown of Equitable Cities and Rutgers University Professor was retained by Solano Transportation Authority (STA) to adopt Equity Principles. Charles was tasked with providing STA a more inclusive approach in addressing equity into traditional plans for highways, roads, transit, and active transportation as part of an update to their countywide Comprehensive Transportation Plan. The Equity Chapter contains a framework to proactively engage the public on their mobility needs, explore existing transportation inequities, and create strategies or principles to guide future transportation projects and program development.

Located between two of the largest Northern California Metropolitan Statistical Areas, Solano County is one of the most diverse regions in the nation, with three of its municipalities being the most diverse in the United States. STA recognizes diversity as a crucial asset that must be protected and is dedicated to ensuring that transportation truly works for all residents. As such, STA will no longer informally address equity and limit its inclusion to specific planning documents or mobility programs for older adults and others with disabilities.

As the first transportation agency to include Equity Principles within its transportation plan, STA will continue its commitment to equity to the region’s ethnic, growing elderly population, and other groups based on gender, income, age, and abilities. This new approach enmeshes equity throughout all planning. This is also illustrated by the STA board’s Equity Working Group amending its mission statement to include the words “for all.” The following was prioritized in this work:

• Basic Outreach: the STA board through their community networks to get a small but representative group to work with selected board members to have matter-of-fact discussions. The group was comprised of 14 community leaders and 4 STA Board Members.
• Retained a Technical Expert to support the committee, Charles T. Brown. Charles facilitated the group’s discussions, and assisted STA staff with authoring and editing the draft Equity Chapter.
• Focus: the Equity Working Group was tasked specifically with discussing how equity issues within the county relate to transportation and how STA could be more proactive in addressing inequities.
• Public Input.  The Equity Working Group facilitated three public workshops (including one online) to collect feedback on the draft Transportation Equity Guiding Principles.