CRTP Intervenes in Anti-Housing Lawsuit

Posted on February 2, 2024 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

February 2, 2024

CRTP Intervenes in Anti-Housing Lawsuit
CRTP has successfully petitioned a local court to intervene in litigation filed last year by a group called “Citizens for a Better Eureka” (CBE) against Eureka’s efforts to build affordable housing on downtown parking lots. After the court granted CRTP’s permission to intervene, CRTP filed an opposition to CBE’s motion for preliminary injunction which if granted, would delay and potentially jeopardize currently planned affordable housing projects including millions of dollars to support both the development of housing, and other community benefits including transit passes, pedestrian safety features, transit improvements for the neighborhood, and impactful programs like workforce development and homelessness prevention.

CRTP has long advocated for prioritizing housing for people over storage for cars, and we have fought for years to protect and strengthen the city’s plans to build much-needed affordable housing and a multi-modal transit center on some downtown parking lots.

The City’s plan to make city owned property available for the development of affordable housing is part of its legally required housing element plan to meet the housing needs of everyone in Eureka. The need for affordable housing in California is immense. Eureka is home to approximately 3,060 extremely and very low income households, and there are nearly 500 people in Eureka experiencing unsheltered homelessness on any given night. The City’s plan, which this lawsuit threatens, is well on its way to making a meaningful impact in our community, and 218 affordable homes near public transit are already in the works as part of this project.

The California Attorney General’s office has also filed a request with the court to file briefs in defense of the city’s housing plans.

There’s Still Time to Apply to Work at CRTP!
The new Outreach Specialist will focus on promoting Street Story and on organizing for improved transit service in our region. The Outreach Specialist will help increase transportation equity and street safety and take action for the climate at the same time! Applications are due next Wednesday.

Environmental Documents for Arcata Plans Now Available for Review
An Environmental Impact Report analyzing the city’s Gateway Plan and zoning code, along with other updates to the city’s General Plan, is now available for the public to review and provide comments. CRTP is still reviewing the document, but we remain confident that these plans, if approved in their current form, will have a major positive impact on the environment by increasing walkability, bikeability, and transit-friendly development.

Supervisors Approve McKinleyville Housing Project with Some Changes
We’re pleased that more housing is being built within walking, biking and rolling distance of the future Town Center and transit hub, and that the project includes a few pedestrian upgrades and traffic calming measures. However, we are disappointed that some neighbors objected to housing that is far less dense than even current zoning rules allow, and that Supervisors responded by reducing the number of units that could be built. Increased density in the Town Center area will be necessary to support both walkability and improved transit service in the future.

Consultant Selected for Bay-to-Zoo Trail Project
When complete, the Bay to Zoo Trail will connect downtown with the Hospital District and the Sequoia Park Zoo. Next Tuesday, the Eureka City Council is slated to approve a contract with a consultant to keep this important project moving forward. The project is mostly funded by a state grant, but a lot more work needs to be done before the city can start construction.

Street Story Reports Make a Difference
Local planners, advocates, grant writers and committees review Street Story reports when making decisions about safety improvements. Your reports are important! Make a report every time you experience a near-miss, a crash, or a hazardous location – or report a place you feel safe. La versión de Street Story en español está disponible aquí.

News from Beyond the North Coast

Minneapolis Is Piloting a Secure Bike Parking Program
The availability of secure, weather-protected bike storage is critical to encourage people to ride for transportation – especially as more and more people turn to e-bikes.

A Bill in Congress Could Provide Much-Needed Transit Funding
Historically, federal transit funding has failed to provide adequate support for frequent, high-quality service in communities across the country. A new bill aims to fix some of those problems, and North Coast Representative Jared Huffman is a co-sponsor. But its approval in a divided Congress is far from assured.

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.

Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation Releases Draft Pedestrian & Bike Safety Plan

Posted on January 26, 2024 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

January 26, 2024

Tolowa Dee-ni’ Nation Releases Draft Pedestrian & Bike Safety Plan
Tribal members are less likely to have access to a vehicle and more likely to walk, bike, carpool or ride the bus than people in the surrounding region. But the area is full of hazards for bicyclists and pedestrians, including Highway 101, and lacks safe bike and pedestrian infrastructure. The new Connected Communities Plan aims to change that, and it’s now open for public comment.

Big Secrets and Big Money Surround Anti-Housing Efforts in Eureka
At a town hall meeting this week, Eureka residents were frustrated by the continued lack of information about the mysterious company that recently appeared out of nowhere to buy the former Jacobs school campus. The property is central to the bait-and-switch strategy being used to promote the anti-housing initiative on the November ballot: supporters claim that housing should be developed at the Jacobs site instead of downtown, despite the fact that the initiative blocks downtown housing while providing no guarantee of anything being built anywhere else. The ballot initiative campaign says it has nothing to do with the recent Jacobs purchase, but the buyers, the initiative proponents, and the people suing the city to stop downtown housing are all represented by the same San Diego lawyer. They have also claimed that conservative billionaire Rob Arkley has nothing to do with their efforts, but his company is bankrolling their campaign (and lawsuits) with huge amounts of cash.

Given the fact that Arkley had previously publicly laid out his plans to sue the city and put forward a ballot initiative to preserve downtown parking lots and block affordable housing, we’re not sure why he doesn’t want to be associated with those efforts now. But perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised at the misdirection coming from an initiative that aims to block affordable housing while labeling itself “Housing for All.” We hope Eureka voters will see through all the smoke and mirrors and reject the initiative in November, allowing walkable, transit-oriented housing to finally be developed downtown (and maybe eventually at the Jacobs site too!).

There’s Still Time to Apply to Work at CRTP!
The new Outreach Specialist will focus on promoting Street Story and on organizing for improved transit service in our region. Apply today to help increase transportation equity and street safety and take action for the climate at the same time!

New Bike Club Holds Kick-Off Meeting Next Week
Humboldt Bicyclists will provide new opportunities to ride with friends and neighbors and celebrate all things bike. If that sounds fun to you, you can join them for their initial meeting next Friday in Arcata.

Arcata Committee Will Review Street Story Reports
Arcata’s Transportation Safety Committee recently decided to review Street Story reports on a quarterly basis and use the information to make recommendations for safety improvements. This is a great example of the importance of making reports on Street Story! Make a report every time you experience a near-miss, a crash, or a hazardous location – or report a place you feel safe. La versión de Street Story en español está disponible aquí.

News from Beyond the North Coast

Rural Areas Need Complete Streets Too!
It’s no surprise to those of us living on the North Coast: small towns and rural communities have big bike and pedestrian safety problems, and we need safer streets just like big cities do.

Major Transportation Safety Legislation Introduced in Sacramento
State Senator Scott Wiener has introduced a bill that would require all new vehicles in California to have intelligent speed assistance that prevents them from operating at unsafe speeds, and would also require side guards on trucks to keep people walking and biking from being sucked under and crushed. Wiener also introduced a separate bill that revives past attempts to establish an official complete streets mandate for Caltrans – meaning bike, pedestrian and transit improvements would be the default for all projects on state highways. These bills, if they become law, will represent some of the most significant transportation safety advances in decades and will save countless lives.

More Than a Quarter of Downtown Arcata is Covered by Parking Lots

Posted on January 19, 2024 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

January 19, 2024

More Than a Quarter of Downtown Arcata is Covered by Parking Lots
Following up on our analysis of parking lots in downtown Eureka last summer, CRTP this week released an analysis of off-street parking in downtown Arcata. While Arcata’s downtown has less land devoted to car storage than Eureka’s, there is still more than a quarter of developable land covered by parking lots – and that doesn’t include on-street parking or garages. This is another clear demonstration of the priority that local communities have historically given to cars over other modes of transportation. But it also suggests that if we want to produce more housing and prioritize walking, biking and public transit, there are lots of opportunities for good infill development. Read more and explore the map here.

Thankfully, local planners are starting to take steps to avoid making this problem even worse. Thanks to CRTP’s advocacy, Arcata’s General Plan update proposes eliminating outdated mandates for developers to add large amounts of additional parking with every new project. And this week, the Humboldt County Association of Governments designated 6 “major transit stops,” mostly in Eureka and Arcata, invoking a 2022 state parking reform law. New housing and other projects within a half mile of these stops will no longer be subject to any remaining local parking mandates, allowing more affordable and environmentally friendly development.

Let Eureka Officials Know What You Think Should Be Done on the Jacobs Property
Make no mistake, the recent shady property “swap” involving Eureka’s former Jacobs school campus is almost certainly related to the efforts of Rob Arkley and his cronies to mislead voters into approving their anti-housing measure in November. But hopefully Eureka voters will not be fooled, the ballot measure will fail, and the Jacobs property will remain in private hands. That private ownership makes the property newly subject to the city’s zoning rules, which is why you might want to attend next Tuesday’s town hall meeting to tell city officials what you think they should plan for on the site. We think a good idea would be affordable housing with bike, pedestrian and transit upgrades, just like the city is promoting downtown.

In other Eureka news, the city recently secured funding to spruce up one of its waterfront parks. We’re particularly excited that the project includes much-needed rehabilitation of the waterfront trail from the Adorni Center to the Samoa Bridge. Hopefully this will make the trail more usable and comfortable for commuters and recreational riders alike.

New Express Bus Service from Eureka to Ukiah
This week, the Humboldt Transit Authority started running the new daily Redwood Coast Express bus, with stops in Eureka, Fortuna, Garberville, Leggett, Laytonville, Willits and Ukiah. The service is designed to allow riders to transfer to other local transit services serving Del Norte, Lake and Mendocino Counties, filling in some of the major gaps in regional transit connectivity. And the trip from Eureka all the way to Ukiah only costs $2!

Transportation Is a Health Issue
Humboldt County and other rural areas experience higher than average rates of death, injury and illness in almost every category. Two of the many reasons for this disparity are inadequate access to reliable transportation and a landscape that fails to provide opportunities and encouragement for physical activity – in other words, a lack of walkable and bikeable neighborhoods. This is a good reminder that investments in public transit, walkable housing, and safe streets don’t just benefit the climate and local economies – they are also investments in public health.

That’s one reason we’re excited to see small communities like Rio Dell upgrading their pedestrian infrastructure. Next week, the California Transportation Commission is slated to approve funding for the city’s Neighborhood Pedestrian Connectivity Project, and we applaud Rio Dell officials for taking this initiative to improve their community and invest in their residents.

News from Beyond the North Coast

California Transportation Budget Should Prioritize People, Not Cars
CalBike recently launched a campaign for the state to re-prioritize transportation spending in order to reduce driving and increase safe, healthy, climate-friendly options. In related news, states including California are preparing to implement a new federal rule that requires reporting on the climate impacts of transportation spending. Click here to tell Governor Newsom to set ambitious targets and ensure honest emissions reporting.

Other Sectors Make Climate Progress, But Transportation Emissions Are Up
A new analysis suggests that the transportation sector may be responsible for 40% of all US climate-harming emissions, when the impacts of car and truck manufacturing are included. And the problem keeps getting worse. Two trends are exacerbating the problem: more driving (and more air travel), and ever-bigger cars, trucks and SUVs.

Eureka City Council Rejects Safer Bike Lanes

Posted on January 12, 2024 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

January 12, 2024

Eureka City Council Rejects Safer Bike Lanes to Preserve Parking
Against the recommendation of its own Transportation Safety Commission, the Council a few weeks ago rejected a proposal to provide buffered bike lanes to improve safety for the Myrtle Avenue. Instead, they sided with a handful of residents who demanded that they retain a row of little-used public parking spots.

This prioritization of underutilized public car storage over transportation safety is deeply disappointing to us, especially from a Council that has repeatedly professed its concern over safety on local streets. And especially because the Council last year adopted a complete streets policy that should have made the upgraded bike lanes automatic, averting this kind of counterproductive result.

You can be sure that CRTP will continue to advocate for more bike and pedestrian safety on Myrtle Avenue, and for full implementation of the complete streets policy.

Arcata Gateway & General Plans on Track for Late Spring Adoption
Just before the holidays, the City of Arcata released new drafts of the Gateway Area Plan and the broader General Plan. There aren’t a lot of surprises here, as the documents reflect the changes recommended by the Planning Commission, City Council, and other committees over the past 2 years of public meetings. These plans started out strong from a transportation perspective, and they got even better as comments from CRTP and our allies were incorporated into the drafts.

This week, the Planning Commission gave its preliminary stamp of approval to the new drafts, following a similar action last week by the City Council. The draft environmental review documents are expected to be released at the end of January – which will provide the next big opportunity for public input – and final adoption is scheduled for late spring.

From safer street designs to walkable development standards to modern parking reforms, Arcata’s Gateway Plan and updated General Plan are leading the way on many of CRTP’s top priorities. We are excited to see the finish line finally in sight!

Harbor District Commits to Green Port Strategy
Big ports have a reputation as major air pollution hot-spots, the result of toxic and climate-damaging emissions from ships, trucks, and lots of fossil fuel-powered industrial equipment. That’s why CRTP and our allies have long demanded that the Humboldt Bay Harbor District commit to zero-emission processes and equipment right from the start as they develop a new terminal to support the offshore wind industry. On Thursday, the District took a big step in that direction, committing to a “green terminal strategy” and directing staff to work with stakeholders on the details. We’re excited to be seeing some progress on this important issue.

Street Story: A Simple Way to Contribute to the Fight for Safe Streets
More than 600 people have combined to make more than 1,100 reports on Street Story in Humboldt County alone. Making a report is simple, and it’s important: reports help us advocate for safety improvements, and they provide valuable information for public agencies who design and maintain streets and highways. So don’t forget to make a report every time you experience a near-miss, a crash, or a hazardous location. La versión de Street Story en español está disponible aquí.

News from Beyond the North Coast

Newsom Targets Bike and Pedestrian Funding Again
Despite being one of the smallest of the state’s transportation programs – and despite there being no actual deficit in the transportation budget itself – the Active Transportation Program is being targeted by the governor for all of his transportation budget cuts. Transportation advocates, including CRTP, think this is unacceptable. It comes after a statewide coalition sent the governor a letter asking him to fully fund active transportation and transit, stop spending on climate-wrecking highway projects, and reform the state’s transportation funding to align with its climate priorities.

Enormous SUVs and Trucks Are Now the “Normal” American Passenger Vehicles
A new article explores the history of how we got here, and what we can do to transition away from these dangerous, environmentally destructive vehicles in the future. Hint: the situation doesn’t have a whole lot to do with inherent “consumer preferences,” as the car companies would like you to believe.

Eureka to Improve Myrtle Avenue Bike Lanes

Posted on December 15, 2023 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

December 15, 2023

Editor’s Note: The Collector will be on a winter break for the next few weeks. But more transportation news and analysis will be coming your way in 2024!

Shady Property “Swap” Could Affect Eureka’s Infill Development Plans
On Thursday evening, Eureka City Schools trustees voted to “swap” the vacant former Jacobs Middle School campus for a small single-family home and over $5 million in cash. The other party in this “swap” was a mysterious limited liability corporation that was created only days earlier, but is rumored to be connected to Rob Arkley. Perhaps not coincidentally, Arkley and his allies have been trying to justify their anti-downtown housing initiative by arguing that housing can be built on the Jacobs property instead.

CRTP supports building affordable housing on downtown parking lots and on the Jacobs property. However, it would be naive to put much faith in housing actually being built on the Jacobs site any time soon. Unlike the downtown parking lots – which the city owns and has already awarded to non-profit developers with specific affordable housing plans – the Jacobs property is now owned by a mysterious private entity with no obligations to do anything in particular with the land. And this week’s land “swap” was specifically engineered to evade the school district’s responsibilities under the Surplus Lands Act, which would have required them to offer the property for affordable housing development before selling it to a private party. So unfortunately we think this latest development is more of a shady political maneuver than a promise of more infill housing.

Eureka to Improve Myrtle Avenue Bike Lanes
If you don’t count the state highways (Broadway, 4th and 5th Streets), Myrtle Avenue is one of the busiest, least comfortable places to walk and bike in Eureka. So we’re excited that next week the Eureka City Council will consider removing a little bit of largely unused street parking to allow improved bike lanes with painted buffers.

However, due to the dangerous conditions on Myrtle, we’re asking the city to go just a little bit further and add some kind of physical separation between the bike lanes and the car lanes. We’re also asking for some improvements to the notorious Myrtle & West Avenue intersection as well.

Also, while we’re happy to see the bike lanes improved, we need to point out that this all should have been done automatically under the city’s Complete Streets Policy, rather than being brought to the City Council for a vote.

California Coastal Commission Approves South Broadway Project
The South Broadway Complete Streets Project was approved by the California Coastal Commission this week, and construction is scheduled to begin late next year. This is the first of several planned projects to make Broadway safer for people walking, biking and rolling, developed in response to CRTP’s advocacy. The project will save lives, and we are excited to see it move forward.

Unfortunately, Caltrans objected to our request for two small improvements to the project. However, the Coastal Commission did require Caltrans to monitor bike and pedestrian safety for 2 years after the project is complete and report back. This provides a mechanism for us to ask for additional safety improvements in the future, and you can be sure we’ll advocate for whatever is needed.

Humboldt to Develop Regional Transportation Safety Action Plan
The Humboldt County Association of Governments (HCAOG) has been awarded a federal grant to develop a transportation safety plan for the entire county. The grant also includes funding for several temporary demonstration projects to test out safety improvements. You can be sure that CRTP will be involved, advocating for the best evidence-based safety improvement strategies and for prioritizing the most vulnerable road users.

Last Chance Grade Environmental Documents Available
After years of planning, technical analysis and political negotiations, Caltrans has released its environmental review documents for the Last Chance Grade “permanent restoration” project. The project aims to re-engineer this section of Highway 101 to keep it from continuously riding an active landslide down toward the ocean, which for decades has resulted in constant closures and expensive temporary fixes. We are grateful that the most environmentally damaging options for this project have already been abandoned, but the environmental documents nevertheless should get careful scrutiny from stakeholders and the public.

Street Story: A Simple Way to Contribute to the Fight for Safe Streets
Reports on Street Story only take a few minutes, and they give CRTP and local government agencies better information about the need for safety improvements. So don’t forget to make a report every time you experience a near-miss, a crash, or a hazardous location. La versión de Street Story en español está disponible aquí.

News from Beyond the North Coast

The New York Times Attempts to Explain the US Pedestrian Safety Crisis
The article focuses on the fact that many fatalities happen after dark. This might not seem surprising, given the problem of lower visibility at night, but it is a uniquely American phenomenon: pedestrians in many other countries are more likely to be hit during daylight hours. But those countries have much lower overall rates of pedestrian fatalities, too. The problem of nighttime crashes thus seems to be related to all the other safety hazards on American roads – notably high speeds and huge vehicles.

New Vehicles Could Prevent Drunk Driving
The federal government is considering a rule that would require new cars to have standard features that detect when someone is intoxicated and prevent that person from driving. Devices that prevent drivers from speeding are also getting renewed attention lately. Both types of technology have been around in various forms for decades and, if implemented, would likely save thousands of lives every year.

How Can Pedestrians in Tribal Communities Be Protected?
National data show that Native people are much more likely than any other demographic group to be hit and killed while walking. A new report explores some of the challenges and potential solutions.

Eureka Considers a Really Bad Idea

Posted on December 8, 2023 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

December 8, 2023

California Coastal Commission to Consider South Broadway Project
The South Broadway Complete Streets Project needs a coastal development permit from the commission. CRTP strongly supports the project, which was developed partly in response to our advocacy and will add protected bike lanes, new mid-block pedestrian crossings, safer intersection designs, and traffic calming features to our region’s most dangerous corridor. However, we are asking for two small improvements: (1) make the posts protecting the bike lane out of a material strong enough to actually protect bicyclists and withstand a vehicle collision; (2) redesign the bus stops so that the boarding areas aren’t in the middle of the bike lanes. You can email the Coastal Commission or attend next Wednesday’s meeting remotely and provide your own comments by submitting a speaker request (see Agenda Item 12b).

Humboldt Transit Authority Workers Named 2023 Responsible Transportation Champions
CRTP has given our annual award to HTA’s bus drivers, mechanics, vehicle service workers and equipment technicians. This is just one small way for us to recognize and honor the people who literally keep the buses running, providing us with desperately needed safe, equitable, and low-carbon transportation.

In other HTA news, the agency’s Board of Directors this week approved a pilot program to provide free rides for people going to emergency shelters during declared extreme weather events. The program was proposed by CRTP and our allies at Affordable Homeless Housing Alternatives (AHHA) and Tri-County Independent Living as a way to help save lives by ensuring that everyone who needs access to shelter during extreme weather can get there.

Eureka Considers Building the Region’s First Parking Structure
More than one-third of downtown Eureka is covered by parking lots. The city’s own parking study found that there is more than enough public parking, even after a few lots are converted to housing, and recommended against a parking structure. But the city is now pursuing that idea anyway.

This is a really bad idea. A parking structure is extremely expensive, and would amount to a massive new subsidy for driving downtown. Recent estimates for California cities start at about $26,000 per parking space for construction alone, plus hundreds more each year for operation and maintenance. If they tried to charge enough to recover those costs, no one would park there, because there’s plenty of free parking nearby.

In addition, another central parking location would not stop the complaints from people who unrealistically demand parking availability right next to their destinations. The last time the city caved to the demands of the parking-first minority, their action didn’t silence the critics; instead, they’ve been rewarded with four new lawsuits and an anti-housing ballot initiative!

Don’t Forget About New Laws to Protect Pedestrians
Check out CRTP Board Member Carol Moné’s op-ed in the Times-Standard about the new crosswalk daylighting law and the decriminalization of “jaywalking.”

News from Beyond the North Coast

Parking Mandates Drive Up the Cost of Housing
A new report adds to the evidence that minimum parking mandates for new development only lead to more expensive housing and more traffic. Or, as in the case of a small town in Washington state, perhaps no new housing at all. Fortunately, Americans are starting to catch on, and a new poll shows strong majority support for eliminating these costly and unscientific policies.

Paris Could Be First City to Charge Big SUVs More for Parking
The massive vehicles have huge impacts on the climate, public safety, and local streets, and they tend to be owned and operated by wealthier individuals. So the mayor of Paris thinks they should pay more for the privilege of using the streets.

Read Carefully! That Article Could Be Sponsored by Big Oil
Respected major media outlets from Reuters to the New York Times have advertising programs that generate paid propaganda designed to look like real journalism. Fossil fuel companies are using these services in a big way.

Public Transit Workers Named 2023 Responsible Transportation Champions

Posted on December 8, 2023 by Colin Fiske

Three Humboldt Transit Authority employees in the shop, the person in the center holding a plaque — HTA employees (L to R) Lee Miller, Cody Ferreira, and Dave Carter with the 2023 Responsible Transportation Champion Award.

The Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities (CRTP) has named the Humboldt Transit Authority’s drivers, vehicle service workers, mechanics and equipment technicians as the 2023 North Coast Responsible Transportation Champions. The annual award is given to locals who further CRTP’s mission of “promoting transportation solutions that protect and support a healthy environment, healthy people, healthy communities and a healthy economy on the North Coast.”

The Humboldt Transit Authority (HTA) workers are being recognized for their consistent, hard work providing crucial public transit services to our region under sometimes challenging conditions. This marks the first time that the award has been given to a group of people, rather than to specific individuals.

“HTA’s drivers, vehicle service workers, mechanics and equipment technicians are the people who literally keep the buses running every day,” said CRTP Executive Director Colin Fiske. “Our public transit system helps meet the mobility needs of the many local residents who can’t drive, including kids, seniors, people with disabilities, and people who can’t afford a car. And because private vehicles are the biggest source of local climate pollution, public transit is also a critical climate solution, providing low-carbon mobility throughout the region. None of this would be possible without the daily efforts of transit workers. HTA’s bus drivers, vehicle service workers, mechanics and equipment technicians are truly Responsible Transportation Champions.”

“All of us at HTA are committed to providing safe and effective service to our community, and we are honored to receive this recognition,” said Cody Ferreira, an HTA equipment technician and AFSCME union steward. “Our union drivers, mechanics, equipment technicians, and vehicle service workers take pride in offering an ever-expanding array of safe and environmentally-friendly transportation options across the region, and we hope to see everyone out on the route soon.”

Past recipients of the Responsible Transportation Champion award include: State Senator Mike McGuire, former McKinleyville Community Services District Director Mary Burke, former Humboldt County Association of Governments Executive Director Marcella May, Humboldt Transit Authority General Manager Greg Pratt and Transit Planner Jerome Qiriazi, and Caltrans District 1 Complete Streets team members Alexis Kelso and Joseph Caminiti.

Highway Expansion Projects Rear Their Ugly Heads Again

Posted on December 1, 2023 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

December 1, 2023

Protected Bike Lanes Coming to Arcata?
At a joint study session this week, the Arcata City Council and Planning Commission expressed strong support for many of CRTP’s policy priorities, including better parking policies and safe, slow streets. They also supported building protected bike lanes (our region doesn’t have any yet), and were specifically excited about the idea of replacing one car lane each on G and H Streets with protected bike lanes. Currently this is just a concept, and no specific project has been proposed. But we are excited to see broad support for such significant bike safety improvements, and we look forward to helping make this happen in the future.

Highway Expansion Projects Rear Their Ugly Heads – Again
Next week, the California Transportation Commission is slated to authorize, yet again, state funds to be spent on the Highway 101 expansion in Richardson Grove State Park, as well as the expansion of Highways 197 and 199 in the Smith River Canyon. Together, these projects now have an estimated price tag of more than $73 million. Their sole purpose is to provide access for the biggest interstate-sized trucks – access those trucks already have to our region via Highway 299 from the east and Highway 101 from the north.

It is galling that Caltrans continues to propose spending huge sums of money on highway expansion projects in the midst of a climate crisis and a transportation safety crisis. These projects were a bad idea when they were first proposed well over a decade ago, and they’re an even worse idea now. If Caltrans is serious about its purported new priorities of safe streets and multimodal transportation, it should abandon these outdated, destructive projects once and for all and reallocate the funding. Those $73 million dollars could go a long way toward making state highways safer for people walking, biking, rolling, riding the bus and driving in local communities.

CRTP Seeking Board Members
Are you passionate and knowledgeable about safe, equitable and sustainable transportation on the North Coast? Want to get more involved? Joining CRTP’s Board of Directors could be the next step for you. Click here for more information about applying to join the Board.

New State Laws Affect Transportation and Housing
Listen to the EcoNews Report for information about a few of the recent laws coming out of Sacramento that will affect us here on the North Coast, including a new law that prohibits parking near crosswalks to improve pedestrian safety and another that mandates a study of the safety impacts of big trucks and SUVs.

News from Beyond the North Coast

American Drivers Speed. A Lot.
Speeding is one of the most dangerous things an average person can do in their daily life. But a new survey shows that many drivers don’t understand the danger, and openly admit to doing it.

New Federal Rule on Transportation Emissions
A new rule will require state transportation departments to track how their projects affect climate pollution, and set targets to reduce emissions. There won’t be any penalties if they fail, though.

Equity, Enforcement and Infrastructure in Eureka

Posted on November 17, 2023 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

November 17, 2023

Editor’s Note: There won’t be an edition of The Collector next week, but we’ll be back with more transportation news the week after!

Some Gateway Policies – But Not the Whole Plan – Will Be Applied Citywide
Thanks to everyone who spoke up in support of applying bike, pedestrian and transit-friendly Gateway Plan policies throughout Arcata! The City Council heard our message. While they did not apply all Gateway Plan policies citywide, they did direct the Planning Commission to identify at least some of those policies to incorporate into the broader General Plan. Bike and pedestrian policies were brought up multiple times as examples of good policies that should be applied throughout town.

Equity, Enforcement and Infrastructure in Eureka
This week, Eureka middle school students walked to school in the rain on national Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day. The event honors and remembers Ruby Bridges’ own walk to school in 1960, when she integrated an all-white elementary school in the face of violent resistance in Jim Crow-era New Orleans. With their simple trip to school, the students of Eureka remind us once again that walking can be a political act, and that our transportation systems are embedded in a society that still struggles with racism and other deep-seated and systemic inequities.

That reminder is also relevant as we reflect on the announcement this week that the Eureka Police Department received a grant for traffic enforcement from the state Office of Traffic Safety. Any North Coast resident knows that local drivers are often aggressive and dangerous, and it is tempting to think that the way to improve safety is just to enforce the laws more strictly. But research shows that enforcement is not the most effective or equitable way to improve safety over the long term, and grants like this do not require police departments to show any actual safety improvement results. We hope Eureka’s grant will achieve at least a short-term reduction in dangerous driving, but we wish the money would go to effective, equitable, and long-term solutions like safer street design instead.

McKinleyville Subdivision Approved
This week the Humboldt County Planning Commission approved the “Valadao subdivision,” a plan to add 61 housing units hear McKinleyville’s future town center. We are excited about infill development near the town center and transit, but we are disappointed that Commissioners did not add any conditions requiring upgrades to nearby bike and pedestrian infrastructure, which sorely needs improvement.

Yurok Tribe Gets Grant for Transportation and Recreation Projects
Among other things, the grant will fund a park-and-ride and a restroom facility for Yurok transit riders, as well as a walking path to the Klamath River.

Jared Huffman Talks Legislation and Politics on the EcoNews Report
Local environmental leaders including CRTP Executive Director Colin Fiske asked the North Coast Congressman about all sorts of topics. For example, did you know that Huffman signed a letter earlier this year asking the US Department of Transportation to fully fund its active transportation program?

News from Beyond the North Coast

Narrow Lanes Are Safer
Most lanes in our area are 12 feet wide, whether on a highway or a local street. Evidence has been building for years that narrower lanes cause drivers to slow down and therefore increase safety. Now, the most comprehensive study yet of lane widths and crash data shows that 9 and 10-foot lanes are safer than wider ones. Plus, narrowing lanes frees up more road space for bike lanes and sidewalks. So why do public agencies keep building 12 foot lanes?

State Highways Don’t Feel Safe to Walk or Bike On
The conclusion from a statewide survey – including the North Coast – will not strike many readers of The Collector as very surprising.

Even Medium-Sized Cars Can Kill Pedestrians with Bad Front-End Design
We’ve long known that big trucks and SUVs with tall hoods are extremely dangerous for pedestrians. New research shows that even sedans with taller, blunter front ends (an increasingly popular style) are more likely to kill someone than those with a more sloped design.

CRTP and Allies Demand Transit Funding in “Road Tax” Measure

Posted on November 10, 2023 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

November 10, 2023

Will Arcata’s Gateway Plan Go Citywide?
Next Wednesday, the Arcata City Council will consider whether some or all of the policies developed as part of the Gateway Area Plan should apply citywide instead. The staff report notes that while general policies could be applied citywide, location-specific features of the plan would likely still need to be implemented through the zoning code. CRTP is still reviewing this proposal, but we are excited by the idea that many of the bike, pedestrian and transit-friendly features of the Gateway plan could apply throughout Arcata.

CRTP and Allies Demand Transit Funding in County “Road Tax” Measure
On Tuesday, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors heard results of public polling and made some decisions about 2024 ballot measures, including a potential sales tax to fund transportation. While county staff and some supervisors focused almost exclusively on road funding, advocacy by CRTP and our allies ensured that public transit funding remained on the table. (We made it clear that we would oppose any “road tax” that didn’t also include transit.) In the end, the Supervisors directed staff to conduct additional outreach as they shape the details of the measure for the November 2024 ballot. Increased investment in transit is a necessity for both equity and the climate, and you can be sure CRTP will continue to advocate hard for new funding for our local transit providers.

Biking Continues as the Seasons Turn
Join CRTP, the Northcoast Environmental Center, and Moon Cycles for our next group bike ride on Saturday at noon. This ride, from Valley West to Cal Poly Humboldt, will focus on how bike commuters can prepare for and even enjoy winter weather. Click here for more information and to register.

If you bike (or would like to bike) in Eureka, we also encourage you to come out next Thursday to a city-sponsored walk audit of bike conditions around Henderson Center. Results will help inform the official Eureka Bike Plan, currently under development.

A Sad Week on Local Roads
When it comes to street safety, CRTP focuses mainly on the most vulnerable people – pedestrians and bicyclists. But our local roads are dangerous for people in vehicles, too, as the last week has so tragically reminded us. Three serious vehicular crashes in Eureka – on Henderson Street, Broadway, and I Street – and one in Hoopa collectively left at least 2 people dead and several more injured. The details vary in serious crashes, but one factor is almost always present: speed. To prevent more deaths and injuries on our roads, drivers need to slow down, and agencies need to design streets to force them to do that. It’s not complicated. We just need to decide as a community that safety is truly more important than speed.

Opportunity to Comment on New Housing Development on Broadway
The City of Eureka is taking public comments about its plan to develop housing on a property overlooking Broadway between between Henderson and Harris Streets. You can attend a meeting next Wednesday, or click here to take their survey. If you comment, be sure to emphasize the need for bike and pedestrian safety improvements on Broadway, Harris and Henderson, so that future residents can safely access bus stops and local destinations without a car. As usual, we also strongly recommend maximizing housing units rather than parking spaces in the project design.

News from Beyond the North Coast

California’s Climate Plan for Transportation Isn’t Enough
Caltrans is making good progress on implementing the plan, but there is no corresponding decrease in driving, in climate-harming emissions, or in deaths on the roads. Something’s wrong here.