The Collector
October 17, 2025
Dangerous Downtown Streets: A 6-Year-Old’s Perspective
![A video screen shot shows a pickup truck looming large next to a sidewalk, with an intersection and traffic light visible in the background. Text reads "Would the driver even e able to see the child in front of or behind their truck?" and a caption says "[child making sounds]".](https://transportationpriorities.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Screen-shot-from-6-year-old-video-1024x908.png)
In conjunction with the release of CRTP’s new report on safety on Eureka’s 4th & 5th Streets (US-101), CRTP also produced point-of-view videos using wearable cameras, documenting the experiences of pedestrians and bicyclists in the 4th & 5th Street corridor. One of these videos features the perspective of a 6-year-old navigating the streets with his parent. If it’s been a while since you thought about how a kid might navigate a street like this, it’s worth a watch.
After you watch, click here to read our full report. And if you’d like to report a safety concern in the corridor to Caltrans, click here and scroll down to “Safety Concern” in the “Situation Type” menu. We also encourage everyone to continue making Street Story reports, so that concerns are publicly documented.
Supervisors to Decide McKinleyville Town Center Ordinance on Monday
The new zoning rules for the future McKinleyville Town Center have been scheduled for a final hearing before the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors on Monday at 9 am. Opponents are working hard to block key elements of the ordinance, especially the Central Avenue lane reduction that is so important for community safety and for the Town Center’s success.
If you live, work, shop, or play in McKinleyville, please consider attending Monday’s meeting if you can. If you can’t attend the meeting, you can email the Board of Supervisors today and ask them to adopt the Town Center ordinance as written, including the Central Avenue lane reduction. Even if you’ve contacted the Board about this issue before, please consider emailing them again! They need to hear that there is broad support for these changes in the community.
Help Paint Murals on Hiller Road This Weekend!
The Hiller Road quick-build safety project is under way, and this weekend local mural artists will be adding beautiful asphalt art to the bike lane buffers and other areas. Click here for more information on the mural art and artists.
On Sunday, there’s even an opportunity for community members to contribute a small amount ($15) to the project and take part in the painting! Sign up here to participate.
Supervisor Steve Madrone Named 2025 Responsible Transportation Champion
CRTP has named Humboldt County District 5 Supervisor Steve Madrone as the 2025 North Coast Responsible Transportation Champion. The annual award is given to local people who further CRTP’s mission of “promoting transportation solutions that protect and support a healthy environment, healthy people, healthy communities and a healthy economy on the North Coast.”
Madrone is being recognized for his decades-long commitment to safe, functional infrastructure for people walking, biking, and rolling, as well as for his work to support improved public transit, increased transit investment, and transit-friendly development, including the McKinleyville Town Center. Madrone is especially well known for his tireless work over the course of many years to build the popular Hammond Trail.
Regional Climate Action Plan Heading to Supervisors
Thursday evening, the Humboldt County Planning Commission recommended approval of the Regional Climate Action Plan, which covers the county and all of its incorporated cities. Thanks to the advocacy of CRTP and our members and supporters, the commissioners made a key change to the plan, applying transit-friendly infill development standards countywide.
Almost three-quarters of the climate pollution covered by the plan comes from transportation. That means that upgrading our local infrastructure and services, and changing our land use rules, to make low-carbon options like walking, biking, rolling, and riding the bus safer, easier, and more appealing are keys to the plan’s success.
CRTP has been advocating for almost 8 years to get a plan adopted that is robust and ambitious enough to meet the urgent challenge of climate action. The current plan is far from perfect, but we are relieved to see it finally moving toward adoption. After it is adopted, a regional climate action committee will be set up and new staff will be hired, setting the stage for more focused and ambitious climate action than we have seen in the past.
Weigh in on the Future of Humboldt County Transportation
Every four years, state law requires regions to update their long-term Regional Transportation Plans. Humboldt County’s new plan is due next January, and the Humboldt County Association of Governments (HCAOG) is preparing now. On Monday evening at 5:30 pm, HCAOG will be holding a public workshop in McKinleyville to gather input on the plan. You can also provide your input by clicking here and taking a brief survey.
CRTP is a fan of Humboldt County’s current plan, which includes ambitious “Safe and Sustainable Transportation Targets” for cutting climate pollution and increasing transportation safety. CRTP and our supporters worked hard to ensure these targets were included in the current plan, and we’ll be advocating to keep them in the new plan – and to make sure we actually make progress toward meeting those targets, too.
Where We Build Housing Matters
The Humboldt County region is about to make a big decision about where we should plan for future housing to be built in the next 8 years – in cities like Eureka and Arcata, or in lower-density areas like the unincorporated county. The decision will help determine whether we see sprawl or walkable development, and it has big implications for affordability, public health, economic development, and the climate. Check out a new op-ed by CRTP and other local environmental groups about this issue, then click here to learn more and get ready for upcoming public hearings.
News from Beyond the North Coast
Newsom Signs Important Transportation Bills
Monday was the last day for the governor to sign or veto bills passed by the California legislature, and he waited until the last minute to sign several important transportation bills. Among the bills which will now become law are: AB 382, which allows local governments to lower school zone speed limits to 20 mph, or even 15 mph in some cases; SB 71, which exempts most bike, pedestrian, and transit projects from environmental review, as long as they are built in existing rights-of-way; AB 266, which will keep breathalyzers installed indefinitely in the cars of people convicted of two DUIs; SB 720, which will modernize red light camera rules; and AB 289, which will allow Caltrans to deploy a limited number of speed cameras in work zones.
New Technology Could Help Prevent Drunk Driving
In 2021, Congress directed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to require technology that prevents drunk driving in all new cars. The agency has not yet followed through on that mandate. However, newly developed technology that makes it much easier to detect driver intoxication is now commercially available and being shared with automakers, and at least one influential organization has said it will start incorporating anti-drunk driving technology in its vehicle safety ratings. Drunk drivers are responsible for a large share of fatal and serious injury crashes in the United States.
More Driveways Result in More Dangerous Streets
A new study has found that on urban streets, a higher number of driveways accessing buildings and parking lots is associated with a higher number of crashes, especially crashes involving bicyclists and pedestrians. The finding is important but not surprising, as driveways introduce conflict points for people on sidewalks and in bike lanes, and drivers entering and exiting them are often distracted.
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.