The Collector
March 6, 2026
Two Big Wins for Responsible Transportation
On February 19th, the Humboldt County Association of Governments (HCAOG) adopted its updated Regional Transportation Plan. Thanks to advocacy from CRTP and our members and supporters, the HCAOG Board first voted to fix the three big problems we had identified with the updated plan: (1) they included a financial consistency policy, requiring that HCAOG prioritize funding projects that best promote goals of safety, sustainability, and equity; (2) they restored the policy for 80% of new housing to be non-car-dependent; (3) they restored use of the phrase “climate crisis” throughout the plan to reflect the urgent need for action on climate change.
CRTP is also celebrating the updated plan’s designation of new “major transit stops” at busy bus stops throughout the county. This designation helps encourage transit-friendly infill development, because state law prohibits local governments from imposing costly and arbitrary parking mandates on new buildings within half a mile of a major transit stop.
In another big win, the Eureka City Council this week adopted significant updates to its zoning code which will also promote walkable, bikeable, transit-friendly development. Among the code improvements are more stringent bike parking requirements (including provisions for larger bikes and e-bikes, thanks to CRTP’s advocacy), more pedestrian-friendly building designs, and streamlined approval for infill development that meets the city’s standards. Plus, at CRTP’s urging, the council directed staff to return next year with a proposal to finally remove one-size-fits-all parking mandates for new development citywide.
Traffic Violence Is a Leading Cause of Death in Humboldt
Humboldt County has an unusually high rate of motor vehicle deaths. Among people aged 55 and under, it is one of the top 4 causes of death. And all this carnage is most concentrated on the US 101 corridor in Eureka.
We need to make these streets safe for everyone before more people are killed. If you haven’t signed the petition to make Broadway, 4th & 5th Streets safer, click here to sign now. If you have already signed, please share the petition with friends and family and ask them to sign too.
“I’m proud to live in a community that values alternative transportation”
Testimonial from Eureka resident Alyssa O’Keefe
“I moved here just over a year ago with my husband and we decided to share one car.
“We made this decision because I am able to ride my bike here safely. I ride my bike every day to work, rain or shine.
“I take C st all the time, I know when I take that route I’m safe to do so. I’ve lived closer to work before but had to drive because the route would have been too dangerous.
“A cop actually yelled at me not too long ago for riding my bike on 4th st when I was trying to go from I st to H st. He said no riding your bike on the 101, get on the sidewalk.
“I’m proud to live in a community that values alternative transportation to cars and it would be a disappointment to not continue progress.”
You can join Alyssa and share your personal appreciation for recent bike infrastructure improvements with CRTP by emailing kelsey@transportationpriorities.org. Then, we’ll help share it with the whole community. While we know we have a long way to go, it’s important to celebrate the progress we’ve already made!
Where’s All That Transit Funding We Were Promised?
It’s been more than a year since the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors directed that 15% of revenues from the new Measure O sales tax go to support public transit. Bus riders and others may be wondering how much revenue has come in, and what it’s been spent on. This week, we got some of the answers.
The Humboldt Transit Authority (HTA) has proposed its spending plan for Measure O revenues next year. We’re pleased to see that some of the funding will be spent on increasing frequency on the well-used Redwood Transit Service. But we’re dismayed that, due to increasing costs and reduced state revenue, much of the funding will have to be spent just to maintain existing bus services.
We are also dismayed that, according to public comments from HTA officials this week, none of the Measure O revenue the county has received so far has actually been provided to HTA. Instead, HTA has been forced to spend money on its promised Measure O investments for nearly a year without any reimbursement. Apparently, nearly a year after the tax money started coming in, county staff are still haggling with HTA over the terms of the funding contract.
Additionally, at another meeting this week, Humboldt County Public Works Director Tom Mattson explained that the county is prioritizing spending the other 85% of Measure O funds on paving and other road projects, rather than paying down the negative balance of its Roads Fund. Here’s why that’s a problem: when approving 15% of projected revenues for transit, county supervisors were so concerned about that negative Roads Fund balance that they decreed that no revenue above current projections would go to transit until the fund balance was positive. If the county makes no effort to pay down its fund balance, transit could be cheated out of millions of dollars in potential revenues over the next several years. We’ll be watching closely as the situation unfolds.
We’ll Say It Again: Enforcement Isn’t the Solution
The Eureka Police Department this week announced “Operation Gateway 101,” which combines a continuation of the department’s recent and dramatic increase in traffic stops with a new focus on combating blight on the US 101 corridor. However, as we’ve noted before, this approach has not done anything to reduce traffic violence. Traffic stops in the city were up 241% last year, but there was essentially no change in the number of collisions. We pointed this out to the city council, emphasizing that there is ample evidence of solutions that do actually work to improve safety – most of which involve changing the infrastructure.
Show Up for Richardson Grove!
Our friends at EPIC are still battling Caltrans in court over the highway expansion project in Richardson Grove State Park, and we are eternally grateful for their efforts. In just over a week, they’ll be back in a courtroom in San Francisco, and they need supporters to show up and pack the room! Click here for more details.
Support for Local EV Drivers Available
The Redwood Coast Energy Authority has launched a program offering discounted charging for low-income EV drivers at the agency’s network of public chargers. Find out more about this and other aspects of owning an EV in Humboldt in this handy myth-busting article.
News from Beyond the North Coast
Demand More Responsible Projects from Caltrans!
The California Transportation Commission is about to adopt a new State Highway Operations and Protection Program (SHOPP), a biannual process that involves committing billions of dollars to state highway projects across California. Unfortunately, the projects proposed by Caltrans are missing the mark. According to CalBike: “Only 25% of projects include meaningful bike, pedestrian, or transit infrastructure. The plan funds just 11% of the bikeway miles California’s own targets require. And 62% of projects claim exemptions to [complete streets law] SB 960 with no public documentation explaining why.” Click here to send the commission a message asking them to demand better from Caltrans.
American Streets and Highways Appear to Be Getting a Little Bit Safer
New data from the National Safety Council estimate a 12% drop in traffic deaths nationwide in 2025 – including a 40% drop in California! Experts are divided about what’s behind the trend, and whether it will last. One theory is that the big Biden-era investments in proven safety projects across the country are starting to pay off. Another is that the reduction in serious crashes is the result of increasing congestion following the pandemic, because cars caught in traffic usually aren’t going fast enough to kill someone. Either way, it’s good news.
Senators Introduce Bill to Increase Rural Transit Funding
A bipartisan group of US senators this week introduced the “Investments in Rural Transit” Act, which among other things would increase funding for rural transit operations. Operational funding is usually the hardest thing for transit agencies to get, and the bill has the potential to make a big difference to agencies on the North Coast. We’ll be keeping a close eye on the bill’s progress.
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.