The Collector
October 9, 2026
Time to Vote!
Election Day is November 3rd, but you don’t have to wait to vote. Most registered voters in California should have received their ballots in the mail this week. CRTP joins the Humboldt County Office of Elections in encouraging voters to make a plan to vote early. Click here for information on all the options for casting your ballot.
Local, state, and federal elections all have big impacts on the safety, equity, and sustainability of our transportation system. We encourage our members and supporters to do their research on candidates and ballot measures before voting. CRTP has taken the following positions on ballot measures this election:
- NO on Proposition 43. This measure would make it virtually impossible for local voters to raise money for things like transit service or bike and pedestrian infrastructure.
- NO on Proposition 45. This measure would gut the California Environmental Quality Act, removing critical environmental safeguards for projects ranging from highway expansions to sprawling subdivisions.
- YES on Arcata’s Measure G. Measure G renews an existing City of Arcata sales tax that has provided significant funding for bike and pedestrian infrastructure over the last two decades. The funding has helped support new crosswalks, bike lanes, sidewalks, and even the Humboldt Bay Trail and the Annie & Mary Trail.
More Reasons for Cal Poly Humboldt to Fund the Bus
One Vote Away from Regional Climate Action Plan Implementation
This week, both the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors and the Arcata City Council approved a regional memorandum of understanding that provides for the creation of a Regional Climate Committee housed at the Redwood Coast Energy Authority, as well as commitments to fund a Climate Program Manager through 2030. These are the first steps toward formal implementation of the Regional Climate Action Plan, which tackles climate pollution from transportation among other local sources. While we hope that all local cities will follow suit, approval from the Eureka City Council is the only remaining step officially needed for the agreement to take effect. We expect that to happen in the next few weeks.
More Riders, More Buses
Bus ridership in Humboldt County is up roughly 20% from a year ago! Transit ridership plummeted across the country during the pandemic, as people stayed home and avoided crowds, and the situation was no different here on the North Coast. But ridership has been steadily climbing since then, and has finally reached pre-pandemic levels, boosted in recent months by the skyrocketing cost of gas.
Of course, the Humboldt Transit Authority needs enough buses on hand to provide good service to all of those new and existing riders. When a supply chain disruption stopped fuel shipments several months ago for the agency’s brand-new fleet of 11 hydrogen buses, that became a real challenge. But more hydrogen fuel finally started arriving this week, and HTA hopes to get the buses on the road soon.
Bike & Pedestrian Improvements Coming to McKinleyville, Blue Lake
At its meeting next week, the California Transportation Commission is slated to approve funding for much-needed bike and pedestrian safety upgrades at the US 101 School Road interchange in McKinleyville, as well as the long-planned “Phase II” of Blue Lake’s Hatchery Road project, which includes new bike lanes, crosswalks, curb ramps, and a pedestrian signal.
News from Beyond the North Coast
Rural Transit Brings Big Economic Benefits
A new study from Massachusetts shows that even the most bare-bones transit service in rural areas generates significant economic benefits. But we didn’t need a new study to tell us that! CRTP’s own 2026 Economic Fact Sheet for Humboldt County transit shows that local buses last year allowed riders to access almost 190,000 work shifts, more than 200,000 school days, and 50,000 medical appointments. Plus, transit riders spent an estimated $7.2 million shopping at local businesses!
Parking Pushback a Proxy for Prejudice
A new study finds that neighbors are significantly more likely to raise objections over the parking impacts of a new religious building project when that project is a mosque, as opposed to a church. The researchers hypothesize that “insufficient parking” is such a common basis for opposing new development that it can be deployed as a smokescreen to hide objections based on deeper prejudices.
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.