The Collector
July 26, 2024
Thank you to all of CRTP’s members and supporters who reached out recently to tell the Humboldt County Supervisors about the importance of public transit. They heard you! On Tuesday, the Supervisors voted to put a one-cent sales tax on the ballot and clearly stated their intent to spend the money on roads and public transit.
Currently, almost all of the funding for public transit in our region comes from the state and federal governments. If this new tax passes in November, and the Supervisors follow through on their promises, it will establish the first significant source of local transit funding – which could have a transformative effect on transit service.
CalMatters, the statewide nonprofit news outlet, published a detailed story this week about Eureka’s efforts to build affordable housing on underused downtown parking lots, and the backlash led by conservative business tycoon Rob Arkley. CRTP’s
downtown Eureka parking map was featured in the article.
CalMatters also published
another article this week about the parade of local ballot measures like Eureka’s Arkley-funded Measure F that ask voters to block new housing. Some good news: voters in other communities around the state have increasingly turned against such measures and demonstrated their support for infill housing development. We hope Eureka’s voters will do the same.
In other Measure F news, the North Coast Journal this week revealed (to nobody’s surprise) that
Arkley is also probably behind the mysterious corporation that is trying to buy the former Jacobs Middle School campus. The purchase seems intended to prop up Measure F and distract from the measure’s true focus on blocking downtown housing.
350 Humboldt Bus Adventure & Parking Lot Tour Tonight
Tonight (Friday, July 26th), join 350 Humboldt on the Redwood Transit Service
bus that arrives at 4
th and D Streets in Eureka at 5:59 pm from the north or the bus that arrives at 5
th and D Streets from the south at 5:43 pm.
Here is an RTS schedule. Reminder: the
bus is free this month and next for youth and seniors (17 years old and younger or 62 years old or older)!Then, meet at 6:10 pm at 3
rd and G Streets, site of the future EaRTH Center. Take a one mile walk to visit the parking lots that are planned to be developed with much-needed affordable housing, learn about the city’s plans, and find out how you can help
defeat Measure F. After the tour, enjoy the Friday Night Market.
Hoopa Man Killed by Driver on State Route 96
Our hearts go out to the family and friends of
Joseph Alfred McCovey, who died on July 19th at the age of 25 after being struck by a driver near Hoopa. We are extremely frustrated by the initial public statement from the California Highway Patrol, which blames the victim for “stepping into” the path of the oncoming car – without mentioning that there are no safe places to walk on this stretch of state highway, and despite the fact that the driver initially fled the scene and McCovey did not survive to tell his side of the story. As CRTP has reported many times before, such victim-blaming is unfortunately the norm when a pedestrian or bicyclists is hit by a driver. It is the result of cultural biases and systemic failures in both policing and reporting about such tragedies.
Making
Street Story reports with your kids is a fantastic way to teach them about street safety and encourage them to consider their surroundings while on the road. The experience of reporting on Street Story can empower children to pay attention to their safety on streets and consider how it is affected by the built environment. Learning to make reports on Street Story can also be an interesting way for kids to learn computer skills: they get to interact with a GIS map before being prompted with questions about their experience and what they think could improve it. They also get the chance to come up with a narrative or comments, giving them creative space and consideration for their own thoughts and ideas – all the while teaching them that how they feel about their safety matters and that there is somewhere to
report it! Children 13 and over can make reports independently, while those 12 and under need guardian supervision.
Haga clic aquí para hacer un informe en español.
News from Beyond the North Coast
“Failure to Launch”
As we have reported many times in the past, California is supposed to have a statewide incentive program to support the purchase of e-bikes. But despite years of program development and repeated promises from the state, the program hasn’t launched yet, and public information is limited. Locally, the long delays in state program implementation have led the Redwood Coast Energy Authority to launch its own e-bike voucher program independently.
Canada’s Effort to Promote Climate-Friendly Housing
The Canadian government is offering a lot of money to support local infrastructure projects – but only if provincial governments get rid of single-family zoning and allow denser infill development that increases walkability and reduces climate pollution.
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.
