Another Delay for Humboldt Bay Trail South?

Posted on March 17, 2023 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

March 17, 2023

McKinleyville Municipal Advisory Committee to Resume Town Center Review
Next Wednesday the committee will tackle a number of topics, including everyone’s favorite – parking! Excessive and unscientific parking mandates have resulted in the town center’s current landscape, where parking is the dominant land use (see below) and buildings are just islands in an asphalt ocean. Parking mandates must be eliminated to have any chance at a walkable town center.

A satellite image of the McKinleyville Town Center with extensive parking areas highlighted in red. — Land dedicated to parking, shown in red, in the McKinleyville town center area.

Another Delay for Bay Trail South?
Humboldt County is requesting that the California Transportation Commission extend the deadline for awarding a construction contract for the final four miles of the Bay Trail from May to October. The reason? Apparently “public concerns were raised about the project’s legality and possible litigation.” Message to whoever is out there threatening to sue: cut it out! Local residents have waited decades for a safe bike and pedestrian route between Eureka and Arcata, and shouldn’t have to wait any longer.

Also on the Commission’s agenda next week: allocating funds for the long-planned Old Arcata Road improvement project, as well as planning money for a roundabout at Highway 199 and Elk Valley Cross Road in Del Norte County and for eventual replacement of the Highway 101 Eureka Slough bridges.

Infill Housing on Eureka City Council Agenda
Next Tuesday, the Council is slated to authorize a funding application for the Linc Housing affordable homes and transportation improvements project, a General Plan amendment application to allow multifamily housing on an old church property near Henderson Center, and a zoning code correction to allow smaller residential units. All of these efforts could result in more much-needed walkable housing in the future.

The Council also recently approved a repaving project with some important bike and pedestrian upgrades. We support the improvements but are concerned that the city didn’t follow procedures in its new Complete Streets Policy which could have resulted in even better conditions for people walking, biking and rolling.

New Lawsuit Filed Against Richardson Grove Highway Project
A recent letter to the legislature from advocates points out that there would be plenty of money to fund active transportation if the state redirected money from highway expansions. The Richardson Grove project is a prime example – the millions of dollars slated for this unnecessary highway project would go a lot further if spent on bike and pedestrian improvements. And, as a recent terrifying big rig crash in Gasquet remind us, a project that paves the way for more big trucks also has implications for road safety in the region.

Add Your Reports to Street Story!
Local residents have now made more than 1,000 reports on Street Story in Humboldt County alone. Most of the reports are for hazards, near misses and crashes – but a few safe spots have been reported too. Join your friends and neighbors and start making your reports today! La versión de Street Story en español está disponible aquí.

News from Beyond the North Coast

Take a Bike Survey!
Let researchers know what you think about different kinds of bike infrastructure. La versión en español está disponible aquí.

Urban Highway Building Destroyed Lots of Communities
Check out some examples of what was lost.

What Hydrogen Counts as Green?
The official definition could have a huge impact on transportation emissions and climate pollution in the United States.

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.

Another Pedestrian Killed on Highway 101 in Eureka

Posted on March 10, 2023 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

March 10, 2023

Another Pedestrian Killed by a Driver on Highway 101 in Eureka
The tragic crash occurred on 5th Street, almost right in front of City Hall. In an increasingly and disturbingly common occurrence, the driver then fled the scene without reporting the crash or offering aid. We offer our condolences to the victim’s loved ones. And we are outraged that these tragedies are so commonplace that they barely result in a story in the local media beyond re-printing a law enforcement press release.

This is not normal or acceptable, and we can’t be complacent about it. We know exactly what the problem is, and we know that it is highly concentrated on a small number of high-speed, high-volume streets. And we know what to do about it; we know how to re-design these streets for safety rather than for speed, and we know that if done well it works. These tragedies are preventable. Let’s stop the death toll now.

Massive McKay Subdivision Approved by Humboldt Supervisors
Thanks to advocacy by CRTP and our allies, the county and the developer finally agreed to making the development all-electric, and to devoting some funds to bike and pedestrian improvements. Unfortunately they did not agree to other needed transportation improvements, such as providing bus passes to apartment residents and reducing the amount of subsidized parking. But compared to past county subdivisions, this can be counted as a major win for people and the environment.

Will the Arcata Planning Commission Finally Start Making Faster Progress on the Gateway Plan?
We previously reported that city staff are estimating adoption of the Gateway plan and form-based code a full year from now. But even meeting that far-off deadline, which the City Council has requested, requires the Planning Commission to significantly speed up their review. They’ll be tackling this procedural issue at their meeting next Tuesday. Hopefully, the process will begin to move forward at a pace that reflects the urgency of the housing crisis, the climate crisis, and the street safety crisis – all of which the Gateway Plan will help to address.

Local Road Network is Fragile and Overextended
The earthquake damage to Fernbridge is the latest reminder that the maintenance of our extensive and vulnerable rural road system is difficult and expensive. It may seem normal or even natural that people living in low-density rural areas can always drive to and from their homes, but that is the result of road-building efforts in decades past that have never produced enough tax revenue to sustain themselves – especially in our stormy and geologically unstable region – and the future is far from certain.

Over 1,000 Humboldt County Reports on Street Story!
Local residents have now made more than 1,000 reports on Street Story in Humboldt County alone. Most of the reports are for hazards, near misses and crashes – but a few safe spots have been reported too. Join your friends and neighbors and start making your reports today! La versión de Street Story en español está disponible aquí.

News from Beyond the North Coast

Cars Just Keep Getting Bigger – Including the Electric Ones
Electric trucks and SUVs may not guzzle gas, but they do require a lot more electricity, lithium, and other rare and toxic chemicals than smaller vehicles do, and they are just as deadly for pedestrians. Americans: please buy smaller vehicles. Especially the smallest vehicles of all: e-bike electricity and mineral use is tiny compared to even the most compact sedan, and they can replace many car trips pretty easily.

Bill Targeting Biased Police Searches Passes First Committee Vote
The bill would make it illegal in California for police officers to conduct warrantless searches of people or vehicles based only on individual “consent.” Why is this a transportation issue? Data show that these searches disproportionately target people of color, harassing people just trying to walk, bike or drive on public streets, and making it uncomfortable and even dangerous for people to get around their communities.

New York Times Picks Up on Parking Reform
The elimination of costly parking mandates is going mainstream.

Biden Administration Leaves Highway Spending Decisions Up to States
The administration has given into conservative pressure and stopped trying to discourage new highway construction. The results could be catastrophic.

Cutten Area Subdivision Heads Back to Supervisors Next Week

Posted on March 3, 2023 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

March 3, 2023

Next Public Meeting on Eureka’s Downtown Housing & Transportation Improvements
Following up on last month’s meeting, Eureka and Linc Housing will be presenting “refined” proposals for bike, pedestrian and transit improvements to go with the affordable housing projects on city-owned parking lots. You can attend next Wednesday’s meeting in person at the Jefferson Center or via Zoom.

Cutten Area Subdivision Heads Back to Supervisors Next Week
The huge suburban-style “North McKay” subdivision has been in limbo for nearly a year, after CRTP and allies demanded stronger measures to reduce environmental impacts. Here’s the good news: the county has now agreed to prohibit natural-gas hookups for the development – a critical climate mitigation measure – and had already consented to devote the transportation fees to bike and pedestrian improvements. These are big wins for responsible transportation and the environment. The bad news is that they have still not agreed to other reasonable and necessary measures, like free bus passes for residents of future apartment buildings. The Humboldt County Supervisors are expected to make a decision on the project next Tuesday.

The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy of Car-Dominated Communities
Check out the latest and final article in our EcoNews series on the history of designing communities for the automobile. If you missed any of the previous articles, you can read the whole series here.

Gateway Plan Adoption Still a Year Away?
That was the estimate at this week’s Arcata City Council meeting, even as the city’s Planning Commission was discussing the urgent need for more infill housing of the kind the plan is designed to encourage. That’s a long time to wait. We are happy to report, however, that in their discussion the Commissioners broached the subject of eliminating the costly parking mandates that hold back housing development and enforce car-centric design.

Next Steps for the Great Redwood Trail
The Great Redwood Trail Agency is asking a federal agency to give up its authority over the rail line used by the “Skunk Train,” one of the last steps toward finalizing railbanking for the entire corridor. Next up: trail planning!

Caltrans Still Trying to Expand Highway Through Richardson Grove
Conceived in past decades to redesign the highway for the biggest vehicles at the expense of a state park, this project should have been abandoned long ago. It’s just not consistent with Caltrans’s current mandates, but for some reason the agency just can’t seem to let it go.

Samoa Transit Service to Be Discontinued
Almost no one is using the service, which debuted two years ago and connects the small cluster of homes in Samoa with downtown Eureka. Here’s the lesson that local governments (and developers) need to learn: you can’t build housing far away from jobs and services, demand a new bus route, and expect that people will use it. Transit ridership depends not just on service, but also on efficient land use patterns.

When you see a street safety hazard, get out your phone or make a note.
Then report it on Street Story. Your reports help us advocate for safer streets, and help government agencies get funding for improvements. La versión de Street Story en español está disponible aquí.

News from Beyond the North Coast

Sign Cal-Bike’s Petition to Legalize the Bike Safety Stop
It’s common sense. It increases safety. It’s already the law in most other western states. Why isn’t it legal in California yet?

Pedestrian Fatalities Keep Rising Nationwide
Preliminary 2022 data show the disturbing trend is continuing. Fortunately, California’s pedestrian deaths didn’t increase from last year’s number – but that’s not very comforting given how much they had already risen over the last decade.

Rob Arkley’s Love of Downtown Parking Lots

Posted on February 24, 2023 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

February 24, 2023

Rob Arkley’s Love of Downtown Parking Lots Reveals “Motonormativity”
Check out CRTP Executive Director Colin Fiske’s recent op-ed in the Lost Coast Outpost for an exploration of our culture’s deep-seated biases about cars, and how those biases frequently lead people – including certain prominent business owners – to ignore facts and ethical standards when it comes to subjects like parking.

And while you’re thinking about downtown Eureka, take this new survey from Linc Housing. Your answers will help guide their plans to include transportation upgrades with their affordable housing project on city-owned parking lots. La versión en español está aquí.

Still More Decisions to Be Made About McKinleyville Town Center
The McKinleyville Municipal Advisory Committee didn’t quite finish their review of the town center ordinance this week, so more decisions – including those about parking policy – will have to wait until next month. But support for a lane reduction and traffic calming on Central Avenue was strong, and we’ve now ensured that various versions of that approach will be considered as part of the ordinance moving forward. Thanks to CRTP members and supporters who showed their support! And thanks to local advocate Melodie Meyer for her excellent op-ed on the subject in the Times-Standard.

Join a Local Bus Adventure!
CRTP ally 350 Humboldt recently started organizing fun “bus adventures” in Humboldt County. These group outings are a great opportunity for folks who aren’t regular riders to experience the bus system, learn how it works, and get comfortable using it for everyday transportation. The next bus adventure is next Thursday, March 2nd. Ride the bus from wherever you are to downtown Eureka, where you’ll join fellow bus adventurers at the gazebo at 12:15 pm for lunch and a stroll before getting back on the bus! Contact organizer Cathy Chandler-Klein at cathyck@sbcglobal.net for more information and to coordinate your trip.

Riding the bus is cheaper than driving, by the way – but it isn’t free. Should it be? Check out this recent article from CRTP for a discussion of this hot topic.

Coordinated Branding for Humboldt County’s Transit Systems?
Sounds like a good idea to us! Unified branding could make the system less confusing, especially for new transit riders. A consultant will present their recommendations at a special meeting next Tuesday.

Walk, bike, roll, Street Story.
If you’re out walking, biking, or rolling on local streets, you see hazards and experience near-misses pretty regularly, maybe even every day. Make it a habit to report those things on Street Story. Your reports help us advocate for safer streets, and help government agencies get funding for improvements. La versión de Street Story en español está disponible aquí.

News from Beyond the North Coast

Congressman Huffman Talks About Transportation Decarbonization
And lots of other environmental topics! Check out his latest appearance on the EcoNews Report with local environmental leaders, including CRTP’s own Executive Director.

A Different E-Bike Subsidy Model
Instead of rebates, one organization is offering a “rent to own” program. Could this help get e-bikes to more people who really need them?

Seeing Streets from a Different Perspective
If you’re an adult who doesn’t use a wheelchair, you may never stop to consider what it’s like to see the world from a vantage point closer to the ground. But if we want to design streets for everybody, we need to see things from all perspectives. Now you can download plans for a simple “reverse periscope” designed to help people who experience the street from a slightly greater height understand what it’s like for kids (and wheelchair users). The experience might surprise you!

Housing, Parking, Bikes and Sidewalks

Posted on February 17, 2023 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

February 17, 2023

McKinleyville Town Center Plans Near Decision Point
Next Wednesday’s meeting of the McKinleyville Municipal Advisory Committee may be the last in its years-long process of developing an ordinance to implement the community’s vision for a future town center. At last month’s meeting, Humboldt County Planning Director John Ford stated his hope that the draft ordinance could be finalized and move into the environmental review process by the end of February.

The draft town center ordinance has an explicit focus on walkable and bikeable development that would contrast sharply with the existing car-dominated landscape, and would represent a major improvement over current regulations. But the town center vision could yet be sabotaged by some holdovers from the old way of doing things, including costly parking mandates and a Central Avenue that is both unsafe and uncomfortable for anyone not inside a vehicle. (For more on the history and impacts of parking mandates, check out this recent article by CRTP Executive Director Colin Fiske.) It’s up to us to make sure these issues are addressed before the ordinance moves forward!

Public Workshop on Gateway Zoning Code Next Thursday
The next workshop to get public feedback on proposed rules and regulations for the Gateway area in Arcata will be held next Thursday at 6 pm. For CRTP and other advocates of pedestrian-oriented, bike- and transit-supporting development, constant vigilance is needed to ensure that the standards don’t reflect outdated ideas that prioritize car-centered, low-density neighborhoods. If you want to do more to support the Gateway Plan and ensure that it lives up to its promise to promote a vibrant, low-car, climate-friendly community, email colin@transportationpriorities.org. We’ll put you on a list to get regular reminders and ideas about when input is needed.

More on the Cal Poly Student Housing Crisis
One thing that has stood out to us in recent media coverage is the repetition of statements that “new on-campus housing, along with a parking structure, will house another 600 to 700 students.” (That particular quote is from the statewide CalMatters news agency, but similar statements have appeared in multiple outlets.) Well, we’ve apparently got news for both Cal Poly Humboldt and for reporters: parking garages don’t house students. More to the point, on-campus garages would take up extremely valuable space that should be used to house students – and to house them in a location that would drastically reduce the need for them to have their own private cars in the first place. It often takes more room to store a car than to house a person, and it is outrageous that officials are doubling down on parking garages at a time when the need for on-campus housing couldn’t be greater.

More Bikes, Better Sidewalks in Arcata
The size of Arcata’s bikeshare program has nearly doubled recently with the addition of three new stations around town. Research shows that the success of bikeshare depends largely on the extent of the network, so we’re excited to see it growing.

Arcata is also preparing to start its annual work on bringing sidewalks up to standards. It’s a slow process, but one that is much needed in a town whose walkability is hampered by the dismal state of its narrow, gap-ridden, frequently obstructed sidewalks.

News from Beyond the North Coast

CalBike Rolls Out New “Invest/Divest” Agenda
We need to put a lot more money into safe, comfortable infrastructure and connected communities, says the statewide bike advocacy organization. But we also desperately need to stop building highways, and stop polluting, displacing and over-policing communities of color. We couldn’t agree more.

Another E-Bike Benefit: More Support for Safe Bikeways
The e-bike boom is exposing a lot more people to the unsafe conditions for bikes in many communities – and creating new bike advocates in the process.

Needed: Accessible, Affordable Housing in Eureka and Arcata

Posted on February 10, 2023 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

February 10, 2023

Cal Poly Humboldt Students Rally for Accessible, Affordable Housing
A lack of transportation options is one of the big concerns for students, who face a daunting off-campus housing market. Although it will not solve the immediate housing crunch, the Gateway Plan and other infill development efforts will eventually put significantly more housing within walking and biking distance of campus – and that’s one of the reasons we support it. (Note: the Arcata Planning Commission will hold a special meeting on the plan this Saturday, and will likely take it up again at their regular meeting next Tuesday.)

We also support building new student housing on campus, particularly on some of the university’s extensive parking lots, as other universities around the country are doing. Many more students than cars can be housed in the same limited space, and on-campus housing mitigates the perceived need for students to bring cars in the first place.

Rob Arkley: Free Car Storage More Important Than Walkable Housing
Declaring that parking spaces, not people or homes, are the “lifeblood” of a thriving downtown, Eureka’s part-time resident billionaire is once again trying to threaten, insult and bully the city into abandoning plans for walkable infill development. We strongly disagree with Mr. Arkley, and there is no empirical basis for his claim about the primary importance of parking. In any case, independent analysis has shown that downtown Eureka has plenty of unused parking. We also take issue with Arkley’s professed concern for the safety of his employees having to walk a few blocks past other Eurekans to get to work, despite abundant evidence showing that injury and death are far more common behind the wheel than from any other form of violent crime.

Planning Continues for Crescent City Transit Hub
Local officials seem to have finally decided which of the city’s many parking lots will house the future hub. CRTP is just excited to see public transportation options improve in a severely underserved part of our region, and we are supporting a grant application that could fund the project.

Humboldt County Faces Potential Budget Shortfalls
When road budgets are tight, bike, pedestrian and other safety projects are typically the first things to be cut. So local officials may need a reminder that providing safe facilities for people who are walking, biking, rolling and riding the bus is just as much a “core service” as filling potholes – and that it’s a good investment, too! For example, a new economic analysis projects that the future Great Redwood Trail will generate over $100 million in economic benefits for our region.

Indianola Interchange Construction Will Begin Soon
This project, decades in the making, is intended to improve safety on the notorious Highway 101 corridor between Arcata and Eureka. We continue to advocate that Caltrans be sure not to negate any actual safety benefit by raising the speed limit again when it’s complete.

News from Beyond the North Coast

“Moving from Cars to People”
A new comic book provides a good introduction to the history of cars in American communities – and what’s happening today to challenge their dominance.

Nope, Parking Garages Aren’t the Solution
As Cal Poly Humboldt plans to build our region’s first parking structures – which would be a huge mistake in our opinion – cities around the country are struggling to figure out how to get rid of the garages they built decades ago.

New Federal “Mega-Grant” Program Is a Mixed Bag
Some important multimodal safety projects are being funded – but so are some massive highway expansion boondoggles.

Eureka to Purchase Land for Bay-to-Zoo Trail

Posted on February 3, 2023 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

February 3, 2023

Big Support for Major Transit Improvements
More than 30 people attended this week’s public workshop on transit improvement plans for Humboldt County, and many of them proposed big ideas like increasing bus frequency to every 15 minutes between McKinleyville and College of the Redwoods. Research suggests high frequency is one of the most effective ways to increase ridership, so CRTP is excited about this idea – and so were other workshop attendees! Hopefully ideas like this will make it into the 5-year plan, and local leaders will commit the funding needed to implement them.

Learn About Housing & Transportation Improvements in Downtown Eureka
Next Wednesday at 5:30 pm at the Jefferson Community Center, Linc Housing and the City of Eureka are hosting a workshop to discuss proposed bike, pedestrian and transit improvements associated with the development of affordable housing downtown. Click the link above to register (or click here to register to attend via Zoom). This project, which includes 3 new apartment buildings on city-owned parking lots, has been in the works for several years and is currently seeking state funding to proceed. CRTP is a big supporter, and we’re excited for both the walkable housing and the transportation improvements.

Eureka to Purchase Land for Bay-to-Zoo Trail
The City of Eureka is hoping to purchase some land with crumbling, uninhabited buildings to allow construction of part of the new Bay-to-Zoo Trail along with some wetland mitigation. The City Council will likely approve the purchase next week, moving the trail one small step closer to reality. When complete, the trail will provide a much-needed safe bike and pedestrian connection between downtown, the hospital district, and the zoo.

Also on next week’s City Council agenda is approval of a consultant to help develop a Bike Plan for the city. Despite some wonderful trails and other plans in the works, Eureka needs a lot of work to become a great bike town. Let’s start planning!

News from Beyond the North Coast

How Do We Clean Up California’s Freight Transportation System?
Here at CRTP, we focus mostly on personal transportation, but freight transportation is also a major contributor to climate pollution, along with public health and safety impacts. If you’re interested in how we can develop a “climate-safe” statewide freight system, check out this webinar put on by The Climate Center.

The Federal Plan for Climate-Friendly Transportation
Despite the headlines, the new plan does actually talk about strategies other than electric vehicles – including development of more walkable and bikeable communities. But the focus on EVs, along with a problematic reliance on questionable biofuels, has drawn plenty of justifiable criticism.

How Does Your Community’s Budget Help or Harm the Climate?
It’s actually pretty hard to figure that out, due to budgeting practices based more on what’s been done in the past than on the impact of funding decisions on important priorities. But a new method called “priority-based budgeting” offers the potential to vastly improve budget transparency and help align funding with climate targets. We hope to see this new approach adopted by local governments across the North Coast!

Community Workshop on Public Transit Next Week

Posted on January 27, 2023 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

January 27, 2023

Community Workshop on Public Transit Next Week
Every five years, local agencies develop a Transit Development Plan that analyzes the current state of the local transit system and proposes improvements. This process is currently under way in Humboldt County. Next Wednesday at 2 pm there will be a workshop to get public input on the plan’s development. You can find out more and read a lengthy memo about the current transit system by clicking here. Getting more people to ride the bus in the next five years will be critically important for local efforts to fight climate change and improve public health and safety, so this plan is really important!

Change is Coming to Arcata…
…and this time we’re not even talking about the Gateway Plan. Cal Poly Humboldt just announced that it will break ground soon on a 964-bed student housing project at the old Craftsman Mall site. The new buildings, which will reach 7 stories at their tallest point, will provide much-needed housing in a location that is walkable to both the university and downtown. CRTP supports the project, and we’re happy to note that our comments resulted in a commitment to build an additional bike connection to the project on St. Louis Road.

Also this week, the Arcata City Council approved tentative plans for the redesign of a few blocks of 8th and 9th Streets, which will result in significantly more street space being allocated to people walking, biking, and rolling. Hopefully this is a sign of bigger things to come!

Strengths and Weaknesses of the Latest McKinleyville Town Center Plans
This Wednesday, the McKinleyville Municipal Advisory Committee continued its years-long review of plans to develop a town center in the traditionally sprawl-dominated community. A town center ordinance seems to be nearing completion, with a goal set to begin the environmental review process by the end of February. The draft ordinance explicitly prioritizes walkability and promotes denser, pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use development – all of which represents real progress when compared to McKinleyville’s current development patterns. But the plan still has some major weaknesses, including outdated and expensive car parking mandates that will hamstring anyone trying to actually create a walkable development, and a failure to commit to the desperately needed road diet on Central Avenue. If you want to weigh in, there’s still time. You can find instructions for submitting comments on the County website.

Humboldt Bay Trail One Step Closer to Completion
County supervisors approved construction plans for the final 4 miles connecting Arcata and Eureka, and officials expect construction to begin in May. When completed, the long-planned trail will finally provide a safe and comfortable connection for walking, biking and rolling between our region’s two largest population centers.

In another major sign of progress this week, the supervisors finally removed support for the Richardson Grove highway expansion project from their official legislative platform. CRTP has opposed this project since our founding in 2015. It represents an outdated commitment to designing roads for the largest fossil-powered vehicles at a time when we should be spending our limited transportation dollars on designing roads for safe, low-carbon modes of transportation. We have asked the supervisors to remove the project from their legislative platform many times over the years, and we are pleased they finally did.

Make reporting on Street Story part of your routine.
If you’re out walking, biking, or rolling on local streets, you see hazards and experience near-misses pretty regularly, maybe even every day. Make it a habit to report those things on Street Story. Your reports help us advocate for safer streets, and help government agencies get funding for improvements. La versión de Street Story en español está disponible aquí.

News from Beyond the North Coast

How Do We Prevent Lithium from Becoming the New Oil?
New research makes clear that if we rely solely on electric vehicles to reduce transportation emissions, there will be massive environmental and public health impacts from a hugely expanded lithium battery industry. But the research also shows we can avoid most of these impacts by instead promoting denser development and improving public transit, walkability and bikeability.

Fight Continues Over Transportation Priorities in Washington
Republicans are mad about the Biden administration’s attempts to prioritize spending federal transportation dollars on maintenance and multimodal projects instead of building new highways. The results of this fight could have a huge impact on the country’s future transportation system.

“Sharrows Are Bulls**t”
California bike advocates officially disavow “share the road” markings, which do nothing to increase safety and are generally ignored by drivers.

Tragic Crashes in Arcata and Eureka

Posted on January 20, 2023 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

January 20, 2023

Tragic Crashes in Arcata and Eureka
We grieve the loss of community member and Cal Poly Humboldt student Camile Nauta, and we hope for a full and speedy recovery for the other student injured in this week’s crash on Alliance Street in Arcata, as well as the person seriously injured on Broadway in Eureka Thursday night. Sometimes crashes like these can seem random and unavoidable. But they’re not. The steady drumbeat of injuries and deaths makes it abundantly clear that these are not “accidents.” They are the result of choices made by traffic engineers, planners, elected officials, automakers, and drivers.

At the local level, almost every serious crash could be either avoided or ameliorated by road design that actually prioritized safety over driver speed and convenience. So why do we not have these designs already? Why do local officials not at least react to tragedies like these by immediately implementing measures to keep the same thing from happening again? (We can make it almost impossible to drive fast and, yes, even create barriers to protect sidewalks from drivers veering into them!) The sad answer is that we’re just doing things the way we’ve done them for several generations, and decision-makers haven’t yet felt the pressure required to change things. Applying that pressure is one of the reasons CRTP exists. And you can help. Contact your local officials today and insist that they take immediate action to improve safety on our streets – no matter what effect it has on the commute times or convenience of people driving.

This week, Eureka took a big step and adopted an official Complete Streets Policy that should improve street safety over time. But that didn’t stop the crash on Broadway, and Arcata’s Complete Streets Policy (adopted last year) didn’t prevent the crash on Alliance. This week’s events are a reminder that policies, while important, are not enough. We need to see change written in asphalt and concrete on the streets. And we need it now.

First Details of Gateway Area Zoning Code Released
This week, Arcata city staff published proposals for some of the requirements they’d like to include in the form-based zoning code meant to implement the Gateway Area Plan, focused on building appearance but also relating to some topics important to bike and pedestrian comfort and safety, like driveways and garages. The proposals were discussed at a public workshop Thursday night, and a new survey is now available to get broader public input. Click here to take the survey now. You can also attend next Tuesday’s Planning Commission meeting, where discussion of potential community benefits from the Gateway plan will continue. CRTP is a strong supporter of the draft Gateway plan, and your input is critical to ensure that the final plan and zoning code continue to fulfill the promise of bike and pedestrian-friendly infill development.

Arcata Projects on California Transportation Commission Agenda: Good, Bad and Ugly
At next week’s statewide meeting, Commissioners are slated to accept environmental documents and approve a funding allocation for the long-awaited trail connecting the Sunset neighborhood with Valley West and the Mad River pump station. That’s good! But they are also set to approve funding for adding an “auxiliary lane” to Highway 101 between Highway 299 and Giuntoli Lane, despite Arcata’s longstanding policy against adding auxiliary lanes to the highway. New lanes both create greater hazards for pedestrians – many of whom use the highway at great peril because they have no other option – and encourage more driving. That’s bad. And the Commission also will consider more funding to remove encampments of unhoused people sheltering under highway bridges in Arcata without providing anywhere else for them to go. That’s ugly and inhumane.

Also at next week’s meeting, local advocate and CRTP Board Member Peggy Martinez will make a presentation to the Commission on how to support public participation by people with vision impairments. We’re extremely proud of Peggy’s work and her membership on the new statewide Equity Advisory Committee for transportation.

News from Beyond the North Coast

$200 Million Less for Walking and Biking?
Last week we told you about Governor Newsom’s proposed budget cuts for transit and zero-emission vehicles. Well, he’s also proposing cuts for bike and pedestrian projects. These projects already get a pittance compared to highway funding, and the proposed cuts are proportionately much greater.

More Money Found for Statewide E-Bike Rebate
The details of the program are starting to take shape, and hopefully rebates will be available before too much longer.

No More Costly, Unscientific Parking Mandates!
The parking reform movement is picking up steam across the country.

A Pivotal Moment for Arcata’s Gateway Plan

Posted on January 13, 2023 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

January 13, 2023

A Pivotal Moment for Arcata’s Gateway Plan
The bike and pedestrian-friendly infill plan for the Gateway area has been stuck for over a year in the Arcata Planning Commission. But the City Council just appointed two new Commissioners who could change the dynamics and help move the plan forward. Matt Simmons is an environmental attorney and outspoken supporter of the Gateway Plan, and Peter Lehman is an advocate for transit and transit-oriented development.

Unfortunately, the new Commissioners’ first meeting this week was dominated by a presentation from the Arcata Fire District that argued the city shouldn’t allow any new building over 3 stories, because there isn’t enough capacity to fight fires in taller buildings. If the city followed that advice, it would eliminate the density that is key to the Gateway Plan’s walkability and bikeability.

What the Fire District’s presentation actually showed, however, is that they can’t meet the standards to fight fires in almost any buildings, including those already built – buildings many of us are living and working in right now. If the Fire District’s analysis is accurate, it indicates a current crisis in firefighting capacity, not a future problem with building heights. The District and the local jurisdictions it serves should figure that out now. Because we have a responsibility to keep existing housing from burning down just as much as we need to build more housing close to jobs, schools and shops.

Next Thursday at 6 pm is the next public opportunity to weigh in on the Gateway Plan, at a city-sponsored workshop about the form-based code which will implement the plan. Show up and show your support for dense, low-car development in the Gateway area.

Complete Streets vs. Car Dependency in Eureka
At their meeting next Tuesday, the Eureka City Council is scheduled to adopt a Complete Streets Policy. Eureka is following the lead of Arcata, which adopted the region’s first such policy last year. These policies, when fully implemented, can be critical tools for creating a network of safe, comfortable and convenient facilities for walking, biking, rolling and even public transit. They require that every street project – from re-painting lines to building entirely new streets – must accommodate all modes of transportation by default. We’re very excited that our region’s biggest town – and the place where our bike and pedestrian safety crisis is most concentrated – is on the verge of adopting this policy.

Unfortunately, at the very same meeting, the Council is also set to approve an agreement with a local developer to extend for another 10 years the 2007 approval of a suburban subdivision in the woods at the very edge of the city. Lundbar Hills is far from downtown and accessible only by dangerous and distinctly incomplete streets and roads, but the Council already gave preliminary approval a couple of weeks ago. This follows Monday’s approval by the Eureka Planning Commission of a new drive-through restaurant design for the Target parking lot on 4th Street, despite recent pleas by residents to ban drive-through businesses altogether. Eureka officials clearly want to move toward safer streets and a more walkable city, but they still can’t seem to stop approving car-dependent forms of development.

Person Killed While Walking on Highway 299
We grieve the loss of another community member, and our thoughts are with their family and friends. Local highways are often the only way to get between communities, and for people without access to a vehicle, that means walking or biking on them. But these roads are not designed for safe walking and biking, and they are the site of many of our region’s bike and pedestrian fatalities. This has to change.

Dangerous Local High-Speed Chase
We understand, to put it mildly, the need of law enforcement officials to apprehend a suspect in a double murder case. But other people’s lives shouldn’t be put at risk in the process, and high-speed chases are notorious for killing bystanders. Photos and descriptions from this recent local chase make clear that it’s only a matter of luck that it ended safely.

News from Beyond the North Coast

Electric Cars Use the Same Roads as Gas-Guzzlers
Gas taxes don’t fully fund road building and maintenance, but they do pay for a big chunk. So with the climate crisis demanding a switch to electric vehicles (and a lot less driving in general), the state is looking at ways for EV drivers to help pay for the roads. You can enroll in a pilot pay-as-you-drive program right now!

Bay Area Disability Rights Pioneer Dies
Among many other accomplishments, Hale Zukas played a key role in making sidewalks and public transportation more accessible to people with disabilities.

Newsom Cuts Clean Transportation Funding
Is it a priority or not, Mr. Governor?

Parking Garages Are Bad For Cities
Watch this explainer video to find out why.