The Collector
October 16, 2026
A Win for Arcata Evening Bus Service?
The Cal Poly Humboldt administration has produced a “Frequently Asked Questions” document about local bus service that is now circulating widely on campus. The document includes a number of misleading assertions about the university’s recent cuts to transit funding. But it also says that “the University is now supporting the HTA evening service on the Orange Route while school is in session through the Spring 2027 semester” and that “we’re working on options for service beyond that period.”
If true, that’s big news. The university had previously only announced an agreement to fund evening service through the Fall 2026 semester. This shows that pressure from students, the community, and CRTP is making a difference! But this campaign is far from over. CRTP will keep advocating until we secure a long-term commitment to funding evening bus service in Arcata.
CRTP’s Comments on the Amtrak Bus Study
As we previously reported, the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority (SJJPA) is considering service cuts to the Amtrak bus route (Gold Runner Route 7) that provides the only direct, long-distance bus between Humboldt County and the San Francisco Bay Area. A new draft “thruway bus study report” says that, although Route 7 carries the third most passengers of any thruway bus in the state, it is considered less “cost effective” because the route’s long distances increase operating costs.
CRTP has now submitted official comments on the report, which you can read along with the full draft thruway bus study to dig into more of the details. Then, take the brief survey and submit other comments by clicking here and using the “Provide Input” form.
Looking Back on Transit Month and the Week Without Driving
Fifty people signed up to participate in the 2026 Week Without Driving in Humboldt County, including many elected officials and other local public decision-makers. You can read some of their reflections and see a partial list of participants on CRTP’s website, and read Humboldt County Supervisor Natalie Arroyo’s thoughtful reflections in her column in the Times-Standard.
Just prior to the Week Without Driving, we wrapped up Transit Month, marked here on the North Coast by a number of events, and of course a Ride Contest! Twenty-six local transit riders logged 602 transit trips totaling almost 5,000 miles during the month of September as part of our local Ride Contest. Congratulations to riders Jon O, Bestofthebus, and OS for winning great prizes donated by the Humboldt Transit Authority!
Another Major Crash on Broadway
Less than a month after a driver hit and killed 20-year-old McKinleyville resident Ronnie Franklin on Broadway, another pedestrian has been hit and critically injured on our region’s most dangerous corridor. This crash was at Wabash and Broadway, a notorious intersection where there has already been one pedestrian fatality and one serious injury in the last year.
If multiple people died in one building in a single year, we can be pretty sure the building would be at least temporarily closed to the public. If multiple people died in quick succession on a single airplane or train, those vehicles would be taken out of service while officials investigated. If multiple people died after eating the same food, there would certainly be a recall. Why then do we continue to allow business as usual to continue on public roads like Broadway, 4th and 5th Streets, while one after another people die and face life-changing injuries?
We are grateful for the life-saving South Broadway Complete Streets Project that is improving conditions south of the Bayshore Mall. And we look forward to similar improvements coming to Broadway’s “middle segment” in the next few years. But securing these improvements required many years of campaigning by CRTP and our allies, they are taking years to become reality, and they still fall short of making Eureka’s US 101 corridor a truly safe place to walk, bike, roll, and drive. Enough is enough. Caltrans needs to respond to this safety crisis with the urgency and seriousness it deserves.
Humboldt Bay Trail Updates
Our friends at Humboldt Waterkeeper have produced a new audio tour of the Humboldt Bay Trail featuring interviews with local experts covering 40 points of interest between the Arcata Marsh Interpretive Center and the south end of the Hikshari’ Trail in Eureka. Check it out and appreciate the crown jewel of our local trail system even more!
If you’re out on the trail on a windy day, watch out for waves. Last weekend’s winds caused waves to splash over the trail in many locations, raising concerns about how the trail will hold up during the wet and stormy winter meteorologists are predicting. CRTP is keeping an eye on this issue. If you experience conditions on the trail that you think are unsafe, please let us know and report it on Street Story.
Reconnecting Arcata Doesn’t Necessarily Mean a Highway Cap
The idea of covering up the US 101 highway canyon in the middle of Arcata with a big land bridge has a lot of appeal. But CRTP has always encouraged the city to focus more of its energy on lower cost, near-term, and perhaps more realistic options to restore bike and pedestrian connections. Now the city is doing just that.
News from Beyond the North Coast
Predicting Impacts of California’s New E-Bike Labeling Law
CalBike looks to other states with similar laws to predict how effective SB 1167 will be at reining in rampant mislabeling of e-motos as e-bikes. They conclude that how the state enforces the law will be a crucial factor.
Virginia Students Develop a Safe Walking App
High school students in Fairfax County, Virginia noticed that Google Maps was really designed for drivers, and often sends pedestrians to dangerous streets without sidewalks or other protective infrastructure. So they built their own app designed specifically to provide safe pedestrian directions. The app is only available in Fairfax County, but could provide a template for other areas across the country.
Walkability Is About More Than Just Walking
A walkable place doesn’t just let you walk easily from one place to another. It also facilitates the kinds of human connection that enrich our lives.
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.