The Collector
May 8, 2026
Exciting E-Bike News & More Bike Month Fun!
We kicked off bike month last week by picking the winner of our e-bike raffle. Congratulations to Katie Koscielak, who is now the owner of a Blix cargo e-bike, and thanks to everyone who bought a ticket to support CRTP!
If you didn’t win our raffle, but you still want an e-bike, you should check out the Redwood Coast Energy Authority’s e-bike voucher program. There is funding available right now for vouchers of $400 or more toward the purchase of an e-bike!
Whatever kind of bike you ride, there are lots of ways to celebrate Bike Month over the next week, including mural rides in Eureka and Manila, and National Bike to Work/Anywhere Week all week long. And you can get special deals at local bike-friendly businesses! Check out the full event calendar here. And as always, wherever you ride, don’t forget to report any biking hazards, near-misses or even (we hope not) crashes on Street Story.
The Economic Impact of Transit in Humboldt County
Last fiscal year, nearly 140,000 work shifts, 151,000 student class days, and 37,000 medical appointments were accessed by transit in Humboldt County. Transit riders spent more than $5 million at local businesses. And people who relied on transit instead of owning a car saved an average of $10,472 over the course of the year. These facts and more can be found in CRTP’s new 2025 Economic Fact Sheet, which demonstrates clearly that our local transit system supports thousands of jobs, along with access to education, medical care, groceries, government services, family, friends, and more.
Get Involved with CRTP!
If you’re passionate about safe, sustainable, and equitable transportation, and you’re ready for a new chapter in your life, you’re invited to apply to be CRTP’s next Outreach Specialist. Click here for the full job description and application instructions.
If you want to be more involved with CRTP’s work, but you’re not looking for a new job, here are some other opportunities:
- Share your transit story. Send us a paragraph or two about why you ride transit, how transit makes your life better, what you couldn’t do without it, how it could be better with more public support, and any other thoughts you want to share. Your story could help build support for more transit investment in our region!
- Sign the petition for safer 4th & 5th Streets in Eureka. If you’ve already signed, share it with a friend! We’re also looking for endorsements from organizations, businesses, and elected officials.
- Become a member of CRTP. Without our members, CRTP wouldn’t exist!
Arcata Adopts Regional Climate Action Plan
The Arcata City Council voted unanimously to adopt the Regional Climate Action Plan at its regular meeting on Wednesday. The plan had already been adopted by the county, Eureka, and Rio Dell, which means the vast majority of the county is now covered by the plan.
Transportation is by far the biggest source of climate pollution covered by the plan. In order to meet its targets, the plan requires both a transition to electric vehicles and a shift to more walking, biking, and transit. We are hopeful that adoption of a coordinated regional plan will spur local agencies to act more quickly toward these goals, which we’ve been advocating for since CRTP’s founding in 2015!
Infrastructure Updates from Around the Region
The City of Eureka has requested a delay in state-awarded construction funding for the planned Bay to Zoo Trail, extending the start of construction from 2026 to 2028 due partly to negotiations with property owners over trail right-of-way. CRTP continues to work to ensure that the trail design is safe and comfortable for everybody. One of our concerns is the design of the Myrtle Avenue roundabout. Plans currently call for people biking on the trail to either merge with traffic in the roundabout or ride on the sidewalk and in the crosswalk. Neither option works well for kids and less confident bicyclists.
The city’s request for delayed construction funding is on the agenda for a California Transportation Commission meeting next week. Also on the commission’s agenda are funding allocations for pedestrian improvements in Rio Dell, purchase of a small electric bus for Del Norte’s Redwood Coast Transit Authority, and planning for Crescent City’s future transit center.
CRTP is also tracking other projects on the commission’s agenda. One is a planned project to repave Highway 299 and improve some bike and pedestrian infrastructure near Willow Creek. The other is a previously planned small project to improve bike and pedestrian facilities at the US 101 & School Road interchange in McKinleyville, which Caltrans is now scrapping. We’ll keep readers of The Collector informed as we learn more.
Distracted Driving in Eureka
California law prohibits drivers from holding a phone or other electronic device while driving, but this kind of behavior remains common. The Eureka Police Department recently reported that it cited ten drivers for cell phone violations in the month of April alone. Distracted driving is extremely dangerous, and even legal, “hand free” device use distracts drivers, reduces attention to road conditions, and slows reaction time.
News from Beyond the North Coast
Transportation Update from Sacramento
E-bikes are a hot topic for California lawmakers this year, and unfortunately some of their bad ideas – like requiring special license plates for e-bikes – are moving through the legislature. Other bills addressing everything from bike infrastructure to speeders and driving under the influence, are also moving. Click here for a full update from Streetsblog. And while you’re there, check out their primer on California gas prices, which provides some helpful context for current gubernatorial politics.
Trump Is Still Refusing To Release Funds for Walking, Biking & Transit
Advocates across the country, including CRTP, are asking why Congress should negotiate with the White House over a massive new transportation funding bill, when the Trump administration has already demonstrated that they will simply refuse to disburse money allocated by Congress for projects and programs they don’t like.
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.