Del Norte Regional Transportation Plan Up for Adoption

Posted on February 26, 2021 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

February 26, 2021

Del Norte Regional Transportation Plan Up for Tuesday Adoption
Several significant improvements were made to the draft plan in response to comments from CRTP and allies. However, the plan still assumes zero funding for active transportation, projects increasing levels of driving, and calls for wider roads for trucks. So you might say we have concerns.

Active Transportation Emerges as a Theme in Arcata Visioning Session
Thursday’s public meeting, the second in a series meant to develop a community vision in advance of a General Plan update and other changes, included lots of calls for better bike and pedestrian infrastructure to go along with denser development. Another important theme was ensuring that these kinds of improvements benefit Valley West, not just the wealthier areas closer to downtown. You can provide your input on the City’s vision through this survey.

New Traffic Signal and Pedestrian Improvements in Eureka
Pedestrian safety advocates have been asking for a signal at 4th and L Streets for years. On Monday, the lights will finally go on. Then on Tuesday, the City Council is scheduled to approve a plan for improving 35 crosswalk locations throughout the city.

Most Humboldt Households Can’t Afford to Buy a Home
The urgency of well-designed, affordable infill development increases as home prices rise.

Don’t Forget to Take Our Survey
Join the 110+ people who have taken our 2021 Transportation Attitudes survey, and help spread the word! The Spanish-language version is here.

Committee to Consider Bike & Pedestrian Projects, Transportation Goals
Next Thursday, the Humboldt County Association of Governments Technical Advisory Committee will weigh in on funding requests for bike and pedestrian projects in Fortuna, Arcata and the unincorporated county. The committee will also discuss changing the region’s overall transportation goal in the upcoming Regional Transportation Plan update.

Another Car-Culture Restaurant Opens on Broadway
It’s hard to square this kind of development with the multimodal vision for the corridor that local residents and officials say they want.

Emergency Funding Approved for Last Chance Grade
The money is needed, to be sure. We just wish Caltrans would act with this kind of speed to approve funding for other urgent needs, like addressing the safety crisis on Broadway.

La versión en línea de Street Story ahora está disponible en inglés y español.
If you are more comfortable filling out a form in Spanish or know people who are, there’s a new Spanish-language version of Street Story for you! Of course, the English-language version is still available here. CRTP uses reports to advocate for change, and local agencies use them to apply for grants and prioritize improvements. Your reports are important!

“Black Voices in Urbanism, Mobility and the Walkable Community Movement”
Still wondering what racism has to do with transportation planning? Check out this video from America Walks.

The Reason You’re Not Getting That Stop Sign
Or traffic light, or crosswalk, or… The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices tells transportation engineers when they should implement improvements and how. It’s notoriously car-centric, and it’s finally getting an upgrade. Will it be enough?

Two New Pieces of Transportation Legislation to Watch
At the state level, CalBike is sponsoring a bill to provide grants for purchasing e-bikes. At the federal level, the Complete Streets Act has been reintroduced.

Is California Miscounting Emissions Reductions from Transportation Programs?
An audit of the California Air Resources Board suggests that we might be seriously overestimating emissions reductions from programs like clean car rebates.

Federal Stimulus Bill Includes $30 Billion for Transit Operations
And a bunch more for big transit capital projects in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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.

Investigation Changes the Story of Eureka Car-on-Pedestrian Strike

Posted on February 19, 2021 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

February 19, 2021

Don’t Forget to Take Our Survey
And ask your friends and family to take it too! The Spanish-language version is here.

Another Tragedy on Highway 101 in Eureka
After issuing an initial statement (seemingly based solely on the driver’s account) that suggested the victim was to blame, the Eureka Police Department later reviewed surveillance camera footage that revealed the pedestrian was actually in the middle of a marked crosswalk when the driver hit him. As of the latest report, the victim is in critical condition.

Eureka Broadway Corridor Plan Approved
The Humboldt County Association of Governments approved the plan on Thursday. See CRTP’s latest comments here, several of which were addressed in the final Plan. Our primary focus continues to be on significant near-term improvements to address the bike and pedestrian safety crisis on Broadway.

Housing Project Approved in Eureka
The final portion of the affordable-housing-on-parking-lots project was approved by the city’s Design Review Committee this morning. CRTP strongly supports the project and is working with Linc Housing to ensure that it includes strong pedestrian, biking and transit amenities.

Railroad Authority Approves Railbanking for Great Redwood Trail
It’s a significant step toward the vision of an immense trail system stretching from San Francisco Bay to Humboldt Bay.

More Slides at Last Chance Grade
The perennially challenging section of Highway 101 suffered multiple closures this week, and Highway 96 was closed by a slide at the end of the week as well.

Eureka Street Tree Planting Set for Saturday
Notably, from our perspective, street trees are a proven traffic-calming measure.

Reminder: Make Your Street Story Reports
727 reports (and counting) have been made in Humboldt County so far. If you see or experience a hazard, near-miss or collision on the street, make your Street Story report here. CRTP uses reports to advocate for change, and local agencies use them to apply for grants and prioritize improvements. Your reports are important!

Planners Routinely Underestimate New Driving from Road Expansions
The experts weighed in, and they’re not impressed.

More Women Die in Car Crashes
A new study says it’s because men tend to drive bigger, more dangerous, more “macho” vehicles. Planners often fail to account for gender differences in transportation, including the differences in comfort and safety felt by female bicyclists and pedestrians. Unfortunately, toxic masculinity is alive and well in the world of transportation.

New Federal Bills Would Support Bikes, E-Bikes
Will bike commuters get tax breaks the way car commuters do?

Electric Cars Are Still Cars
Another humdinger of a column by Farhad Manjoo points out the flaws in America’s dream of solving all our transportation problems with electric vehicles.

Funding Recommendations Released for Local Bike & Pedestrian Projects

Posted on February 12, 2021 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

February 12, 2021

Take the 2021 Transportation Attitudes Survey!
If you haven’t yet taken CRTP’s new survey, please do it today. It takes less than 10 minutes and gives us good information that will really help with our future advocacy. Even better – forward this to your friends and family and encourage them to take it too! A Spanish-language version of the survey can be found here.

Arcata Committee to Discuss Converting G & H Streets to One Lane
Taking away a vehicle lane and using that extra space for a protected bike lane or wider sidewalks would be a major improvement in Arcata’s circulation system. Also on Tuesday’s agenda: pedestrian-scale lighting, implementation of CRTP’s “Elephants in the Road” report, and more.

Eureka Committee Struggles with Affordable-Housing-on-Parking-Lots Project
Neighbors and committee members worried about the size of the building at Sunny & Myrtle Avenue, and about “not enough” parking spaces at all the sites. CRTP pointed out that: (a) Eureka desperately needs affordable housing, and there aren’t many good places to put it; (b) Less parking encourages less driving and car ownership, so fewer parking spaces doesn’t necessarily mean cars spilling out onto the streets; (c) parking and building size aren’t even under the purview of the Design Review Committee. Nevertheless, the committee asked non-profit Linc Housing to come back with new plans for the Sunny & Myrtle building at a special meeting next Friday (2/19), while giving conditional approval to the buildings at 8th & G Streets and 6th & M Streets.

Arcata Annie & Mary Trail Project Recommended for State Funding
The project includes a separated multi-use trail from Sunset Avenue to Pump Station Park 1 on West End Road as well as some associated bike/pedestrian improvements. Unfortunately, other local projects – including Eureka’s Bay-to-Zoo Trail and C Street Bike Boulevard – were not recommended for funding through the state’s Active Transportation Program. Only about 11% of applications were recommended for funding statewide.

Rosewood Residents Call for Support for Measure Z Application
Humboldt County Public Works is applying for funding for a traffic signal at F & Oak Streets. CRTP supports the application. We think it’s important for the Measure Z committee to acknowledge that traffic safety is one of the most important components of local public safety, and therefore a legitimate use of Measure Z funds.

Great Redwood Trail Town Hall Next Week
State Senator Mike McGuire, who won CRTP’s 2018 Responsible Transportation Champion award for his work on the Great Redwood Trail, is holding a virtual town hall next Thursday to provide project updates to his constituents.

Reminder: Make Your Street Story Reports
724 reports (and counting) have been made in Humboldt County so far. If you see or experience a hazard, near-miss or collision on the street, make your Street Story report here. CRTP uses reports to advocate for change, and local agencies use them to apply for grants and prioritize improvements. Your reports are important!

Fuel Efficiency Improvements are Critical for Tackling Greenhouse Gas Emissions
While much of the focus is on vehicle electrification, improving fuel efficiency might be just as important in the short term. Somebody needs to tell GM.

People Aren’t Heading to the Suburbs in Large Numbers
They’re just moving to different cities, mostly because they’re priced out of housing in places like New York and San Francisco. The high prices for walkable neighborhoods, meanwhile, are artificially propped up by outdated zoning codes.

State May Regulate Toxic Tires
Another reminder that tailpipe emissions aren’t the only source of pollution from cars and trucks.

Transit Equity, Strategic Visions, and a High-Speed Chase

Posted on February 5, 2021 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

February 5, 2021

Eureka Council to Conduct “Strategic Visioning” This Afternoon
Will traffic safety and mode shift be part of their vision?

Thursday Was Transit Equity Day
Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., and other leaders recognized that public transit is a civil rights issue.

Linc Housing Project Goes Before Committee Next Week
A vote of Eureka’s Design Review Committee is the only discretionary approval the project needs. CRTP strongly supports the plan to build affordable housing on city-owned parking lots. And we continue to work to ensure that the plans maximize benefits and incentives for walking, biking and transit.

Richardson Grove Appeal Filed
The long legal battle over the highway expansion project seems far from over.

Another High-Speed Chase
These kinds of chases are notorious for the serious and often deadly crashes that they frequently cause. Luckily, in this case, the crash apparently did not result in serious injury.

Reminder: Make Your Street Story Reports
723 reports (and counting) have been made in Humboldt County so far. If you see or experience a hazard, near-miss or collision on the street, make your Street Story report here. CRTP uses reports to advocate for change, and local agencies use them to apply for grants and prioritize improvements. Your reports are important!

CalBike Calls for More Federal Bike & Pedestrian Funding
Congress will soon be considering another 5-year transportation funding bill. Will non-car modes of transportation get more than the usual pittance?

Millenials Love Transit
You can’t blame them for everything.

A Year of Deaths on the Road
Outside magazine tracked US bicyclist deaths in 2020 and analyzed the data. The results are striking and tragic, but may not be surprising to readers of The Collector.

How Can Arcata Build More Housing – and Keep It Affordable?

Posted on January 29, 2021 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

January 29, 2021

How Can Arcata Build More Housing – and Keep It Affordable?
By removing density restrictions and parking requirements for new development, according to a new draft study released by the city. We fully support these recommended measures. And we note that public input to the study shows that walkability and bikeability are among the top desires local residents have for their future housing.

Committee to Review Greenhouse Gas, Driving Reduction Targets
Thanks to advocacy from CRTP and others, and the hard work of HCAOG staff, Humboldt County’s upcoming Regional Transportation Plan update will be the first to include specific targets for reducing driving and greenhouse gas emissions from transportation, as well as increasing other modes of transportation. The draft targets will be reviewed next week by HCAOG’s Technical Advisory Committee.

Trinidad Worried About Potential Water Pipeline Inducing Sprawl
Sprawl = more driving = climate chaos and more deaths on the road.

Learn More About Plans for the Little River Trail
The Trinidad Coastal Land Trust and Redwood Community Action Agency are currently developing preliminary designs and environmental documentation for the Little River Trail, which will connect McKinleyville with Westhaven and Trinidad. They’re hosting small-group walking tours of the area where the trail will be built on February 13th. You can also give your input on the trail plans by taking an online survey.

Old Arcata Road Project Public Comment Period
The environmental documents are available for review and comments now. CRTP supports this project, which would improve bike and pedestrian infrastructure. But we are concerned about the proposed roundabout, which like all roundabouts could be dangerous for pedestrians with vision impairments to navigate.

Humboldt County Residents Are Staying Home More
So no one should be bothered that Eureka is enforcing parking rules again, right?

Reminder: Make Your Street Story Reports
720 reports (and counting) have been made in Humboldt County so far. If you see or experience a hazard, near-miss or collision on the street, make your Street Story report here. CRTP uses reports to advocate for change, and local agencies use them to apply for grants and prioritize improvements. Your reports are important!

Berkeley Eliminates Minimum Parking Requirements…
It’s just the latest city to take this common-sense step.

…Because More Parking Means More Driving
And less walking, biking, and transit use. These fairly obvious conclusions are supported by a new academic study with an unusually rigorous methodology.

CalBike Continues the Campaign for E-Bike Subsidies
E-bikes could be a game-changer for mode shift in rural areas on the North Coast.

GM to Make Only Zero-Emission Vehicles by 2035
That’s the same target year that California recently announced for requiring that only zero-emission vehicles be sold. Coincidence? We doubt it.

Some Raise Objections to Eureka’s Bay-to-Zoo Trail

Posted on January 22, 2021 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

January 22, 2021

Objections to Bay-to-Zoo Trail Surface in Eureka
At Thursday’s community meeting, some property owners adjacent to the proposed route revived old, debunked fears about trails bringing crime, trash and lower property values. Running through many of the comments was a thinly veiled theme of classism and racism, brought to the surface through derogatory references to a “certain kind of people” who the commenters thought would be walking or biking between the hospital district and public service providers downtown. On other hand, many property owners – along with community members and advocates – voiced strong support for the trail. CRTP supports the trail for use by all Eureka residents and visitors, and we are working to make sure that it includes safe crossings of busy streets and adequate facilities to minimize conflicts between bikes and pedestrians.

CRTP and Allies Comment on Del Norte Regional Transportation Plan
It’s an improvement from previous plans, but still falls far short. Notably, the draft plan projects that the county will have no money to implement bike and pedestrian projects in the next 20 years, that transit ridership will continue to decline, and that there will be more driving despite a declining population. We call that planning for failure, and it’s unacceptable.

Arcata Envisions Denser, Walkable Infill Development
At a study session on Thursday, staff and Councilmembers discussed their vision for the downtown and Creamery districts. CRTP shares the city’s vision of mixed-use, form-based, walkable development, especially incorporating wider sidewalks and better transit service.

State Transportation Commission to Consider Local Bike/Pedestrian Projects
Funding allocations for projects in Fortuna and Trinidad are on next week’s agenda. Other local projects on the agenda include the extension of on-ramps at the Highway 101/Highway 299 interchange in Arcata. Another notable item on the Commission’s agenda is the adoption of an official racial equity statement which acknowledges the state’s racist history of building highways through communities of color, among other things.

Reminder: Make Your Street Story Reports
719 reports (and counting) have been made in Humboldt County so far. If you see or experience a hazard, near-miss or collision on the street, make your Street Story report here. CRTP uses reports to advocate for change, and local agencies use them to apply for grants and prioritize improvements. Your reports are important!

Eureka Bike Lanes to Be Spruced Up Soon
Find out more in the latest edition of Wheel People.

Buttigieg Gets Attention for Road Diets in South Bend
Will his mayoral history with de-prioritizing cars downtown translate into a shift in focus for the US Department of Transportation? Another key appointment in the Department raises some hopes.

When Lockdowns Lifted, Traffic Deaths Spiked
Initial explanations include faster driving on less-crowded roads, as well as increased levels of drinking and other drug use related to pandemic mental health stresses.

Does High-End Infill Housing Lead to Gentrification?
A piece in The Atlantic argues it’s a symptom, not a cause. CRTP supports many forms of infill housing, but we always consider issues of affordability when we review plans and projects.

What Does Housing Have to Do with Climate?

Posted on January 15, 2021 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

January 15, 2021

Pedestrian Priority in McKinleyville Town Center
During a McKinleyville Municipal Advisory Committee meeting this week, county-contracted architect Kash Boodjeh discussed prioritizing bikes and pedestrians on new streets in the Town Center area, as well as the importance of safe crossings of Central Avenue.

Housing Money May Help Pay for Humboldt’s Climate Action Plan Completion
The fact that local governments are making the connection between the climate crisis and the housing crisis is critically important progress. It’s another step in the direction of denser, infill, transit- and active transportation-oriented development. Find out more at next week’s Humboldt County Association of Governments Board meeting.

Preliminary Draft of Climate, Mode Shift Targets Released
An ad hoc committee of the Humboldt County Association of Governments has drafted the targets for inclusion in the upcoming Regional Transportation Plan update. CRTP participated in the development of the targets and strongly supports most of them, although we will be making a few more comments. That’s our job, after all! The public is invited to comment between now and February 12, 2021.

Del Norte Regional Transportation Plan Environmental Documents Released
Meanwhile, a well-advertised presentation about the RTP at a public meeting this week included no opportunity for public questions or comments. In any case, CRTP will be submitting detailed comments in writing soon.

Water District Talks About McKay Subdivision
The location of the subdivision on the outskirts of Eureka is less than ideal for active transportation and transit, but CRTP has some ideas for improving it if it ever moves forward.

Reminder: Make Your Street Story Reports
716 reports (and counting) have been made in Humboldt County so far. If you see or experience a hazard, near-miss or collision on the street, make your Street Story report here. CRTP uses reports to advocate for change, and local agencies use them to apply for grants and prioritize improvements. Your reports are important!

More Rains, More Slides
Major landslides hit Last Chance Grade, Highway 299, and Highway 36 this week. Every winter brings these reminders of how difficult and expensive it is to maintain our extensive road network in this rugged landscape.

Newsom’s Budget Includes $1.5 Billion for Electric Car Incentives
Republicans aren’t happy.

California Air Resources Board Aims for 800 Zero-Emission Trucks This Year
The initiative is focused on drayage trucks, short-haulers serving port facilities. Find out more at a webinar next week.

Self-Driving Vehicles Exempt from Safety Regulations?
That’s what the Trump administration is proposing on its way out the door.

Plans for McKinleyville Town Center & Broadway in Eureka

Posted on January 8, 2021 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

January 8, 2021

Long-Awaited McKinleyville Town Center Plans Released
Instead of the expected architectural renderings, the County released a conceptual land use and circulation plan for the undeveloped portion of the Town Center. The plan calls for a mixture of housing and commercial development, along with open space, and even includes a pedestrian-only street area. CRTP supports many elements of this early draft, but we’re calling for some changes, too. Most importantly, the already-developed portions of the Town Center need to be included in the plans, rather than assuming that existing strip malls will stay that way forever.

Another Pedestrian Killed on Highway 101
This tragedy occurred on a stretch of highway that has no pedestrian facilities. Often, highway planners argue that there is no need for pedestrian facilities on highways where pedestrians are not “supposed” to be. But in this location and many others throughout the North Coast, there is no way to travel north or south without a vehicle without walking on the highway (or another road with no pedestrian facilities).

Broadway Plan Moves Ahead
The Humboldt County Association of Governments Technical Advisory Committee recommended approval of the plan yesterday with almost no discussion. CRTP continues to advocate for a focus on near-term improvements to address the safety crisis on Broadway, rather than big-dollar, long-term plans that may never happen. Read our latest comment letter here.

Del Norte Regional Transportation Plan Meeting Next Week
CRTP is developing detailed comments on the draft plan.

Eureka Transportation Safety Committee to Discuss Updating Traffic Safety Plan
The City Council delegated a big task to the committee when they decided that updating the plan should account for most of the city’s effort to address the ongoing traffic safety crisis.

Will COVID Bring Open Streets to the Arcata Plaza?
The Arcata City Council discussed potential uses for emergency COVID-related funding this week, and the idea of opening streets on the Plaza to assist businesses and residents with outdoor dining and other socially distanced activities was mentioned. This has been a long-term goal for CRTP, and we’ll be following developments closely.

Local Car Attacks on Protesters Make Annual “Dick Moves” List
The phenomenon is #2 on the North Coast Journal’s list, right after the entire year 2020.

Humboldt County Receives Bike & Pedestrian Safety Grant
Unfortunately, they intend to spend the money “educating” bicyclists and pedestrians about how not to be killed by cars, instead of educating drivers about how not to kill people. This kind of approach contributes to our society’s larger pedestrian victim-blaming problem.

Eureka to Add Cooper Gulch Trail to Capital Improvement Plan
At its meeting next week, the city’s Planning Commission will consider a plan that includes a bike and pedestrian trail extending from the Waterfront Trail in the north to Buhne Street in the south – the start of a much-anticipated “Bay-to-Zoo” trail.

Who Needs Richardson Grove Project Anyway?
CRTP Board Member Dave Spreen brings the perspective of someone with long experience in the local freight industry.

Reminder: Make Your Street Story Reports
715 reports (and counting) have been made in Humboldt County so far. If you see or experience a hazard, near-miss or collision on the street, make your Street Story report here. CRTP uses reports to advocate for change, and local agencies use them to apply for grants and prioritize improvements. Your reports are important!

A Eureka “Flâneur”
A great local example of streets as our premier public spaces.

Biden to Name Buttigieg Transportation Secretary
“Mayor Pete” marks a shift from previous transportation secretaries in two big ways: (1) His experience is primarily in local government, where most transportation dollars are spent; (2) He is a household name and has significant political ambitions beyond this post. Biden is also set to name former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm as his Energy Secretary. Granholm has close ties to the auto industry and is known as a major supporter of electric vehicles.

More Evidence that Sprawl, Not Density, Aids COVID-19 Spread
The COVID disaster unfolding in Southern California may be partly a result of land use patterns.

First City Posts Climate Change Warnings at Gas Stations
Cambridge, Massachusetts took this long-overdue step. Which city will be next?

Eureka to Declare a Traffic Safety Crisis

Posted on December 18, 2020 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

December 18, 2020

Editor’s Note: We’re off the next 2 weeks. But never fear, The Collector will be back in 2021! Stay safe and healthy, and happy holidays to all.

Supes Narrowly Continue Support for Richardson Grove Project
The decades-long controversy continues, and misinformation abounds. Some Humboldt County Supervisors seem to have construed this project as an old-fashioned “jobs-vs.-environment” bellwether and feel the need for political posturing in their legislative platform, even though it is not an issue before any legislature. CRTP has long opposed the project for many reasons. This time around, we pointed out that the project is using the same funds that could be used for safety upgrades in places like Broadway, and is intended to design the highway for big 1980s-style fossil-fueled trucks at a time when the freight industry is moving rapidly toward autonomous electric vehicles which will likely look quite different.

Eureka to Declare a Traffic Safety Crisis
This week, Eureka Mayor Susan Seaman made the case for declaring an official crisis, and the City Council agreed. They also reached consensus to direct the city’s Transportation Safety Commission to update the official traffic safety plan, and to create a task force (on which CRTP will serve) to come up with a plan to address the crisis. An official declaration and related actions will come at a future meeting.

Draft Broadway Plan Released
At a meeting this week, the Humboldt County Association of Governments heard about the plan. CRTP again stressed the need for near-term safety improvements, a few of which are included in the plan. Comments on the plan will be accepted through January 13th. Meanwhile, the City of Eureka is beginning an assessment of contamination on the Balloon Track. The draft Plan calls for building new roadways through the Track area, which would be a lengthy, expensive and controversial process.

Arcata Visioning Session Focused on Housing, Climate, Equity and Transportation
At a community visioning session on Thursday, Arcata residents asked the city to prioritize a slate of issues that sounded like they could have come right out of CRTP’s vision statement, ranging from access to affordable infill housing to new bike and pedestrian infrastructure and climate adaptation. Many of the same issues were raised by new Councilmembers the night before when they reviewed the topics constituents brought to them on the campaign trail.

McGuire Introduces Bill to Create Great Redwood Trail Agency
SB 69 would replace the North Coast Railroad Authority with the new agency and charge it with developing a trail system on the rail right-of-way north of the Sonoma-Mendocino county line. (South of the county line, that would be the responsibility of Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit.)

Arcata Committee Hears About “Elephants in the Road”
CRTP Executive Director Colin Fiske presented on our recent report to a receptive Transportation Safety Committee. Next step: implement all those recommendations!

Reminder: Make Your Street Story Reports
714 reports (and counting) have been made in Humboldt County so far. If you see or experience a hazard, near-miss or collision on the street, make your Street Story report here. CRTP uses reports to advocate for change, and local agencies use them to apply for grants and prioritize improvements. Your reports are important!

A Tale of Two Collisions
A pedestrian was struck and seriously injured on 4th Street in Eureka this week. News coverage noted that the victim was “wearing black.” In an unrelated tragedy this week, an allegedly intoxicated driver crashed a car, killing his passenger. The driver was immediately arrested on vehicular manslaughter charges, and no details were released about the victim. While these incidents differ in many respects, the reporting is typical of the way law enforcement and the media present these different types of collisions. Coverage of crashes in which pedestrians are injured or killed almost always includes details which create a victim-blaming narrative, while such details are almost never reported when the victim was inside a vehicle. (The reporting in this case, for example, did not discuss why the victim might have been riding in a car with an intoxicated driver. Nor should it have.)

Another Reason to Drive Less
Driving cars and trucks will always have a lot of impacts, even when all those vehicles are electric. Recently, scientists have uncovered one more impact – a chemical that comes from tires is polluting waterways and killing coho. Find out more on the EcoNews Report.

Slide at Last Chance Grade
Another winter, another slide.

The Real Estate Industry Is Too Focused on Single-Family Homes
A new report argues the industry needs a major “reset” to focus on creating the kinds of housing and communities we need today.

Eureka Mayor to Report on Traffic Safety

Posted on December 11, 2020 by Colin Fiske

The Collector

December 11, 2020

Eureka City Council to Hear Mayor’s Report on Traffic Safety
In recent months, it has become increasingly clear that there is a traffic safety crisis in the city.

First Public Discussion of Major Housing Project Design
This week, the City of Eureka’s Design Review Committee had its first discussion about the proposal by Linc Housing to build affordable apartments on three city-owned parking lots. It will be the biggest infill housing project in Humboldt County in a very long time and is strongly supported by CRTP.

Court Overturns Environmentalist Victory in Richardson Grove Case
A federal appeals court dealt a setback to opponents of the highway expansion project. However, the legal fight is far from over. The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors also debated this week whether to include support for the project in its annual legislative platform, ultimately delaying a decision until next week. Although not involved in the litigation, CRTP has always opposed this project.

Humboldt Supervisors Discuss Relocation Policy
Also at this week’s meeting, the Supes were slated to adopt an official policy on how to relocate residents displaced by County projects – the subject of a lawsuit earlier this year that included CRTP. However, after comments from CRTP that the policy does not adequately account for transportation impacts, as well as objections from Legal Services of Northern California, the Board punted this topic to next week too.

We Can Tackle Our Transportation Challenges, If We Act Now
Check out the new op-ed by CRTP Board Member Keenan Hilton in the Times-Standard.

New HCAOG Executive Director Announced
Marcella May, this year’s Responsible Transportation Champion, will be retiring at the end of the year. We now know that local planner Beth Burks will be taking her place in January.

The Intersection of Safety and Environmentalism on Broadway
CRTP Executive Director Colin Fiske tackles this heavy topic in the EcoNews.

Arcata to Hold Official Listening Session Next Week
Want the city to focus on transportation issues next year? Now’s your chance to tell the new Council. On a related note, CRTP Executive Director Colin Fiske is also scheduled to present next week to the Arcata Transportation Safety Committee on recommendations from our recent report. (The presentation was originally scheduled for last month but delayed due to technical difficulties.)

New Money for Harbor Upgrades?
Marine transportation infrastructure is always connected to land-side transportation infrastructure.

Reminder: Make Your Street Story Reports
713 reports (and counting) have been made in Humboldt County so far. If you see or experience a hazard, near-miss or collision on the street, make your Street Story report here. CRTP uses reports to advocate for change, and local agencies use them to apply for grants and prioritize improvements. Your reports are important!

Bicycle Tragedy in Nevada
Five people participating in a group ride were killed when a truck plowed into the group. Bicycle and pedestrian deaths continue to increase nationwide.

Why Do We Forgive Violent Acts Behind the Wheel?
A professor argues that American law is ill equipped to handle violence – including political violence – when a car or truck is the weapon.

Car & Truck Pollution Doesn’t Just Come from Tailpipes
It comes from tires, too – another reason that just switching to electric vehicles won’t solve all the problems caused by driving.

You Can Add Temporary Bike Lanes with Corn Starch and Cheap Paint!
One of the fascinating lessons learned on this week’s webinar about implementing quick-build bike safety projects on the cheap.