The Collector
August 1, 2025
McKinleyville Town Center Ordinance Inches Forward
On Wednesday this week, the McKinleyville Municipal Advisory Committee reaffirmed their support for the Town Center ordinance without any major changes. However, the Final Environmental Impact Report has not yet been released, and the committee ran out of time before they got around to voting on an issue of major concern to CRTP and our supporters: whether to recommit to a lane reduction and protected bike lanes on Central Avenue. So there will be one more committee meeting on the Town Center in August. Still, if you sent an email to the committee in support of the Central Avenue redesign this week, it was clear your voice was heard! Committee members talked about how many messages they got in support of the lane reduction, overwhelming the number of messages against it.
Got an E-Bike? Need an E-Bike?
Redwood Coast Energy Authority is planning to re-launch their e-bike voucher program very soon, providing anywhere from $400 to $1,000 toward the purchase of an e-bike for eligible Humboldt County residents. Click here for more information, or click here to sign up for a notification when the vouchers are available.
If you already have an e-bike, you can help too! 350 Humboldt is looking for owners of e-bikes – as well as electric vehicles, heat pumps, solar panels and batteries, or induction cooktops – to share their experiences with other local residents at an upcoming home electrification fair. If you’re willing to help out, click here to sign up.
Tragic Pedestrian Death in Arcata
A pedestrian was killed this week after being struck by a Humboldt Transit Authority bus in Arcata’s Valley West neighborhood. We grieve for the loss of this community member, and extend our condolences to the victim’s friends and family. Unlike fatal car crashes, which are tragically common, fatal crashes involving transit buses are very rare, and we are grateful to HTA for conducting an investigation into the crash, and taking steps to ensure this never happens again.
News from Beyond the North Coast
Are You a Non-Driver?
Our friends at America Walks are conducting a research project about the experiences of non-drivers. If you’re a US resident, you’re at least 18 years old, and you don’t own a vehicle, please help out by volunteering to be interviewed for the study.
Trump’s EPA Looks to Abandon Federal Climate Action
Many of the federal government’s actions to address the climate crisis are legally based on a 2009 official EPA finding that climate change endangers human health. This finding is based on a large body of rigorous scientific research which has only grown since 2009. But the Trump administration is trying to discard that finding, and with it some of the few remaining climate rules that it hasn’t already abandoned. Transportation is the nation’s biggest source of climate pollution, and the administration’s proposal includes scrapping fuel efficiency standards for cars.
Being “Black in Public”
A new report based on interviews with hundreds of Black Americans and Canadians explores the challenges of being Black in public spaces, as well as the joy Black people still manage to express in public. Sadly, buses, streets, sidewalks, and trails are among the most common places listed by respondents when asked where they felt unsafe. Clearly, transit operators, transit riders, and street and sidewalk users of all kinds have a lot of work to do to create spaces that are safe and welcoming for everyone.
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.