Bus Funding, Racial Equity and the Climate Crisis in Humboldt

Posted on August 14, 2020 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

August 14, 2020

Humboldt Planning Commission to Consider Small Change with Huge Impacts
To comply with state law, the county has to change the way it assesses transportation impacts of projects undergoing environmental review. If done right, this change should encourage infill and active transportation and make it very hard to approve new sprawling development. Unfortunately, the county’s proposal falls far short of the mark. For example, it inexplicably identifies many remote rural communities – where people are forced to drive a lot – as “low vehicle miles traveled” zones where transportation impacts wouldn’t even be considered. Read the full analysis from CRTP and partners here. And attend Thursday’s Planning Commission meeting to tell them they need to get this right!

Transit Funding, Racial Equity and the Climate Crisis All on HCAOG Agenda
At its Board meeting next Thursday, the Humboldt County Association of Governments is poised to approve the allocation of federal emergency COVID-19 funding for local bus systems, letters of support for grant applications to fund major portions of the planned regional trail system, as well as a new policy committing the Social Services Transportation Advisory Council to transportation equity. Later in the agenda, the Board will consider the annual Unmet Transit Needs report, which concludes that identified needs can’t currently be met because of the severe impacts of the pandemic on transit finances. The Board will also discuss priorities for next year’s update to the Regional Transportation Plan, focusing on how to plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation system and how to establish concrete goals and measure progress toward meeting them.

F Street Residents Organize for Safety
Residents of the southern segment of F Street in Eureka are tired of speeding cars and tragic collisions. They want traffic calming and better bike and pedestrian infrastructure to make their street a safe and comfortable place to move and to live.

Got Social Media Skills? CRTP Needs You!
CRTP is looking for someone with great social media skills and a passion for responsible transportation to serve as our volunteer Social Media Coordinator. If you’re a savvy user of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other platforms, this could be you! For more information or to apply, email colin@transportationpriorities.org.

Broadway Corridor Alternatives Assessed
CRTP and partners continue to advocate for immediate and effective bike and pedestrian safety improvements on Broadway in Eureka, to address the ongoing safety crisis. The city of Eureka and Caltrans are considering longer term plans that might improve safety by would likely take decades to materialize – time we don’t have as people walking, biking and rolling on Broadway continue to be hit and killed with disturbing regularity. Check out the alternative plans under consideration here, and mark your calendar for a public meeting on August 25th.

In Search of Local Complete Streets Champions
The CDC and Smart Growth America are hosting an education and training program for local elected officials. Can you think of someone on the North Coast who could benefit from this? Encourage them to apply!

Local Electric Vehicle Workshop Announced
The Redwood Coast Energy Authority will be holding a webinar on August 26th to introduce interested residents to the detail of electric car buying and talk about RCEA’s new electric vehicle incentive program. Advance registration required.

Bike and Scooter Share Programs Threatened by Legislation
According to CalBike’s analysis of AB 1286, it could put an unsustainable – and unfair – burden on shared micromobility companies.

May Was Still Bike Month, but Cycle September is Coming Up
Every month is bike month! Register for fun competition and encouragement.

Reminder: Make Your Street Story Reports
If you see or experience a hazard, near-miss or collision on the street, make your Street Story report here. CRTP uses reports to advocate for change, and local agencies use them to apply for grants and prioritize improvements. Your reports are important!

Carmakers Are Intentionally Putting Aesthetics Over Pedestrian Lives
Pickup trucks (and SUVs) are increasingly marketed to people who don’t need them and designed in ways that add no utility but appeal to the macho sensibility of their target audience – and also happen to make it much more likely that they will kill other street users.

How to Improve Neighborhoods Without Gentrifying Them
Case studies from Washington, DC and Portland.

Portland Sets the Bar for Residential Zoning Reform
No more single-family-home-only neighborhoods or pesky parking requirements.

Humboldt Native Makes It Big in E-Bikes
Rad Power Bikes is one of the industry leaders.

Britain Launches a New Agency Just for Biking and Walking
Imagine the US creating a Federal Bureau of Active Transportation!

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.

McKinleyville Bike & Pedestrian Projects in the Works

Posted on August 7, 2020 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

August 7, 2020

Join CRTP Next Week for a Talk on “Policing the Open Road”
American police departments owe a lot of their current size and power to the rise of the automobile in the early 20th century. At a Zoom talk next week for North Coast audiences, Columbia University Law Professor Sarah Seo, author of the award-winning 2019 book Policing the Open Road, will explain what happened – and what it means for people living in the U.S. today. Join us on Thursday, August 13th, at 5:30 pm to listen in and ask questions. Co-sponsored by CRTP, EPIC, Centro Del Pueblo, 350 Humboldt, and the Northcoast Environmental Center. Click here to register.

McKinleyville Bike/Ped Projects in the Works
At last week’s meeting, the McKinleyville Municipal Advisory Committee heard updates from the county on safety improvements at the Hiller Road/Hammond Trail intersection and a project to improve the walkability of Ocean Drive. For the latter project, the county is considering trying an “edge lane road” – a.k.a. advisory bike lanes – which would be a first in California. In related news, the Humboldt County Association of Governments Technical Advisory Committee heard a presentation about edge lane roads from a global expert on the subject this week.

Local Transit System Tackles the Pandemic
A decent overview of the issues facing the bus system in Humboldt County.

Low-Income Tribal Housing Project Planned for Arcata
It appears to be a solid infill project with bike, pedestrian, transit, and car-share amenities.

State to Allocate Money for North Coast Projects
As usual, the California Transportation Commission has a number of North Coast items included on its extensive agenda for next week’s meeting. Among them is to consider allocations of $24 million for roadway rehabilitation on Highway 101 south of Eureka, $5.6 million for ADA upgrades to Highway 101 in Eureka, and $15 million for safety improvements on Highway 299 in Willow Creek.

People Are Driving More, COVID is Spreading More
The latest big tech data suggests people on the North Coast aren’t staying home as much lately, despite the spike in COVID-19 cases.

Santa Rosa Poised to Eliminate Parking Minimums Downtown
Less off-street parking near transit means more ability to build housing and services.

“What the Defund the Police Movement Means for Bicycling”
Thought-provoking proposals for from CalBike for reallocating traffic enforcement funding.

At Least Somebody Cares About Bikes Lanes
Portland officials told the feds their fence was blocking a bike lane. Maybe local officials on the North Coast can be taught to care about bike lane obstructions, too.

“The Curb Cut Effect”
Improving accessibility for people with disabilities ends up benefiting everyone.

Designing Streets for Kids
A century ago, streets were places where kids could play. (The rise of “playgrounds” was a direct response to the threat posed to kids by increasing numbers of cars on the streets.) What if they could be that way again?

Humboldt County “Parking Crater” Lawsuit Settled

Posted on July 24, 2020 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

July 24, 2020

Editor’s Note: We’re taking a summer break next week, but we’ll be back! The next edition of The Collector will be published on Friday, August 7.

Humboldt County “Parking Crater” Lawsuit Settled
Readers of The Collector may recall that back in January, CRTP joined a lawsuit to force Humboldt County to provide relocation assistance to residential tenants who would be displaced by its actions – in this case, a now-canceled plan to demolish a bunch of apartments and other buildings in downtown Eureka to make way for a big parking lot. We’re happy to report that the lawsuit has now been settled. The county will pay current residents to help cover their relocation costs, and will develop a plan to ensure that we never end up in this situation again. Among other things, the plan will ensure than any future residents displaced by county actions will receive assistance to relocate somewhere with equivalent access to public transit and other transportation amenities.

What Can You Do About Climate Change?
The climate crisis requires fundamental changes in the way we live, including our transportation system. But that’s a hard sell for a lot of people. So what can we do to convince folks to take meaningful action? Register for this webinar with Dr. Connie Roser-Renouf – co-sponsored by CRTP – to get some ideas.

Eureka Tax Measure to Be on November Ballot
If it’s approved by voters, some of the money will go toward streets and roads – one of the city’s major expenses.

Billboard Drama Continues
It’s telling that high passions are aroused over the fate of big signs designed specifically for people to see while driving.

Got Social Media Skills? CRTP Needs You!

CRTP is looking for someone with great social media skills and a passion for responsible transportation to serve as our volunteer Social Media Coordinator. If you’re a savvy user of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other platforms, this could be you! For more information or to apply, email colin@transportationpriorities.org.

Caltrans Project Could Threaten Old-Growth Redwoods
No, not Richardson Grove. This one is on Highway 36. But like in Richardson Grove, the part of the project that would cut down the big trees is to benefit big trucks and seems suspiciously unnecessary. Our friends at EPIC are keeping a close eye on it.

Weigh in on County Airport Land Use Plan
Airports are some of the most impactful components of the transportation system. Air travel contributes more climate emissions per passenger-mile than any other mode. So what should the county do about land uses around its many airports?

Another Local Restaurant Puts Tables in Parking Spaces
Why does it take a global pandemic for us to prioritize outdoor socializing over car storage?

Fires Close Highway 96
It’s that time of year again – the time when it’s impossible to ignore how vulnerable much of our road system is to wildfire. Those impacts will only grow as the climate continues to warm.

Wheel People, Wheel Information
The latest edition of the Humboldt Bay Bicycle Commuters Association newsletter is available.

CalBike’s Call to Action for Bike-Parking Bill
A bill that would make housing cheaper and more bike-friendly should be a no-brainer, right? Let your elected officials know what you think.

Redding: The North State’s Most Bike-Friendly City?
The fascinating story of how that unlikely claim is getting closer to becoming a reality.

Public Input in the COVID Era
During the best of times, public meetings about land use planning are often hijacked by privileged local residents, while those with the most to lose (or gain) have little say. These inequities have been heightened over the past few months as public processes go online – or disappear entirely.

Police Stops, Car Crashes and Parking Enforcement

Posted on July 17, 2020 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

July 17, 2020

County Enforcement of Encroachment Permits Starts Today
Humboldt County Sheriff William Honsal announced this week that his office will start enforcement procedures against businesses that have moved dining tables or retail operations into parking areas without a permit. We have a couple of questions: (1) Is keeping parking spaces free of obstructions really a top priority for the county right now? (2) Even if officials for some reason think the answer to question #1 is “yes,” does it really need to be done by gun-toting law enforcement officers? If this is what police departments are spending their time on, maybe a little de-funding doesn’t seem so radical.

Alert: Driving Is Really Dangerous
We don’t cover most local car crashes in The Collector, partly because there are just so many of them. But a number of major crashes made the news this week, and sometimes it’s worth a reminder that driving is just a really dangerous activity.

Arcata Police Department Moves Ahead with Some Reforms
Meanwhile, Eureka continues to devote half its budget to police. Unmentioned in most reports on police reform, but critical to remember, is that the vast majority of police encounters with members of the public happen on the street – in car lanes, in bike lanes, on the shoulder or on the sidewalk. The recently introduced federal BREATHE Act would, for example, prohibit “pretextual stops and ‘consent’ searches.”

Eureka City Council to Discuss Tax Renewal
The city’s “Supplemental Transactions and Use Tax” is scheduled to expire, and its renewal will likely appear on November’s ballot. Tax revenues are used for a number of purposes, including building and maintaining transportation infrastructure.

Car Culture Restaurant Opens on Broadway
A drive-thru restaurant decided that it didn’t really need people to actually leave their vehicles, so it could open during the pandemic after all. Imagine that.

Tech Data: Humboldt Residents Are Moving Around More
But they’re not necessarily going to the same places they used to.

DMV Lets Older Drivers Keep Their Licenses for a Year
Drivers over 70 are usually required to renew their licenses in person, in part to test their eyesight and otherwise confirm that they are still able to safely drive. Due to the pandemic, the California DMV is waiving that requirement for a year. We don’t want vulnerable seniors to have to visit a DMV office either, but please don’t forget: This isn’t just meaningless red tape – driving is dangerous!

A Conservative Argument to Abolish Single-Family Zoning
In the US, suburban single-family subdivisions have been associated with political conservatism for decades. But single-family zoning restricts property rights and the suburbs are dependent on massive federal highway subsidies for survival. Doesn’t sound too conservative, does it?

Local Elections and “The Disability Vote”
Local officials have a lot of influence over how accessible streets, roads and other public facilities are.

House Climate Report Incorporates Transportation and Land Use
It’s pretty unusual for a mainstream climate platform to address transportation with anything more than “let’s electrify all the cars.” So we are encouraged by the House Democrats’ report, which includes important measures like building more housing near transit and improving bicycle and pedestrian safety.

More Street Art is Coming to Eureka

Posted on July 10, 2020 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

July 10, 2020

Eureka City Council Approves Housing on Parking Lots
Despite complaints from some nearby tenants, the Council unanimously voted to move ahead with attempts to attract developers to build low-income housing on three city-owned parking lots. CRTP fully supports the move. Below is a photo of one of the parking lots at issue, earlier in the day of the City Council meeting. The number of empty spaces is telling.

Eureka Street Art Festival Bringing Murals to Henderson Center
There won’t be a block party this year. But artists will still be sprucing up the city with cool murals! For those of us who think a lot about the pragmatics of transportation, it’s important to remember that art can play an important role in improving the streets.

Eureka Budget, Transit Agreement on Council Agenda
As car-minded pundits like to say, local budgets are “where the rubber meets the road” for policy implementation.

CHP Conducts High-Speed Chase
These kinds of pursuits are notorious for causing injury and death. Luckily, this time the only damage appears to have been to a vehicle.

How About We Don’t Include Road-Building in the Next Infrastructure Legislation?
It’s just not a good investment.

PG&E Offers EV Savings Calculator
Wondering if an electric vehicle is in your future?

The E-Bike Ad That Couldn’t Be Shown on French TV
What’s so offensive about it? It makes the car industry look bad.

Will COVID Change Everything?
More experts weigh in on the post-pandemic future of transportation.

Bike Lanes Can Be “Functionally Obsolete” Too
“Functional obsolescence” is the term engineers use to describe infrastructure that no longer meets modern standards. Frequently, it’s used to justify very expensive upgrades to vehicle-serving infrastructure. Almost never is it applied to active transportation infrastructure, despite the fact that old bike lanes and sidewalks – and even many new ones – frequently fail to meet modern standards.

Shutdowns Saved a Lot of Animals
The daily death toll of wildlife on American roadways is normally astronomical.

A Bold Proposal for Manhattan
What could the heart of one of the world’s great cities look like with no personal automobiles?

Turning Parking Lots into Housing in Eureka?

Posted on July 3, 2020 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

July 3, 2020

Turning Parking Lots into Housing in Eureka?
The City of Eureka will hold a public hearing next week on a proposal to allow development of affordable housing on land currently occupied by under-utilized parking lots. This is the kind of creative approach to infill development that’s necessary to meet both housing and driving-reduction goals, and CRTP fully supports the move.

CRTP Teams Up with EPIC, Humboldt Baykeeper on Subdivision Comments
In a second comment letter on the huge McKay subdivision project, we elaborate on the legal insufficiency of the transportation impact analysis and also discuss impacts to ecosystems and wildlife. You can read our first comment letter with EPIC here.

Activists Roll Around Eureka for Rent, Mortgage Relief
Taking to the streets continues to be the preferred method of protest for many. Using wheels lets you cover more ground.

Planning Commission to Consider Samoa Development Permit
The Humboldt County Planning Commission will hold a hearing on a Coastal Development Permit for the long-planned redevelopment and expansion of the Town of Samoa. CRTP is concerned about the impacts of developing more and more housing in areas far removed from public transit and other services.

Arcata Transit System Agrees to Conditional Deal with HSU
Humboldt State students, faculty and staff provide most of the ridership for the Arcata Mad River Transit System. Each year, the university pays the City of Arcata (which operates the system) a fixed amount based on the previous year’s ridership figures to cover the cost of the next year’s rides. With the new academic year approaching, the city and the university have inked a deal. But ridership predictions are a big question mark due to the ongoing effects of the pandemic on university operations. For that reason, the contract contains a provision to allow renegotiation at the end of October based on actual ridership up to that date. So the system appears to be fully funded for now – but if student ridership stays low (as it probably will), the funding system could come crashing down later in the fall.

County Residents Want Parks
In unincorporated urban areas like Cutten and Myrtletown, the county only maintains one kind of public space: roads. Residents are asking for neighborhood parks, but the county says it doesn’t really do that. Here’s an idea: allow some roads to function as parks with Slow Streets, public art, and placemaking.

Reminder: Make Your Street Story Reports
9 new hazards and 7 near misses have been reported in the county in the last few weeks. If you see or experience a hazard, near-miss or collision on the street, make your Street Story report here. CRTP uses reports to advocate for change, and local agencies use them to apply for grants and prioritize improvements. Your reports are important!

Transportation Commission Approves Bike/Ped Funding, Talks About Equity
Commissioners fulfilled their promise to set aside a full $100 million for active transportation projects, then delved into the issue of transportation equity – a somewhat shocking turn of events for an agency that historically has never seen a highway project it didn’t like.

Caltrans Rolls Out New Five-Year Safety Plan
Fatalities have been rising in the state for years, particularly among bicyclists and pedestrians.

Transportation Folded into Bigger Infrastructure Bill
The INVEST Act, House Democrats’ transformative transportation bill, has now been incorporated into the much bigger Moving Forward Act, a comprehensive infrastructure bill. Also included: a provision from our very own Representative Huffman to fund a switch to electric mail trucks and charging stations!

Safe Routes to School: Enforcement Is Not a Solution
In light of undeniable inequities in law enforcement nationwide, the national Safe Routes Partnership has eliminated enforcement from its list of guiding principles.

Four Steps Toward Anti-Racist Urban Planning
Recommendations from planner Amina Yasin.

SB 743 Is Now the Law of the Land!
Thirteen years after the law was passed, agencies in California can now no longer consider traffic congestion to be an environmental impact of new projects.

Defund the Police, Fund the DOT?
Berkeley is considering taking traffic enforcement responsibilities away from the police department and giving them to unarmed civilian transportation officials.

Evidence Mounts That Transit Is Not a Major Cause of COVID Spread
Despite what you may have heard.

Survey: Humboldt Residents Overwhelmingly Support Street Changes

Posted on June 26, 2020 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

June 26, 2020

Survey: Local Residents Overwhelmingly Support Street Changes
The results are in from CRTP’s survey of Humboldt County residents. Here’s the short version: Compared to before shelter-in-place orders, people are walking and biking more than they’re driving, and a significant portion of people are having some trouble maintaining social distance while on the street. In response, large majorities support a local Slow Streets program (80%), new automatic walk signals to avoid “high-touch” surfaces (72%) and reduced parking requirements to allow outdoor dining and retail (90%). Respondents identified places that they have trouble social distancing and places they’d like to see Slow Streets. We plan to make sure our local officials respond to these requests. If you’re interest, you can also check out specific results for Eureka, Arcata, and unincorporated Humboldt County.

Arcata Issues Guidelines for Sidewalk, Parking Space Cafés
CRTP has been calling for cities to allow outdoor dining in parking spaces for months now, so that local restaurants can get enough business to stay open while keeping diners safely 6 feet apart. But we have concerns about Arcata’s guidance for outdoor dining on sidewalks, which will allow restaurants to leave as little as 48 inches of space between tables for pedestrians to pass. Given that diners will be eating and thus not wearing masks, this could force pedestrians to run a gauntlet of unmasked people less than 2 feet away to either side.

McKay Ranch Project Is a Suburban Subdivision from Another Era
The massive proposed development on the far edge of Eureka would include no bike or transit infrastructure or connections. Read CRTP’s full comments here.

Trinidad Rancheria Publicly Attacks Hotel Critics
Interestingly, the thing that Rancheria officials seem most angry about is an apparent attempt to deny funding for their proposed highway interchange, which in the past the Rancheria has denied is directly related to the hotel project. Rigorous research on the economic effects of new rural highway interchanges is limited, but generally they seem to stimulate local highway-serving development.

New McKinleyville Planning Grant Announced
At its meeting this week, the McKinleyville Municipal Advisory Committee announced that the county has received a grant to support active transportation planning in McKinleyville – the result of two years of efforts by local advocates (including CRTP). Also at the meeting, it was announced that the release of architectural renderings of various future Town Center possibilities has been delayed – although probably not for very long.

Local Transportation Patterns Are Changing
Meanwhile, many experts around the world are ruminating on what changes will stick around when the pandemic is gone.

Fortuna Safe Routes to School Project Under Construction
Because some day kids will go back to school!

Serving People and Communities of Color with Transportation Planning
One expert’s thoughts.

California E-Truck Rule Adopted
The new rule will require manufacturers to start phasing in zero-emission trucks to address air quality and climate concerns. On a related note, Congressional Democrats – including our own Rep. Huffman – have included electrification for US Postal Service delivery trucks in their transportation bill.

Tulsa Police Arrest and Assault Black Kids for “Jaywalking”
The kids were walking on the street in an area with no sidewalks.

New York Planners Want a New Bike and Pedestrian Bridge
A major piece of transportation infrastructure that’s not designed for cars? Imagine that!

The Racist History of Los Angeles Freeways
Critical information on the development of the state’s largest city.

CDC: Drive Alone to Avoid COVID…or Not
The federal government’s shifting guidance on how to get to work.

Electric Vehicles for Social Justice?
An energy expert argues that electrification can promote equity.

“Justice Rollers” Organizing Arcata Event

Posted on June 19, 2020 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

June 19, 2020

CHP Investigating Incident at McKinleyville Protest
As we reported last week, a driver was apparently trying to run down pedestrians in the street, and narrowly missed.

“Calling All Justice Rollers”
Local advocacy group Centro del Pueblo is asking folks to turn out on their bikes, skates, skateboards, or any kind of wheels for a 4-mile roll in Arcata on Sunday calling for the abolition of the police, ICE, and the Border Patrol.

Arcata Police Budget Cut, But Parking Enforcement Returns
The close relationship between policing and automobiles is rarely hard to spot. Speaking of which: the Eureka City Council just approved the purchase of six new police cars.

Don’t Forget to Take Our Survey!
Let us know how you’ve been getting around during the pandemic, and what you think of some ideas for making the streets safer and healthier.

HCAOG Board Talks Climate…
Local advocate and physician Dr. Wendy Ring spurred a discussion at yesterday’s meeting about the planning agency’s work on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Dr. Ring, CRTP Executive Director Colin Fiske, and others asked the Board to establish clear and ambitious goals for reducing vehicle miles traveled and reducing transportation emissions. Look for this item on a future agenda.

…and Mobility on Demand
Later in the meeting, the HCAOG Board approved a modified version of a consultant’s recommendations for local mobility-on-demand pilot projects. The recommendations include an expansion of bikeshare and other bike infrastructure, app-enabled “modern hitchhiking,” and some significant changes to the Redwood Transit System. That last one sparked most of the discussion. The consultants are recommending eliminating the low-frequency, low-ridership bus trips north of McKinleyville and south of Fortuna (as well as detours to Manila, the McKinleyville airport, and some Fortuna stops) and replacing them with on-demand service so that the rest of the route can be run at a higher frequency. The Board seemed to mostly agree with the concept, except for objections from Rio Dell to removing their fixed-route service – so that part was removed from the final Board action. Another public meeting will be held on Monday for more public input on the recommendations.

Eureka May Put New Sales Tax on the Ballot
Some of the revenue would almost certainly go to roads. Meanwhile, the Arcata City Council also approved a tax measure for the November ballot which would raise revenue partly for trails.

New Guidance for Non-Essential Travel
And flights to LA are returning, too. Long-distance air travel is notably the most carbon-intensive and perhaps the most COVID-risky kind of transportation.

Drive-Through Everything
This week, dinners at the Mateel. And more and more graduations.

Global Driving, Carbon Emissions Are Nearly Back to “Normal”
Good news perhaps for some economies, terrible news for the climate. As people drive more, we also expect the motor vehicle death rate to rise again, too.

City Design Impacts Social and Economic Outcomes
How can we have safe streets if Black people are afraid to use them? Transportation advocates need to critically examine both our own movement and the tools we are using to promote public welfare.

New Bill Proposes Environmental Review Exemptions for Certain Projects
The idea is to make it easier to build active transportation and transit infrastructure.

The New Commuter Mode of Choice in Europe
The bicycle!

Another Demonstration, Another Attempted Vehicular Homicide

Posted on June 12, 2020 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

June 12, 2020

Another Demonstration, Another Attempted Vehicular Homicide
As protesters politely used the crosswalk to cross Central Avenue in McKinleyville yesterday, a driver apparently angry at their anti-racist message sped an SUV through the crowd, narrowly missing several people (and horses). This time, the horrifying incident was captured on video by a local reporter. Yet the incident, which came very close to resulting in serious injury or death for people on the street, was still barely mentioned in media coverage of the event. There has also been no word on whether local law enforcement officials will pursue charges against the driver. This is not an isolated incident. Thankfully, no such incidents were reported at the previous day’s march in Arcata, where protesters occupied the whole street on their way from the Plaza to HSU.

Don’t Forget to Take Our Survey!
Let us know how you’ve been getting around during the pandemic, and what you think of some ideas for making the streets safer and healthier.

A Short Reading List on Racism and Equity in Transportation
There are volumes written on the intertwined histories of racial politics and transportation. But if you’re new to the idea that a highway could be a monument to racism, and you’re looking for a place to start, here are a few suggestions:

How Segregation Caused Your Traffic Jam: An introduction to the history of racist “urban renewal” and freeway building from the New York Times Magazine.
What Cars Can Teach Us About New Policing Technologies: Sarah Seo, author of the groundbreaking 2019 book Policing the Open Road, briefly lays out the direct line from the advent of automobiles to the expansion of police powers and modern discriminatory policing.
Dangerous by Design: The latest edition of the national pedestrian safety report highlights the heightened risk of death for pedestrians of color.
Race, Class and the Stigma of Riding the Bus in America: How public transit ridership became increasingly low-income and non-white.
America’s Unfair Rules of the Road: An overview of race and class discrimination in the American transportation system.

How Can Tribal Pedestrian Safety Be Improved?
Pedestrian fatality rates are extremely high in Native communities nationwide. If you’re interested in how to help address this issue on the North Coast, you might want to check out the first in a series of upcoming webinars called “Walking Towards Justice in Indian Country.”

Arcata Planning Commission Discusses Infill Plan
The city’s plan to encourage more infill development is tied closely to its efforts to encourage active transportation and transit.

Trails Everywhere!
An update from last weekend’s Virtual Trails Summit.

Weekly Street Story Update: Harris Street Hazards
Five new local reports were made in Street Story in the last week, including two reports of hazards on Harris Street in Eureka. Like many local reports, these reports highlight areas that can be unsafe for people using any mode of transportation, not just walking or biking. If you see or experience a hazard, near-miss or collision, make your Street Story report here.

New Transportation Bill Introduced by House Democrats Includes Major Changes
There are some important policy shifts to better support transit and long-distance passenger rail, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve safety. But highways still get the vast majority of the funding. For more details and analysis, check out this informative post. Our own North Coast Representative Jared Huffman is a co-sponsor of the bill.

Bike-Parking Bill Passes Assembly
On to the Senate!

Effectiveness and Equity in Post-COVID Commuting
Ideas for ensuring that transit, micro-mobility, and other critical commuting modes are safe and accessible to everyone.

Tesla Refuses to Disclose Carbon Emissions
What’s an EV company got to hide?

The Murder of George Floyd and the Responsibilities of Transportation Advocates

Posted on June 5, 2020 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

June 5, 2020

George Floyd, like so many other Black men and women, was murdered by police in the street. The public right-of-way – space dedicated by society to allow the free movement of people through and between our communities – is all too often the site of violence directed toward people of color. This is no coincidence. The creation of modern police forces in American cities, the dramatic expansion of police powers, and the focusing of those powers on people of color with oppressive “law enforcement” activities can all be traced back directly to the rise of cars in the first half of the twentieth century. And, although it receives less attention, people of color are much more likely to be killed by cars while walking in the public right-of-way, even when police officers are nowhere around.

The street is also the site of much of the public protest against Floyd’s killing. The sanctity of automobility in our society is evidenced by the fact that blocking traffic is considered one of the most radical forms of protest, and many drivers apparently feel the right to use their vehicles as weapons to push through the crowds. In some cities, officials seem to be using the transportation system to punish protesters, stranding them at night by shutting down public transportation and bike share systems.

The transportation system is entangled with the devaluation of Black lives – and many other systemic inequities – in so many more ways than these. We have sometimes highlighted these issues in The Collector and other venues. But as transportation advocates and educators, we have not done nearly enough. Transportation space is historically, deeply, inextricably racialized, and we have often failed to call out racial inequities where they exist. Sometimes this is a result of a misguided sense of keeping our work focused and “staying in our lane” – but that’s no excuse when we know that racism pervades every street, sidewalk, trail and bike lane in the country.

We must do better. We will do better.

-Colin Fiske, Executive Director, CRTP

We Want to Know What You Think About Transportation-Related COVID Responses
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County Officials Ready to Help Businesses Move into Parking, Street Space
Responding to suggestions from CRTP, Supervisor Mike Wilson, and others, county staff say they’re ready and willing to let restaurants and other businesses set up tables in parking spots. As we hinted at in our press release, the response to our other suggestions – focused on increasing safety during the pandemic for the most vulnerable road users, including walkers, bicyclists, kids and folks with disabilities – has been more muted.

Arcata Eases the Way for Outdoor Dining
The City Council voted to eliminate many of the restrictions on businesses operating in the public right of way. In addition to sidewalk cafés, discussions include possible closure of 8th and 9th Streets on the Plaza for outdoor dining, following ideas long advocated by CRTP. We are following developments closely to be sure that these changes will help out both struggling local businesses and members of the public who need space to walk and bike safely around town.

Discussions Continue Over New Transportation Sales Tax Possibilities
This week, the Humboldt County Association of Government’s Technical Advisory Committee again discussed the possibility of putting a new tax measure on the ballot to fund local transportation projects. The continued discussion is apparently the result of the fact that, at the last HCAOG Board meeting, the Humboldt Taxpayers League – an organization which appears to consist only of two local perennial gadflies – said it would support a tax measure if the revenues were devoted only to fixing roads. Some Board members were so impressed by that declaration that they didn’t want to let the proposal die, despite acknowledging the bad timing in the midst of a global recession. (Others questioned why the League insisted that money couldn’t go toward transit or active transportation projects also.)

Virtual Trails Summit Tomorrow
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Weekly Street Story Update: Tell Your Story
More than a dozen new reports of hazards and near-misses have come in to Street Story from Humboldt County residents over the past two weeks. If you’re experiencing problems on the street as a result of the pandemic – like not being able to stay 6 feet from other people on a narrow sidewalk – please reach out and let us know. And as always, if you see or experience a hazard, near-miss or collision, make your Street Story report here.

Uber & Lyft Caught Destroying Perfectly Good E-Bikes
Amid all the upheaval in the bike share industry, the two companies apparently decided to just trash bikes they didn’t want any more, rather than selling or donating them.

Quick-Build, Quick!
CalBike works to speed up the pace of bike network build-out.

E-Bikes Are Great
The New York Times sings their praises.