The Collector

March 29, 2024

Cal Poly Plans Campus Pedestrianization
At a workshop this week, the university presented a draft of its long-term plan for the campus. CRTP was excited to hear that the plan now includes turning internal campus streets (such as B Street and Harpst Street) into broad pedestrian ways where the only vehicles allowed are transit shuttles and emergency vehicles. Other plans include greater investment in public transit, bicycle and micro-mobility facilities, and development of housing and academic facilities on some of the current big parking lots. With these big shifts towards active transportation and transit, the draft plan represent a major step forward for the university’s commitment to climate action, transportation safety and public health. While the documents are not yet posted in full on the university’s website, you can view a conceptual rendering and submit preliminary comments here.

McKinleyville Town Center Environmental Review Begins
The Humboldt County Planning Department has posted a notice that it will soon begin developing an Environmental Impact Report for its Town Center zoning plan. Following years of advocacy from CRTP and our allies, the Town Center plan includes major parking reforms and other zoning changes to encourage more walkable development, along with a proposed transit hub and bike and pedestrian safety improvements. Just this week, we learned that it now also includes one of our top priorities – a lane reduction and safety redesign for Central Avenue! If you want to weigh in on topics the county should cover in its environmental review, you have until April 26th to submit a comment. More details on the plan, along with contact information for county staff, can be found here.

Eureka Council to Consider Jacobs Property Zoning
At its meeting next Tuesday, the Council will direct staff on whether to start developing new zoning rules for the former Jacobs school site. The site is in the midst of a shady property swap involving Eureka City Schools and a mysterious private company, and both the property and the attorney representing the unidentified buyers are closely intertwined with the Rob Arkley-backed ballot measure seeking to block walkable, affordable downtown housing. CRTP is working to ensure that if the city rezones the Jacobs site, the new regulations encourage walkable, bikeable housing and other complementary uses at densities that can support high-quality public transit.

Also on the Council’s agenda next week is approval of the annual Capital Improvement Program. Among many other projects, this document includes the city’s repaving plan. We think this is a great opportunity for the city to recommit to its adopted complete streets policy and clearly state that it will include new facilities like bike lanes and upgraded crosswalks in every repaving project.

Quicker Bike and Pedestrian Improvements in Arcata?
The Arcata Planning Commission considered a draft of that city’s annual Capital Improvement Program this week. Included was some funding for public outreach for planning bike and pedestrian safety upgrades to K and 11th Streets, which has long been a priority for CRTP. However, we urged Commissioners to not just hold a public meeting or two about these upgrades next year, but to actually get started improving safety on the streets. In response, the Planning Commission recommended that the city take a quick-build approach to these projects – meaning money could be spent almost immediately on inexpensive but effective temporary safety upgrades while the long-term planning process continues (think painting bike lanes and adding protective features like plastic posts). We think this is a great opportunity to re-think the way safety upgrades are planned and implemented, and to get needed improvements faster. Other communities including San Francisco have already widely adopted the quick-build approach.

Report Pedestrian Safety Issues on Street Story
A quarter of California’s fatalities are pedestrians, and that has worsened over the last decade. It is a sad and unfortunate truth that it is getting less and less safe to be a pedestrian, and we are all pedestrians at one time or another. Factors such as lighting at crosswalks, visibility, and level of traffic, are all components of creating a safe environment for pedestrians.

News from Beyond the North Coast

Statewide Transit Transformation Task Force Gets to Work
If California is going to meet its climate goals, transit ridership will have to increase to levels never before seen in the state. That will require major new investments in local and regional transit systems, among other big changes.

Empty Parking Lots Are Holding Back American Downtowns
North Coast communities are far from the only places where underutilized parking lots are taking up lots of space, creating unfriendly pedestrian environments, and holding back the production of much-needed housing.

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

March 22, 2024

Cal Poly Humboldt to Hold Public Form on Campus Plans
Next Tuesday at 10 am, the university will host a forum to provide updates and hear feedback from the community on their campus development plans. We’re pleased that earlier plans to build expensive parking garages on campus were scrapped in favor of a focus on needed housing and academic facilities. But we still think the balance of housing to parking could be improved. There is also a need for more investments in safe bike and pedestrian infrastructure on and around campus, as well as expanded car-share and bike-share options.

Case Dismissed!
A local judge recently granted the Wiyot Tribe’s motion to dismiss one of the lawsuits seeking to block affordable housing on downtown Eureka parking lots. That means the tribe’s Dishgamu Humboldt Community Land Trust is free to continue pursuing its plans with the city to build housing on the lot at 5th and D Streets. Plans for the other lots, however – including the EaRTH Center housing and transit hub and the Linc Housing projects – are still threatened by the remaining lawsuits.

Senator McGuire to Host Humboldt Town Hall Next Week
It’s a great opportunity to let your representative in the state senate know about your transportation priorities! One important bill you could bring up is SB 960, the Caltrans Complete Streets Bill. This bill would significantly strengthen requirements for Caltrans to provide safe bike, pedestrian and transit infrastructure on state highways. Since many of our most dangerous local streets are technically state highways – think of Broadway, 4th and 5th Streets in Eureka, or Samoa Boulevard in Arcata – SB 960 would have a huge positive impact locally. The bill is scheduled for a hearing in a few weeks, and you can also take action to support complete streets by emailing Senate Transportation Committee members here.

Conversion of Arcata’s 8th & 9th Streets Completed This Week
The two streets were converted to single-lane, one-way streets from I Street to K Street, with added bike lanes and wider sidewalks. CRTP has participated in the planning for these changes since they were first proposed years ago as part of the Plaza Improvement Task Force. While we have a few quibbles with the final designs, we’re always happy to see more street space allocated to safe bike and pedestrian travel!

Report Bike Safety Issues on Street Story
If you have ever felt unsafe while biking because the street did not have a bike lane, or other bicycle facility, you are not alone. Many users have already begun reporting on the Street Story website about what streets they feel unsafe biking on due to a lack of bike facilities. This includes any bike lane gaps, a bicycle boulevard that needs to be a more rigorous designation, and any other issue or need for improvement you may come across. Join your fellow community members in making a report to get your concerns heard! – La versión de Street Story en español está disponible aquí.

News from Beyond the North Coast

How Can We Get Bike Lanes and Crosswalks More Quickly?
Let’s face it: we’re not building safe bike and pedestrian infrastructure nearly fast enough. Part of the problem is that each project is typically subject to its own long, drawn-out planning process that often sparks controversy without generating a productive outcome. One potential solution is the “quick-build” project, which is built quickly with materials that only last a few years. Quick-build techniques can get safety projects built fast, while allowing them to change over time in response to local experience – arguably a much better planning process than the one we have now.

More Than Half of Commuters Worldwide Use a Car
Car dependence is growing globally, and with that dependence comes a whole host of safety, public health, and environmental problems. But if you explore the data on how people in different cities commute, you’ll find plenty of inspiration – from Utrecht, Netherlands, where 75% of people commute by walking, biking or rolling, to La Paz, Bolivia, where 75% of commuters take 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

March 15, 2024

Wiyot Tribe Asks for Dismissal of Arkley Parking Lot Lawsuit
The Wiyot Tribe this week requested that a judge dismiss one of several Rob Arkley-backed lawsuits against Eureka’s efforts to build affordable housing on underutilized downtown parking lots. The particular lawsuit in this case is focused on the parking lot at 5th and D Streets, which appears to be the closest to Arkley’s heart because it is near his company’s offices. Last year, the City Council awarded development rights on this parking lot to the Wiyot Tribe’s Dishgamu Humboldt Community Land Trust, giving them a strong interest in the outcome of the lawsuit. The tribe has also come out strongly against the related Arkley-backed November ballot measure designed to block walkable housing and transit facilities on this and other downtown sites.

Speaking of the November ballot measure, the Eureka City Council will discuss next week whether to immediately rezone the former Jacobs school property, since a shady deal with the school district may soon put it in private hands and therefore make it subject to local development rules. Readers of The Collector will recall that this property is part of the bait-and-switch effort by Arkley and his cronies to mislead voters into blocking the downtown projects by making empty promises of housing at the old school site instead. The Jacobs property is not a bad site for new housing, but the city doesn’t control what happens on a privately owned site (unlike the city-owned parking lots downtown). Nevertheless, the City Council could decide next week to zone the Jacobs site for housing now, encouraging that kind of development in the future.

Humboldt Supervisors Adopt Strategic Plan
The four-year plan for the county includes a new commitment to adopting “Complete Streets Guidelines.” The plan also includes other goals for “multi-modal, safe, sustainable and equitable” transportation, as well as a re-commitment to adopting a regional Climate Action Plan in the near future. We are excited to see this new direction from the county, and we will be monitoring closely to ensure they live up to these commitments.

State Transportation Commission to Allocate Money for Local Zero-Emission Buses
Following up on state grants awarded to local transit agencies, the Commission is slated to allocate funding next week for a Humboldt Transit Authority hydrogen fueling station in Eureka and a Redwood Coast Transit Authority electric bus charging station in Crescent City. The Commission will also allocate funds for a project in Blue Lake that includes significant bike and pedestrian upgrades.

Looking for a Way to Help Improve Your Community?
By adding your road collisions and safety concerns to the Street Story website, we can use data from people within our communities to advocate for the safety improvements we want to see on our streets. Making real change based on real experience. Make a report today and encourage other members of your community to do the same! La versión de Street Story en español está disponible aquí. 

News from Beyond the North Coast

California Isn’t Making Enough Progress Toward Climate Goals
A new analysis shows that the state is not reducing climate pollution enough to hit state targets. And California is one of the world’s biggest economies, s0 the state’s failure to achieve needed emission reductions could have catastrophic consequences.

Transportation is the state’s biggest source of climate pollution, and transportation emissions depend partly on where people live. That’s why another new report argues that infill housing is a big part of the climate solution.

There’s No Good Argument for Parking Mandates
But that doesn’t mean that removing mandates for new development won’t have any impacts. For example, it will likely mean that local governments have to more effectively manage curb parking.

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

March 8, 2024

Important Hearing for Arcata Gateway Plan and General Plan
Next Tuesday evening, the Arcata Planning Commission will hold a hearing to collect public input on the Environmental Impact Report for the Arcata General Plan and the Gateway Area Plan. If you want to dig into the transportation-related details of the environmental review, you can click here to read CRTP’s comment letter.

Also on Tuesday, the Commissioners will review suggested minor changes to the plans themselves, including the changes recently suggested by CRTP. This might be one of the last times the Commission considers these plans before they go to the City Council for adoption. City staff have expressed support for many, but not all, of CRTP’s suggested changes.

Here’s the big picture: both the Gateway Area Plan and the updated General Plan set a new standard for responsible transportation planning in our region. Among many other important policies, these plans encourage walkable infill development, explicitly prioritize car-free living, adopt crucial parking reforms that will reduce housing costs and increase fairness for non-drivers, commit to safety over speed on all city streets, and recognize public transit as a civil right. Much of this important progress has been a direct result of advocacy by CRTP and our members and supporters! If you’re available Tuesday night, please show up and tell the Planning Commission you support the General Plan and the Gateway Area Plan, and remind them that both of these plans will lead to more environmentally friendly development in Arcata.

Welcome to CRTP’s New Outreach Specialist!
CRTP is pleased to introduce our new Outreach Specialist Kelsey Martin to all of our members and supporters. Kelsey will be especially focused on our Street Story program and on transit advocacy. If you see her out and about in your community, please say hello! Here’s a note from Kelsey:

“I attended Humboldt State as an Environmental Science major focusing on energy and climate. Some of my previous work history has been in Zero Net Energy Affordable housing and with the City of Arcata’s Environmental Services department. I am passionate about creating a healthy, safe, and supportive community for people from all backgrounds and circumstances. I’m looking forward to this opportunity to advocate and improve our North Coast’s public transit and non-car transportation availability. Walk, bike, and roll!”

Early Opportunity to Give Input on Eureka Slough Bridge Replacement
Caltrans plans to replace the twin bridges just north of Eureka starting in 2029. The new bridges are planned to include separated bike and pedestrian facilities, which will be a major safety and mobility improvement. You can get more information and provide input at a public scoping meeting next Tuesday evening (if you’re not already attending the Arcata Planning Commission meeting that night!). You can also find contact information here for emailing comments to Caltrans staff.

Hydrogen Buses Are Coming to Humboldt
The Humboldt Transit Authority is investing in hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles as it looks to transition to zero-emission buses that can handle the long distances and challenging terrain in our region. Learn more on the latest edition of the EcoNews Report.

A Week of Car Crashes
Normally, we focus our attention on crashes that affect the most vulnerable road users – people walking, biking and rolling. But sometimes, like this week, we are violently reminded that people inside vehicles are also at great risk on local roads. On Saturday, a car crashed through a storefront on Eureka’s Broadway; it appears to be just good luck that no one was injured or killed. The same day, another driver sustained life-threatening injuries after crashing on Highway 101 north of Eureka. Then on Tuesday, a crash in Fernbridge left a teenager dead and another person seriously injured. Our thoughts are with the victims and their families and friends.

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

Los Angeles Voters Mandate Bike, Pedestrian and Transit Improvements
The state’s biggest city will now be required to implement its own plans calling for comprehensive bike and pedestrian safety upgrades as well as public transit improvements.

Support More Complete Streets Funding!
The California Transportation Commission is developing next year’s budget, and CalBike is leading a campaign to get more money for bike, pedestrian and transit infrastructure. Click the link above to take action.

New Bill in Congress Would Help Reduce Climate Pollution from Transportation
The GREEN Act, introduced by Senator Ed Markey, would require states to set targets for reducing miles driven and climate pollution from transportation, and would require reporting on the environmental justice impacts of highway expansion projects. The North Coast’s own Congressman Huffman is expected to introduce a companion bill in the House of Representatives.

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

March 1, 2024

Earlier & Later Service Now Available on Redwood Transit!
Earlier morning and later evening buses have long been needed on the major regional Trinidad-to-Scotia service, and now we have some! This expansion of service hours will improve access to work, school, meetings and events throughout the greater Humboldt Bay region. And don’t forget that you can also now connect to the daily Redwood Coast Express bus from Eureka to Ukiah for only $2! In less exciting transit news, Eureka riders should take note that several stops are temporarily closed due to construction.

Another Eureka Bike Plan Workshop Next Week
If you couldn’t make it to February’s virtual workshop – or if you were there but just can’t get enough of bike planning! – you can learn more and provide feedback about the official Eureka bike plan at an in-person workshop next Thursday at 5:30 pm at the Jefferson Community Center. CRTP is advocating for the plan to include a complete network of low-stress bike routes, including on busy streets where most of the important destinations are.

More Infill Housing Planned for Eureka
Eureka’s Housing Authority is planning to add more homes to several of its existing properties, starting with one on Burrill Street near Winco. Next Wednesday, they’ll be holding a virtual public workshop to get input on the plans. If you have ideas about what should be included – like secure bike storage for residents, perhaps – you can attend Wednesday’s meeting and let them know!

Roads, Roads, Roads
The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors talked again about road conditions this week. There’s no denying that the pavement is in bad shape on many county roads, despite millions of dollars of investments every year. But it is equally undeniable that our public transit system is still struggling to return to pre-pandemic service and ridership levels, that sidewalks throughout the county are missing, cracked, buckling, or blocked by utility poles, and that safe bike lanes are practically non-existent in many places. Given the fact that we need to get many more people walking, biking and riding the bus in order to avert the worst impacts of climate change, and the fact that many of our communities’ most vulnerable residents are non-drivers, these challenges deserve at least as much attention and investment from our public officials as the state of rural roads.

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

New Report on Pedestrian Fatalities
Estimates for the first half of 2023 show a slight but welcome decline in fatalities from pandemic-era highs. But there are still more pedestrians being killed than there were before the pandemic.

It’s Getting Even More Dangerous to Be Houseless
A new study has found that the death rate among houseless people is almost three times higher than it was a decade ago. Although there are many dangers faced by houseless people, we note that traffic violence is among the leading causes of death, and the rate of traffic fatalities in this population has tripled over the decade.

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

February 23, 2024

Arcata City Council Approves Sunset Interchange Project
The Council asked city staff to look into the concerns raised by CRTP and our supporters, including the need for separate pedestrian and bike facilities, and the need to eliminate the dangerous “slip lanes” that allow drivers to turn at unsafe speeds. Based on comments from city staff, we are hopeful that at least some of the changes we requested will be made.

At the same meeting, the Council also gave its blessing to the slate of new parking reforms included in the draft General Plan and Gateway Area Plan. We have worked hard to build support for these parking reforms, and we’re grateful for the Council’s support. Once implemented, the new policies will help reduce the cost of housing, create more walkable and transit-friendly neighborhoods, and reduce the unfair subsidy that non-drivers (and everyone else) currently pay to support car storage. Research suggests that reforms like these also have a pivotal role to play in reducing climate pollution.

If you want to help the City of Arcata with future plans and projects like these, we have good news – there’s an open position in the city’s planning department! Click here for more information.

Public Workshops on Future Eureka-to-CR Trail and Orleans Safety Project
Planning has begun on a proposal to extend the regional trail network from Eureka down to College of the Redwoods. CRTP has been participating in this planning as a stakeholder, and we’re very excited at the prospect of providing a safe way to walk or bike in this area, where currently people often have to use the highway for lack of any other options. You can find out more about the trail plan and provide input at a public workshop next Tuesday at 5:30 pm at the agricultural center (5630 South Broadway).

On the same evening, Caltrans will be holding a public workshop in Orleans about a proposed project to add bike and pedestrian safety features to Highway 96. We’re happy to see these issues being taken seriously in some of the region’s small rural communities!

Eureka to Make Crosswalks Safer With Red Paint
CRTP has been encouraging local jurisdictions to proactively comply with a new state law that bans parking within 20 feet of any marked or unmarked crosswalk – a simple but effective safety measure that improves visibility for both pedestrians and drivers. We’re happy to report that Eureka is doing just that, and is about to start painting red curbs near crosswalks!

In other Eureka news, the North Coast Journal reports this week that public meeting experts say the Eureka City School Board broke the law when it approved its shady deal to transfer the Jacobs campus to a mysterious new company. We’re reporting on this, of course, because the Jacobs property plays a central role in Rob Arkley’s anti-housing, anti-transit measure on the November ballot. We also learned this week that the Wiyot Tribe has taken a strong stance against that initiative. The tribe’s letter of opposition cites CRTP’s downtown parking lot map and says “cities should be for people, not cars.” We couldn’t agree more!

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

Another Active Legislative Session for Transportation
Check out CalBike’s summary of bills recently introduced in Sacramento, which address critical topics ranging from Caltrans complete streets policies to minimum standards for bike facilities to intelligent speed assistance in vehicles. And while you’re there, take action to support prioritizing responsible transportation infrastructure in the state budget.

Cars Kill More Than 1.6 Million People Every Year
That is among the stark conclusions of a recent study that attempts to comprehensively assess the impacts of cars and automobility. Cars “have killed 60-80 million people since their invention,” the authors say, and “car harm will continue unless policies change.”

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

February 16, 2024

Eureka Planning Commission Approves New Old Town Development
As we noted in last week’s edition, the mixed-use commercial and housing project near the city’s transit hub marks a bit of a milestone: it may be the first project in the region (or at least the first project for many decades) to include new bike parking, but no new car parking. CRTP supports this style of development. We are in conversation with the developer in an effort to ensure that at least some of the project’s bike parking is secure, weather protected, and accessible to a wide variety of bikes and bicyclists.

Commissioners also this week approved a project that includes substantial upgrades for the Waterfront Trail between Y Street and the Adorni Center.

Group Withdraws Request for Injunction to Stop Walkable Housing Projects
“Citizens for a Better Eureka,” the group suing the city of Eureka over its housing plans, had been asking a judge to temporarily bar the city from moving forward with those plans. CRTP intervened in the litigation and filed objections to the injunction request, which if granted would have delayed and potentially jeopardized downtown developments including the three Linc Housing affordable apartment buildings, the Wiyot Tribe’s land trust housing projects, and the EaRTH Center housing and transit hub. Thankfully, “Citizens for a Better Eureka” this week withdrew their injunction request before the judge could hear it.

This news comes on the heels of another recent court loss for opponents of downtown Eureka affordable housing: the dismissal of yet another lawsuit, this one challenging the city’s treatment of their November ballot initiative. It has been widely reported that both the lawsuits and the ballot initiative are being bankrolled by local conservative billionaire Rob Arkley.

If you’d like more information about this anti-housing, anti-transit ballot initiative – and what you can do to help defeat it in November – head over to the Eureka Labor Temple at 480 E Street this Saturday (February 17th) at 4 pm. The campaign against the ballot initiative will be providing information along with snacks and games.

Trinidad Rancheria and Caltrans Launch Environmental Review for Interchange Project
If you have opinions about what should be considered in the official environmental review of the project, you can attend a public scoping meeting next week or submit written comments to Caltrans. CRTP is excited about the idea of providing a new pedestrian overcrossing to connect tribal lands on either side of Highway 101, which is an option being considered as part of the project. (The other option is a whole new interchange, which would come with lots of additional impacts.) The project also includes changes to the existing Trinidad interchange and to Scenic Drive. We have been advocating for all aspects of the project to be designed to provide safety and comfort for pedestrians and bicyclists of all ages and abilities.

Learn How to Make Bike Fenders Out of Your Trash!
Bike fenders are really helpful for bike commuting during a rainy North Coast winter. If you’re in need of fenders but can’t afford new bike accessories, or if you’re just into diverting trash from the landfill, check out the Northcoast Environmental Center’s fun workshop next Tuesday.

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

A Driver’s License to Ride an E-Bike?
A new bill in Sacramento would require e-bike riders to either have a driver’s license or take a course and qualify for an official waiver. We’re all for safety education, and we admit that e-bikes can pose some challenges in communities with poor bike infrastructure (which is most of them). But pretending that riding an e-bike is as dangerous as driving a car is just silly. E-bikes have the potential to get a lot more people on bikes, helping reduce climate pollution and actually increasing community safety. This bill could crush that potential. It’s a bad idea.

Americans Are Driving As Much as They Did Before the Pandemic
The nation’s collective miles driven dropped significantly in 2020, but driving has now rebounded to pre-COVID levels. This is really bad news for the climate, since reducing the amount we drive is key to meeting emissions reduction goals. The good news is that the amount each person is driving is still slightly less than before. But the increase in population has more than offset that progress.

Paris Will Triple Parking Fees for Big Vehicles
Voters in the city approved a proposal to charge oversized SUVs extra to help cover their impacts on safety and the environment – and maybe discourage people from buying them in the first place. It’s been reported that some other European cities are considering similar measures.

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

February 9, 2024

Eureka Bike Plan Workshop Next Week
Next Thursday at 5:30 pm, the city will hold its second public workshop to get input on the development of the citywide bike plan. If you bike in Eureka – or if you’d like to bike but don’t feel comfortable under current conditions – please attend the meeting and encourage the city to plan a complete network of safe, low-stress routes for riders of all ages and abilities. While you’re at it, you can also thank the City Council for committing funds this week to move ahead with the long-awaited Bay to Zoo Trail. Click here for more information about the bike plan and the workshop, or click here to join the virtual workshop on Thursday night.

The day before the bike plan workshop, on Wednesday evening, the Eureka Planning Commission will also be considering a couple of bike-related projects. One involves the rehabilitation and improvement of the Waterfront Trail east of the Adorni Center (where it is currently a mess of cracked and buckling pavement), making it much more bike-friendly. The other is a new mixed use building in Old Town near the future EaRTH Center transit hub, which may be the first local development proposed with bike parking but no car parking. We’re excited by all the progress, and we continue to advocate to ensure that both bike paths and the bike parking are well designed for a wide variety of users.

In other Eureka news, Rob Arkley continues to pump huge sums of money into his campaign to confuse and bully Eurekans into blocking walkable, affordable, downtown housing. Thankfully, some in the local media are pushing back and defending the importance of providing voters with objective facts (your initiative isn’t “prohousing” just because you said it is).

New Humboldt County Planning Commissioner
Supervisor Natalie Arroyo this week appointed Jerome Qiriazi to fill an empty seat on the county’s Planning Commission. Here at CRTP, we’re excited about this pick because – among his many other qualifications – Jerome currently serves as a transit planner at the Humboldt Transit Authority. A Planning Commissioner with such a deep understanding of public transit signals a new and positive direction for Humboldt County planning. Congratulations, Jerome!

Guaranteed Income Pilot Program Up and Running in Humboldt
On its surface, guaranteed income might not seem like a transportation issue. But because our region is so car-dependent, and because cars are so expensive to own and operate, transportation costs are second only to housing in local household budgets. Experience with other programs shows that much of the money distributed to low-income residents is likely to be spent on car repairs and fuel. If we had more walkable, affordable housing and better public transit that made car ownership optional, people would have a lot more money to spend on other necessities.

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

More on the Caltrans Complete Streets Bill
Many of the main streets in North Coast communities are also state highways, so Caltrans policies about bike, pedestrian and transit infrastructure really matter.

State Transportation Commission Approves Big Highway Expansion
Despite generating some hope last month that they might reconsider, Commissioners this month rammed through the I-15 expansion approval and shut down the lone dissenter’s questions about the climate and air quality implications. Highway expansion projects like this one have been identified as one of the main reasons the state is not meeting its goals to reduce climate pollution.

Public Transit Systems Get Better When We Give Them More Money
This may seem obvious. But conventional wisdom in some circles has long held that subsidizing public transit leads to inefficiencies. A new study finds just the opposite: the most highly subsidized systems are the most efficient (presumably because they offer the best service).

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

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.

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.

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.