The Housing Connection

Posted on December 21, 2018 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

December 21, 2018

Editor’s Note: We’ll be taking a week off from The Collector next week – but don’t worry, you can catch up on all the local transportation news the week after. Happy holidays!

Housing, Jobs and Transportation: Our Local Governments Still Don’t Get It
This week, the Humboldt County Association of Governments Board considered a formula for allocating state-mandated housing requirements among the local cities and the county. Without getting too deep into the wonky weeds, the main question was whether it’s more important to put new housing near existing housing, or near existing jobs. CRTP, along with Caltrans and the McKinleyville Community Services District, encouraged a focus on the jobs – because putting housing near jobs is one of the best ways to reduce vehicle miles traveled. Unfortunately, the local government representatives on the HCAOG Board ignored this advice (they voted to give jobs and population equal weight in the formula) – proving that when it comes to the all-important connections among land use, transportation and economic development, they still just don’t get it.

More Unhelpful Bike Laws Going into Effect
Don’t get us wrong, we’re not against kids wearing helmets or bike riders acting responsibly after a collision. But as we’ve reported before, high rates of helmet usage in the US have not led to safer conditions for bicyclists. And acting like bicycles pose the same risks as cars and trucks is just living in an alternate reality.

Bike Lane Obstruction of the Week
A delivery truck blocks the bike lane on Alliance Road in Arcata. Send your pictures of bike lane or sidewalk obstructions to colin@transportationpriorities.org.

California Buses Will Be Emission-Free
The state’s Air Resources Board voted to require all public bus fleets in the state to be zero-emission within two decades.

California Transportation Advocates Announce New Comprehensive Platform
The platform focuses on how to achieve a truly sustainable and equitable transportation system in the state. One of the main groups behind the new platform, CalBike, also announced its 2019 legislative agenda in conjunction with the release.

Northeastern States Team Up for Transportation-Related Greenhouse Gas Reduction
Transportation is the nation’s leading source of greenhouse gases, but this is one of the first major regional efforts to tackle the issue directly.

The Collector is CRTP’s weekly transportation news roundup, published every Friday. We focus on North Coast news, but we also include relevant state, national and international transportation news – plus other items that we just find kind of interesting! To submit items for consideration, email colin@transportationpriorities.org.

Transportation and Housing in the Sacramento Spotlight

Posted on December 14, 2018 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

December 14, 2018

Arcata Plaza Task Force Conducting Public Survey
Let them know what you think about the Plaza – and about how people should be getting there!

Bike Lane Obstruction of the Week
Parked cars and trucks combine with low-hanging branches to create especially hazardous conditions for bicyclists on School Road in McKinleyville. Send your pictures of bike lane or sidewalk obstructions to colin@transportationpriorities.org.

California Lawmakers Introduce a Platoon of Land Use Bills
Looks like housing and transportation will be hot topics in the upcoming legislative session. The North Coast’s own Senator Mike McGuire is co-sponsoring one of the most talked-about bills so far.

Terry Gross Talks Driverless Cars
The legendary NPR interviewer talks with former New York City Traffic Commissioner Sam Schwartz about the good, the bad and the ugly of a future dominated by autonomous vehicles.

Federal Research Agency Calls for Public Input on “Mobility as a Service”
The Transportation Research Board is planning a study to investigate the new trend (and hot buzzword) in transportation, and wants to hear from you.

Learning from Experience with Congestion Pricing
It’s never easy and rarely popular, but it tends to work.

Driving Over the Climate Cliff

Posted on December 7, 2018 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

December 7, 2018

More Driving is Pushing the Globe Toward Record Carbon Emissions
Normally, our top stories in The Collector are local ones. But this story is too important not to take the top spot.

Mobility on Demand in Humboldt
As we mentioned in last week’s edition of The Collector, the Humboldt County Association of Governments (HCAOG) met this week to start getting input on a plan for “mobility on demand” services in Humboldt County. CRTP attended and emphasized the importance of preventing private companies like Uber and Lyft from dominating the sector in Humboldt, as these services have been shown to increase vehicle miles traveled without increasing the mobility of underserved populations. One of the other main takeaways from the public comment was that there is still a large unmet (and unfunded) demand for access to high-quality, traditional fixed-route transit services.

Crescent City Active Transportation Project Changing
At its meeting this week, the Del Norte Local Transportation Commission weighed in on changes to a proposed multi-use trail along Sunset Circle. The changes are the result of landowners refusing to grant the right-of-way for some portions of the trail.

Self-Driving Armored Vehicles for Cannabis?
That’s the idea one Southern California company is selling.

Sidewalk Obstruction of the Week
Construction projects routinely block sidewalks without providing a safe detour for pedestrians. This one is particularly egregious, as it prevents any safe crossing of the street at a major intersection: both sides of the street have the sidewalk and crosswalk blocked with signs directing pedestrians to “use other side.” Note that the bike lane is also blocked. Send your pictures of bike lane or sidewalk obstructions to colin@transportationpriorities.org.

San Francisco Eliminates Minimum Parking Requirements
The Chronicle’s editorial board says it was about time. We agree.

Getting Back in the Saddle After the Paradise Fire
Chico Velo, the local cycling club in the Paradise area, is raising funds to help people who lost everything at least be able to ride a bike again.

What’s Your Vision for “Mobility on Demand” In Humboldt?

Posted on November 30, 2018 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

November 30, 2018

Special Meeting Next Week to Plan for On-Demand Mobility in Humboldt
The Humboldt County Association of Governments (HCAOG) has scheduled a special meeting for Thursday morning to begin the process of envisioning “mobility on demand” in Humboldt County. Do you want to see more bike-sharing, or maybe a pedicab app? How about a “public Uber” option? Expanded dial-a-ride services? The possibilities are endless. Come out and have your say.

Transportation Commission to Consider Local Safety Projects
The California Transportation Commission’s agenda next week includes funding allocations for safety projects on Highway 199 (high-friction surface treatments, signs, rumble strips and guard rails near Gasquet) and Highway 299 (shoulder widening near Willow Creek).

Will New Eureka Fast Food Development Decrease Safety for Pedestrians?
In light of the Eureka City Council’s recent approval of $450,000 for a traffic light to serve a new fast food development on Broadway, we thought this study showing that these types of land uses are associated with more pedestrian collisions was particularly timely.

Richardson Grove Back in Federal Court
One of the lawsuits against the highway-widening project through the beloved State Park got another hearing this week.

Local Rail Proponents Get Luke-Warm Support from State
Basically, the Governor’s office and Caltrans said rail is a great idea – if it works for your area. Hmmm.

Sidewalk Obstruction of the Week
Sidewalk construction should provide safe detours for pedestrians. This one doesn’t. Send your pictures of bike lane or sidewalk obstructions to colin@transportationpriorities.org.

State Climate Progress Stymied by More Driving
The first official progress report on so-called Sustainable Communities Strategies, which are plans to reduce driving that large metro areas in California have been required to adopt for a number of years, shows that there’s a marked lack of follow-through. Californians are driving more, and that threatens all of our other efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

San Francisco May Remove All Minimum Parking Requirements
Because minimum parking requirements are bad urban policy!

Who Likes Traffic Lights?

Posted on November 16, 2018 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

November 16, 2018

Special Note: We’ll be taking next week off for the Thanksgiving holiday, so your next edition of The Collector won’t arrive until November 30th.

Caltrans 4th Street Project Gets City Approval
As we reported a few weeks ago, the City of Eureka has been considering a Coastal Development Permit request from Caltrans for a project which would add an extra lane to part of 4th Street. Although there are some genuine pedestrian safety improvements included in the project, including traffic-calming bulb-outs and a new traffic signal at L Street, the problems associated with adding an extra lane caused us to oppose the project. Unfortunately, this Tuesday, the City approved the project’s permit. This is the last official opportunity for public input on the project, which is now slated to begin construction in 2020.

HCAOG Board Weighs Regional Housing Needs
At its Board meeting on Thursday, the Humboldt County Association of Governments took public comment on its proposed methodology for allocating new housing requirements among all of its member jurisdictions (a state-mandated process). HCAOG’s current proposal is to divide the total amount according to a combination of the number of residents and the number of jobs each jurisdiction holds, weighted equally. CRTP delivered the only public comment at the hearing and urged the Board to weight jobs more heavily in the formula. As we explained, putting homes next to jobs is one of the best ways to reduce vehicle miles traveled! Thanks to a request from HCAOG Board member (and Eureka City Councilmember) Natalie Arroyo, the Board will consider a formula that weights jobs more heavily at their next meeting on December 20th.

Eureka City Council Approves $450,000 Stop Light
At a special meeting on Wednesday, the Council unanimously approved paying for the expensive traffic signal on Broadway in order to allow a proposed fast food development to proceed.

Bike Lane Obstruction of the Week: Open House, Closed Lane
Apparently some local realtors don’t realize that you can’t block a bike lane. Send your pictures of bike lane or sidewalk obstructions to colin@transportationpriorities.org.

Detectable Warning Surfaces
Ever wonder about those bumpy yellow things often found on sidewalk ramps? Here’s your chance to find out more.

The Gas Tax Lives On

Posted on November 9, 2018 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

November 9, 2018

Proposition 6 Fails
Tuesday’s election results included a resounding defeat for Prop 6, which would have repealed the recent state gas tax increase funding infrastructure improvement, and would have made it much harder to fund non-vehicular improvements in the future. In other transportation-related results, Humboldt County voters approved Measure O to make permanent the sales tax increase which has funded a number of road repair projects in the last few years, while Eureka’s Measure I gained a solid majority for the proposed road-repair tax but fell short of the two-thirds needed. Meanwhile, all of the Eureka City Council candidates who backed a plan for a road diet on H & I Streets retained their seats in the face of concerted attacks from opponents focused on this issue.

Bike Lane Obstruction of the Week
Surprise, surprise – it’s another parked vehicle blocking the lane. Send your pictures of bike lane or sidewalk obstructions to colin@transportationpriorities.org, and you might just be featured in The Collector!

Eureka City Council Sets Special Meeting for $450,000 Stop Light
The traffic signal is seen by many as a subsidy for a big out-of-town fast food corporation. (We know we don’t need to remind our readers that fast food, the industry that brought us the drive-thru window, is the pinnacle of car-centric culture and commerce.) Attend the meeting Wednesday to have your voice heard.

New Report Agrees: Eucalyptus Must Go
A second arborist’s report commissioned by Humboldt County agrees with the first report, finding that many of the eucalyptus trees along the route of the proposed final section of the Humboldt Bay Trail must be removed for the safety of trail users.

Huffman Has Transportation Priorities
Two of the three top priorities listed by the North Coast’s Congressman in a post-election interview with the Times-Standard were transportation-related: “critical transportation projects” (we assume he has Last Chance Grade in mind) and harbor dredging. Actually, all three were transportation-related if you count Klamath dam removal, which would affect transportation by boat on the river!

More Evidence that Uber & Lyft Are Taking Rides Away from Transit
In Seattle, they carry more riders than light rail – and mostly in parts of the city well-served by transit.

Transportation on the Ballot

Posted on November 2, 2018 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

November 2, 2018

Transportation Issues Headline State & Local Elections
Tuesday’s California ballot includes Proposition 6, which would repeal the recent gas tax increase and make it much harder to fund bike, pedestrian and transit improvements in the future. CRTP doesn’t take an official position on many ballot measures, but we have joined many local governments and non-profits in opposing Prop 6. In Humboldt County, voters will also weigh in on Measure O, which would continue the half-cent sales tax previously known as Measure Z – which has funded, among other things, local road repair over the last few years. And Eureka residents will vote on Measure I, another proposed sales tax for road repair. Not only that, but transportation issues have played a central role in local city council and Harbor District races, too. For more information about many of these topics, be sure to check out previous issues of The Collector. And don’t forget to vote on Tuesday!

Sidewalk Obstruction of the Week
We’ve seen plenty of cars and trucks blocking bike lanes in The Collector, but this is the first vehicle blocking a sidewalk we’ve featured. Thanks to an avid reader of The Collector for submitting this one. Send your pictures of bike lane or sidewalk obstructions to colin@transportationpriorities.org.

Eureka Hearing on 4th Street Widening Postponed
As we reported in last week’s Collector, the City of Eureka was scheduled to hold a hearing on Monday on Caltrans’ request for a Coastal Development Permit to allow changes to parts of 4th Street, including adding an extra lane. The hearing ended up being postponed – apparently due to several comments received in opposition (including from CRTP), along with the failure of Caltrans to consult with HCAOG. We’ll keep you informed as this story develops.

Expensive New Stop Light for In-N-Out Development?
We’re not necessarily against new stop lights on Broadway. But the fact that the City says one is needed because of all the new traffic the fast food joint will generate, and the fact that the developer refuses to pay for it – well, these things aren’t exactly surprising, but they should be cause for reflection.

New Bike/Ped Counting Technology Considered at HCAOG
At the Humboldt County Association of Governments’ Technical Advisory Committee meeting yesterday, the group talked about technological advancements in the field of bicycle and pedestrian traffic counting. Measuring is the first step toward understanding!

Justification for CAFE Standards Rollback Badly Flawed
The primary reason given by the Trump administration for allowing automakers to sell less fuel-efficient vehicles is that doing so will save lives. Unsurprisingly, that assertion turns out to be based on a pretty shaky analysis – including lots of basic math errors.

Advice on Creating a Local Bike Advocacy Group
OK, so maybe our weekly sidewalk/bike lane obstruction feature isn’t the best organizing tool. But we still like it.

Changes Coming to Bus Service in Humboldt

Posted on October 26, 2018 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

October 26, 2018

Changes Coming to Bus Service in Humboldt
At its meeting this week, the Humboldt Transit Authority got an update on new transit service coming to Old Arcata Road. The service is set to begin as a pilot program on November 5, and will be a reservation-based system like Dial-a-Ride. The HTA Board also received a report on the feasibility of the Eureka Transit Service switching from a loop-based to a line-based system. A line-based system would be able to offer more frequent service (which studies show is needed to increase ridership), but would have a slightly smaller coverage area.

Bike Lane Obstruction of the Week
This week’s obstruction is a truck and trailer completely blocking a bike lane in Eureka. The photo was submitted by Collector reader Gail Popham. Thanks, Gail! Send your pictures of bike lane or sidewalk obstructions to colin@transportationpriorities.org – you might get your picture in The Collector.

Eureka to Hold Hearing on 4th Street Widening
On Monday, the City of Eureka will hold a hearing on Caltrans’ request for a Coastal Development Permit to allow changes to parts of 4th Street. The primary change is to add an extra lane in the northern part of the city. That would make an already dangerous street much more dangerous, especially for pedestrians. Incredibly, though, Caltrans is billing this project as a pedestrian safety improvement – because at the same time they plan to upgrade some crosswalks and add a few bulb-outs. We’re not fooled.

Plaza Task Force Holds First Meeting
You may recall that the Arcata City Council voted to set up a Plaza Improvement Task Force back in April to consider and recommend specific changes to the Plaza. This week, the Task Force finally had its first meeting. It’s comprised of representatives of several official City committees, as well as members from the Arcata Chamber of Commerce, Arcata Main Street, and three at-large members. CRTP Arcata Mode Shift coordinator Ryan Campbell is a member of the Task Force, representing the City’s Transportation Safety Committee (which he also chairs). We’ll keep you updated as the Task Force begins to dig into its work.

Board of Supes Opposes Prop 6
Add Humboldt County to the long list of local governments, non-profits and businesses opposing the ballot measure.

Electric Cars Aren’t Enough
We also need to drive less. This important look at how California can meet its greenhouse gas reduction goals focuses on transportation, using the Sacramento-Davis area as a case study.

Eureka’s Still Dangerous for Pedestrians

Posted on October 19, 2018 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

October 19, 2018

Eureka’s Still Dangerous for Pedestrians
You’ll notice our headline differs from the one in the Times-Standard, which focused instead on a minor reduction in overall collisions. Unfortunately, the fact that Eureka’s pedestrian collision rate is still one of the highest in the state got only a passing mention in the article. On the other hand, the police officer interviewed for the story spent quite a bit of time trying to make the seeming irrelevant point that most bike and pedestrian collisions involve “transients.” Word to the wise: The fact that a person injured or killed in a collision isn’t part of your social group doesn’t make the injury or death any less of a tragedy. In related news, more auto-oriented fast food restaurants are coming to Broadway.

Sidewalk Obstruction of the Week
Obstructions like this mailbox leave barely enough room for one person to pass. They certainly don’t allow two people to walk side by side, or pass each other, which can lead to pedestrians stepping out into the street. And there’s clearly not enough room for a wheelchair. Let’s widen the sidewalks! Send your pictures of bike lane or sidewalk obstructions to colin@transportationpriorities.org – you might get your picture in The Collector.

Are Hydrogen Vehicles Making a Comeback?
You might be forgiven for thinking that hydrogen-fueled vehicles were a pipe dream abandoned sometime during the second Bush administration. But now the Redwood Coast Energy Authority is teaming up with Schatz Energy Research Center to look into so-called Fuel-Cell Electric Vehicles (FCEVs) for the North Coast. Could this be part of the zero-carbon transportation solution for rural areas like ours?

Eureka City Council Approves New General Plan
It’s a significant improvement over the last one from the perspective of responsible land use and transportation planning. Unfortunately, it still uses the outdated metric of vehicular level of service (LOS) as a transportation management tool.

Stagecoach Road Gets “Temporary” Fix…
…three years after it failed. The struggle to maintain our extensive and expensive road system continues.

New York Times Op-Ed Highlights the Potential Catastrophe of Prop 6
As you probably know by now, not only would the state ballot initiative remove billions in funding for road repair, it would also take away hundreds of millions for transit, pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, and make it much harder to raise gas taxes again. Translation: it would become much, much harder to meet California’s climate goals. The fact that the op-ed was published in the New York Times highlights the importance people across the nation are placing on the issue.

Cargo Bikes Take Off in Budapest
Urban delivery by bike is possible!

Sydney’s Car-Sharing Program Is a Smashing Success
If they can do it in Australia, we should be able to do it here. Right?

Could Transportation Issues Swing Local Elections?

Posted on October 12, 2018 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

October 12, 2018

Transportation Issues Playing a Prominent Role in Local Elections
At a recent forum, Harbor District candidates clashed on East-West rail proposals, while Eureka City Council candidates sparred over plans to make bicycle and pedestrian improvements to H & I Streets. It’s just the latest example of these and other transportation issues playing an unusually large role in local politics. In fact, transportation issues are among the most talked-about in Humboldt County elections this cycle.

Bike Lane Obstruction of the Week
This week, another parked car in a bike lane – at night, when it’s even more dangerous! Send your photos of bike lane or sidewalk obstructions to colin@transportationpriorities.org.

Eureka City Council to Consider General Plan Overhaul on Monday
The Council will consider approving the new General Plan at a special meeting at 5 pm on Monday. You can read some of our thoughts about the plan here and here. Then on Tuesday, the Council will consider requesting an investigation of the new East-West rail scheme and a proposal to augment law enforcement patrols on the Highway 101 safety corridor.

California Transportation Commission to Consider Bay Trail
At its meeting next week, the Commission will consider accepting the “Bay Trail South” environmental documentation and declaring the project eligible for state funding. This is the next step toward filling in the final missing segment of the long-awaited Humboldt Bay Trail. In other business, the Commission will also consider allocating funding for filling in the gap in Eureka’s Waterfront Drive, and an additional $2 million allocation for the Highway 101 safety corridor “improvement project.”

Dirty Tricks Surface in the Yes on Prop 6 Campaign
Robocalls to local (and apparently statewide) voters by Prop 6 proponents have sown confusion by implying that their absentee ballots are incorrect. Spoiler alert: the ballots are fine.

The Heavy Burden of Bicycle Tickets for Low-Income Riders
This important article highlights the plight of low-income commuters in California who ride a bike to work because they can’t afford a car, and are often forced to make a choice between riding legally but in an unsafe manner and getting a ticket they can’t afford to pay.

Large Truck Fatalities on the Rise
These collisions continued to increase in 2017 even as overall motor vehicle deaths dipped slightly.