The Collector

September 6, 2024

Public Meeting Next Week on Regional Climate Action Plan Draft
Next Tuesday, September 10th, at 6 pm, Humboldt County will be holding a public meeting at the Wharfinger Building in Eureka to discuss the recently published draft of the Regional Climate Action Plan (covering the county and all of its cities). According to the most recent estimate, nearly three quarters of regional climate pollution covered by the plan comes from transportation. Experts agree that avoiding the worst climate impacts requires us to significantly reduce the amount we drive – so come out on Tuesday and demand that the plan include meaningful actions to reduce driving and support more walking, biking, rolling and public transit!

Mark Your Calendar for Our Week Without Driving Walk Audits!
The second national Week Without Driving is coming up in just a few weeks, and you can still sign up to take the challenge! Whether or not you are challenging yourself not to drive for the week, you are also invited to join CRTP and our co-sponsors for two walk audits that week in Eureka’s 4th and 5th Street corridor. On Wednesday, October 2nd, from 12-1 pm we will be walking a loop starting at 5th and D Street, and on Saturday, October 5th, from 5-6 pm we will be walking a loop starting at 5th and O Street. Join us to help assess the walkability and pedestrian safety, accessibility and comfort of this key corridor.

Arcata City Council Delays Action on Making K Street Safer
Thanks to all of CRTP’s members and supporters who contacted Councilmembers to ask them to approve designs for a quick-build project that would significantly improve bike and pedestrian safety on K Street. Improvements like these were promised by the Council during their deliberations on the Gateway Plan last year, and are desperately needed to avoid a future tragedy on this dangerous street.

Unfortunately, despite strong support for the proposed changes throughout the planning process, the Council this week appeared reluctant to remove parking in order to provide space for safe bike lanes. (Several business representatives predicted they’d be negatively impacted by parking removal, despite studies showing that these kinds of projects usually help local businesses.) But the Council ultimately delayed making a final decision until a future meeting, so there is still an opportunity to get a good project. Rest assured that CRTP will continue to advocate for putting safety first on K Street.

Speaking of biking in Arcata, if you have ever used Arcata’s bike share system – or if you’d like to use it in the future – you should tell the city about your experiences! Click here to fill out the city’s bike share survey.

Measure F Would Be a Disaster for Eureka, Housing Advocates Warn
Measure F would effectively prohibit planned housing and transit center development in downtown Eureka by requiring the preservation of existing parking lots, plus the construction of costly parking structures for new residents. The California Housing Defense Fund recently sent a letter to city officials warning them that if Measure F passes, the city could be in major legal and financial trouble. Meanwhile, the former Jacobs school campus – which Measure F proponents claim would be developed with housing to offset the loss downtown – looks like it will instead be sold to the California Highway Patrol to build a local headquarters. And a new private parking lot is currently under development downtown, adding to the already huge amount of downtown parking, and making Measure F look even more ridiculous.

Cal Poly Humboldt Is Inaccessible
It has long been an open secret that getting around the university campus is nearly impossible for many people with disabilities. Amid advocacy by professors and students for improvements – efforts that advocates say have largely been ignored or rebuffed by the administration – a new map made by a Cal Poly Humboldt professor highlights just how inaccessible the campus really is. Unfortunately, dangerous and inequitable designs like those found on campus are common in our communities. CRTP advocates for universally safe and accessible designs for streets and other public spaces.

Help Encourage Your Friends & Neighbors to Use Street Story
We are looking for folks who want to film a short video with us about a location they want to highlight and make a report about on Street Story! These videos will be used on our social media to help promote Street Story reporting and give folks ideas for reports. Click here for an example!

We also have Street Story outreach materials we can provide, such as flyers and brochures for your business, workplace, or local bulletin board, or to share with friends, neighbors and co-workers.

If you’re interested in either of these opportunities, please email Kelsey@transportationpriorities.org.

News from Beyond the North Coast

Transportation Bills on the Governor’s Desk
It’s the time of year when Californians sit on the edge of their seats waiting to see if Governor Newsom will sign or veto the bills sent to him by the state legislature. This year’s important transportation bills awaiting action by the governor include SB 960, the Caltrans complete streets bill, and SB 961, which would require new cars to warn drivers when they go more than 10 mph over the speed limit. (The original bill would have actually prevented cars from excessive speeding, but it was significantly watered down by the legislature. Apparently breaking speed laws and endangering other road users is considered a sacred right by many legislators.)

Small Towns Lead the Way on Parking Reform
To hear some people tell it, you might think that getting rid of costly parking mandates for new development is a reform that only works in big cities. In reality, many more small towns than big cities have implemented this reform, and they’re doing just fine. Locally, we are excited to report that Arcata committed to citywide removal of parking mandates in its recent General Plan update.

Do Roads Help or Hurt Local Economies?
A new study finds that the economic costs of building new roads in urban areas far exceed the benefits – and that actually removing some existing roads would produce a huge economic benefit.

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.

The Collector

August 30, 2024

Can Roundabouts Be for Everyone?
Roundabouts significantly increase safety for drivers, which is great. They also move more cars than other types of intersections, which may not be so great. But most importantly, people walking, biking and rolling have different needs than drivers, and many roundabouts fail to provide a safe and comfortable experience for non-drivers – especially for pedestrians with disabilities. As local planners and engineers increasingly turn to roundabouts as a solution to street safety problems, the safety and comfort of non-drivers must be central to their designs, not an afterthought. For more on this topic, check out CRTP’s article in the September issue of the EcoNews.

Help Encourage Your Friends & Neighbors to Use Street Story
We are looking for folks who want to film a short video with us about a location they want to highlight and make a report about on Street Story! These videos will be used on our social media to help promote Street Story reporting and give folks ideas for reports. Click here for an example!

We also have Street Story outreach materials we can provide, such as flyers and brochures for your business, workplace, or local bulletin board, or to share with friends, neighbors and co-workers.

If you’re interested in either of these opportunities, please email Kelsey@transportationpriorities.org.

Don’t Forget to Register for the Week Without Driving!
For the second year in a row, we are challenging elected officials, transportation and planning professionals, activists and advocates to try not getting behind the wheel for a week – and in the process to get a first-hand experience of what daily life can be like for local non-drivers. The 2024 Week Without Driving runs from September 30th to October 6th. But please note: if you already have commitments that week and know you’ll have to drive some, we still encourage you to take the pledge and stick to it when you’re able. We won’t be mad at you for not making it the whole week – we just want you to consider what you would have done if you didn’t have the option to drive, either because of age, or disability, or because you couldn’t afford a car. Click here to find out more and take the pledge.

News from Beyond the North Coast

Caltrans Complete Streets Bill Heads to Governor’s Desk
SB 960 has been amended numerous times during the legislative process. It may not be quite as revolutionary as it was before those amendments, but it would still introduce significant new accountability measures and direct Caltrans to provide more bike, pedestrian, and public transit facilities on state highways – including community main streets in our region from Eureka’s 4th and 5th Streets to Highway 299 in Willow Creek. Click here to ask Governor Newsom to sign the bill.

New Bill in Congress to Address Unsafe Pickups & SUVs
Bigger vehicles are more dangerous for people walking, biking and rolling, and the increasing size and height of pickup trucks and SUVs is resulting in the deaths of more and more pedestrians and bicyclists every year. A new bill introduced in the US House of Representatives would address this problem by finally forcing the federal government to develop vehicle safety standards that consider not just the driver and passengers, but people outside the vehicle too.

Complete Streets Are Good for Business
We have long known that retrofitting streets with bike lanes, bike parking, bulbouts, and other pedestrian features increases safety and encourages more walking and biking. A new study finds that these projects also spur job creation and attract more (and more diverse) residents to the area.

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.

The Collector

August 23, 2024

Just Over a Month Until the Week Without Driving!
Don’t forget: the 2024 Week Without Driving runs from September 30th through October 6th. If you or someone you know is a local elected official or appointed committee member, work for a public agency on transportation-related plans and projects, or just want to see your community from a different angle, consider taking the Week Without Driving pledge. Participating in this challenge provides the opportunity to experience first-hand what life may be like for the many members of our local community who are non-drivers, either because of their age, a disability, or because of the high cost of owning and operating a vehicle. We are also working to pair up decision-makers with regular transit riders for transit ride-alongs, which can help provide an even deeper perspective.

Public Workshop Next Week on Safety Improvements for Samoa Boulevard & US 101
Next Thursday at 5:30 pm, the City of Arcata is hosting a workshop at the Arcata Community Center to discuss how the highway interchange at Samoa Boulevard and US 101 could be made safer and more comfortable for people walking, biking and rolling. This is one of the most dangerous spots in the city for bicyclists and pedestrians and acts as a barrier between the Bayside and Sunny Brae neighborhoods and the rest of the city, so we’re excited to see improvements. The city will also be discussing possible changes to the rest of Samoa Boulevard and South G Street. Click here for more information on the project, or click here to take a survey. And please show up on Thursday to advocate for meaningful safety improvements!

Remember to Report Safe Places on Street Story
Did you know you can report safe places on Street Story? While reports of crashes, near misses and road hazards are critically important, locating safe areas is also very useful information. Currently, only 3% of the Humboldt County reports are safe places. Safe place reporting helps us understand where communities are doing something right, and where people might be traveling to avoid other streets they don’t feel safe on. This is all helpful and useful information to get insight on the community’s travel experiences. If you haven’t been in a crash and can’t think of any hazard areas, consider reporting a road or intersection where you feel safe! Haga clic aquí para hacer un informe en español.

Humboldt County Planning Commission Discusses Parking Policy
While deliberating on a new ordinance to allow housing to be built on commercially zoned properties, some Commissioners brought up the fact that any future housing projects will still have to comply with the county’s costly parking mandates. Thankfully, the ordinance does allow the number of required spaces to be reduced under some circumstances, but in general those mandates still apply. Additionally, the county scrapped a requirement in the ordinance that the new housing be located in existing communities – a change which we fear will encourage more car-dependent sprawl. CRTP will be advocating to fix these problems before the final ordinance is adopted by the Board of Supervisors.

Want to Help Plan the Future of Your Community?
If you live in McKinleyville or Arcata, this might be your opportunity! Arcata now has an open seat on its Planning Commission; click here to apply. In McKinleyville, the Municipal Advisory Committee provides input to the county on land use and transportation planning topics, and three members’ terms are about to expire. Click here for more information on how to apply for one of the McKinleyville positions.

News from Beyond the North Coast

Want to Take the Bus to Your Next Hike?
In some rural, tourist-oriented areas, buses and shuttles take people directly to popular trailheads and outdoor recreation areas. There are a lot of challenges to designing transit access to nature in a way that is efficient and cost effective, but it’s a pretty exciting idea to consider here on the beautiful North Coast!

How Would You Feel About Paying Separately for Your Parking Spot?
If you live in an apartment, chances are good that it comes with a parking spot or two – and that the cost of providing that parking is included in your monthly rent payment. Charging separately for housing and parking (called “unbundling”) helps reveal the true cost of parking and ensures that people aren’t forced to pay for parking they don’t use. A new study suggests that many people would be happy to accept this arrangement, even when they own multiple cars.

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.

The Collector

August 16, 2024

Eureka City Council to Talk About Vacant Building Ordinance
Next Tuesday, the Council will continue its discussion of a proposed ordinance that would penalize property owners for leaving buildings vacant while making no attempt to sell or rent them. Why is this a transportation issue? Because making full use of existing buildings in our cities reduces the pressure to build new car-dependent sprawl!

News from Beyond the North Coast

House Republicans Keep Trying to Cut Transit Funding
The latest budget proposals from House Republicans again include massive cuts to public transit, as well as prohibitions on spending transportation money to promote equity or climate resilience.

“Killed by a Traffic Engineer”
Did you know that you can become a professional traffic engineer in the United States without having taken a single class in traffic engineering? Or that many standard traffic engineering practices are based on outdated (and often debunked) research, or on no research at all? Former transportation engineer and current engineering professor Wes Marshall discusses these and many other shocking facts in his new book, and concludes that the profession needs to make some major changes – and to admit that its practices have been responsible for a huge number of deaths and serious injuries on America’s streets and highways.

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.

The Collector

August 9, 2024

Humboldt Transit Authority Wants Your Input on Fare Changes
Did you know that when you ride the bus in Humboldt County today, your fare could vary depending on who you are, where you are, and how you pay? It all adds up to as many as 50 different prices for riding the bus!  This bewildering system leads to a lot of inequities, not to mention confusion for new riders.

The Humboldt Transit Authority is proposing to change all that with a new system that standardizes fares across all local transit systems and charges everyone the same amount whether they pay with cash, a credit card, or a pass. With the new regular rate set at $2.00 (and $1.00 for discounted fares), this effectively means a reduced fare for most riders. We think the new proposed fare structure is more equitable and much easier to understand. But what do you think? Fill out this form to provide feedback to the Humboldt Transit Authority.

Mark Your Calendar for the 2024 Week Without Driving
This year, the Week Without Driving runs from September 30 to October 6, and CRTP is joined by the Humboldt County Association of Governments, the Humboldt Transit Authority, and Tri-County Independent Living as co-hosts here on the North Coast. Anyone can sign up to participate, but we are particularly focused on encouraging elected officials, committee members, public agency staff, and other transportation decision-makers to experience first-hand what life is like for non-drivers in our area. This year, we will also be holding walk audits and coordinating ride-alongs with transit riders as part of the Week Without Driving. Stay tuned for more information – and if you know a local transportation decision-maker, encourage them to sign up to participate.

Local Project Funding Allocations…and Delays
Several important projects in our region are on next week’s California Transportation Commission agenda. Perhaps most exciting, the South Broadway Complete Streets project is slated to receive its funding allocation for construction, a sign that work should start relatively soon. However, a separate agenda item shows that the project’s timeline has actually been delayed by four months due to negotiations with a neighboring property owner over right-of-way.

Other local project funding allocations on the agenda include $1.4 million for the Arcata Sunset Ave interchange project (see below) and $2.6 million for Fortuna’s Kenmar Road interchange project, as well as $1.1 million for the Elk Valley Cross Road project in Del Norte County and $600,000 toward improved bike lanes on Eureka’s Myrtle Avenue.

Great Redwood Trail Stars in New Video
If the video from NBC Bay Area’s Open Road program gets you excited about the existing trail segments and the potential for more, you might be interested to know that the Great Redwood Trail Agency is hiring! The agency is currently hiring an Operations Manager to oversee maintenance and operations of their property and right-of-way from San Francisco Bay to Humboldt Bay.

Arcata City Council Gets Update on Sunset Ave & US 101 Interchange Project
On Wednesday, the Council saw new designs for the project, which features a pair of roundabouts replacing the dangerous and complicated intersections on either side of the US 101 overpass. Responding to previous input from CRTP, the new designs provide a separate bike path and sidewalk across the bridge and through the southern ends of the roundabouts. Unfortunately, the designs do not provide any connections to and from the new bike path that do not require bicyclists either merging with car traffic or riding on the sidewalk. We are advocating to make sure these and other safety problems get fixed before the project is built.

News from Beyond the North Coast

Help Get the Caltrans Complete Streets Bill through the State Assembly
Caltrans rules and policies have a huge impact on transportation safety and sustainability here on the North Coast, because state highways serve as main streets in many of our communities. SB 960 would create stricter accountability to ensure that the agency’s projects provide safe facilities for all users, not just motorists. But if legislators don’t feel more public pressure, the bill might get stuck in the Assembly without a full vote. Click here to help move SB 960 to the governor’s desk.

What Happens When Parking Mandates Are Removed?
A new study adds to the evidence that lifting minimum parking mandates for new development results in more housing, fewer unneeded parking spaces, and more density – all of which makes neighborhoods more walkable and bikeable and supports better transit service. In the future, we hope to see these kinds of results locally. Arcata is slated to become the first community in our region to eliminate parking mandates citywide in response to its recent General Plan update, and similar reforms are also proposed for the future McKinleyville Town Center.

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.

The Collector

August 2, 2024

Tri-County Independent Living Expo Next Week
Tri-County Independent Living is our region’s disability services and advocacy organization (and a member of CRTP). Next Friday from 10:30 to 2:30 at the Sequoia Conference Center in Eureka, they will be holding their 2024 Expo, which is free and open to the public. Come out to learn about community partners and local resources for people with disabilities. Transportation is often one of the biggest challenges for people with disabilities, and CRTP advocates for street designs and transit systems that are safe, convenient and accessible for everyone.

Provide Your Input for the Del Norte Regional Transportation Plan
The Del Norte Local Transportation Commission is beginning the process of updating the county’s Regional Transportation Plan, a process that occurs every four years and is a requirement for many state and federal funding programs. At CRTP, we believe the plan should focus on transportation safety, especially for people walking, biking and rolling, and should prioritize investments in the local transit system. If you have comments about what should be in the new plan, you can fill out the comment form on the Commission’s website.

In other Del Norte news, CRTP recently learned that Redwood Coast Transit Agency buses are now free for seniors and people with disabilities. The agency had already eliminated fares for youth and for veterans, and now even more of Del Norte’s bus riders can ride for free! The fare-free program is funded by a state grant.

Broadway Featured in Statewide Report on Caltrans Complete Streets Projects
We strongly support the South Broadway Complete Streets project, which was planned and funded in 2020 thanks to our advocacy and will hopefully start construction soon. We also support a related project, funded this year, that consists of a trail connecting the old K-Mart intersection with the Herrick Avenue Park and Ride (and the Waterfront Trail/Great Redwood Trail system). But CalBike points out that, within Caltrans’ primary funding program, the Broadway trail is one of only five projects in the state this year that is just for people walking and biking – compared to hundreds of projects that are just for drivers. On a statewide level, the amount of Caltrans funding that goes to bike and pedestrian infrastructure is still shamefully inadequate.

Street Story Reporting on West End Road
West End road is a main connector for those biking between Arcata and points east, such as Blue Lake, but it lacks a bike lane. The majority of the road is winding with many blind curves. Bicyclists on Street Story have reported being run off the road by cars, getting cut off, and other dangerous situations with drivers. Here are some highlight narratives we shared in our Street Story Analysis from earlier this year:

 “Blind corners and residents who drive aggressively contribute to near-misses on a regular basis. This situation is incredibly intimidating for casual/inexperienced riders.”

“It’s a narrow area without a safe turnout available. Cars going in the opposite direction in a hurry don’t always care or see a bicyclist. It’s why I drive to blue lake and don’t ride even though I love the ride there. I would never allow my daughter to ride west end road or Glendale and when I do I’m scared.”

What are your experiences on West End Road? Share them on Street Story today! Haga clic aquí para hacer un informe en español.

News from Beyond the North Coast

Simple Lighting Systems Can Save Pedestrian Lives
The vast majority of pedestrian deaths occur after dark, and many happen in marked crosswalks. A new study finds that two simple lighting interventions – spotlighted crosswalks and flashing beacons – dramatically increase the rate of drivers yielding to pedestrians during nighttime hours.

Is California Living Up to Its Climate Funding Promises?
A new report reveals that the state is disguising cuts to climate programs using some creative accounting, meaning that its highly touted and urgently needed climate investments are not actually at the levels they should be. Transportation is the biggest source of climate pollution in the state, and increased levels of walking, biking, and transit riding are a big part of the solution.

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.

The Collector

July 26, 2024

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.

The Collector

July 19, 2024

News from Beyond the North Coast

More on the Active Transportation Program Budget Cuts
In the latest round of applications to the state’s funding program for bike and pedestrian infrastructure, agencies have requested fifteen times more money than is actually available after recent severe budget cuts. That means a lot of desperately needed bike lanes, sidewalks, and trails will not be funded. Yet somehow the much larger highway funding programs saw no similar cuts to their budgets.

US Department of Transportation Talks About Mode Shift
A new report from the federal government acknowledges that electrification of vehicles will not be enough to meet climate goals. We also need to see significant land use reforms and more investment in walking, biking, rolling and public transit.

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.

The Collector

July 12, 2024

Street Story Reporting in Tribal Communities

CRTP knows that bike and pedestrian safety can be a particular challenge in tribal communities. The recent national Dangerous by Design report showed that Native communities have the highest rates of pedestrian fatalities compared to any other racial/ethnic group. We wanted to take this opportunity to remind you that that the Street Story tool has been adapted to be used in and by tribal communities in California. When choosing an area you would like to make a report, you can click “tribal” and select which tribal community you would like to report in. Street Story provides the opportunity for tribal communities to have an active voice in the safety of their streets and the people on them.

 

News from Beyond the North Coast

Active Transportation Program Funding Still Facing Steep Cuts
Until recently, due to state budget cuts, California’s main program for bike and pedestrian infrastructure was slated to have its funding almost eliminated for the next two years. Thankfully, $200 million was restored in the final budget. But that still leaves the program $400 million short, and even when fully funded, it was never enough to meet statewide needs. Nevertheless, next week, you can weigh in at a public workshop on how the limited funds should be spent.

More on the Caltrans Complete Streets Bill
As we reported last week, SB 960 was substantially weakened by the Assembly Transportation Committee. But our friends at CalBike point out that the bill would still represent some progress toward safer state highways, and still faces an uncertain future. You can find out more and take action here.

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.

The Collector

July 5, 2024

News from Beyond the North Coast

Caltrans Complete Streets Bill Gutted
We are deeply disappointed to report that SB 960 – the bill that was intended to add new accountability for Caltrans to include safe and effective facilities for walking, biking, rolling and public transit on state highways – has been weakened to the point that it makes only minimal changes to current policy. The Assembly Transportation Committee removed the bill’s strongest parts and added huge loopholes, all at the request of Caltrans itself. If Caltrans is already committed to safety for all road users, as it claims, why is the agency putting up so much opposition to being held accountable to that commitment?

Hawaiian Youth Win Landmark Commitment to a Climate-Safe Transportation System
Hawaii settled a lawsuit brought by young people who argued that the state’s carbon-intensive, highway-focused transportation system represents a major threat to their future health and welfare. As part of the settlement, Hawaii agreed to transition to a zero-emission transportation system across all modes by 2045, including the construction of bike, pedestrian and transit networks on each island. This is truly a historic win for younger generations, for the climate, and for the health and safety of Hawaiians.

Congress to Investigate the Safety Impacts of Massive Cars & SUVs
At the request of Maryland Representative Jamie Raskin, the Government Accountability Office has opened an investigation into the impacts of bigger and bigger vehicles – and the government’s failure to regulate them properly – on the safety of people walking and biking. The news comes as pedestrian deaths remain near historic highs nationally, and advocates are calling on the US Surgeon General to treat car crashes as a public health emergency.

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.