The Collector
January 23, 2026
Sign the Petition for Safer 4th & 5th Streets!
There is a traffic safety crisis on Highway 101 in Eureka, including Broadway, 4th Street, and 5th Street. Because of the way these streets are designed, vulnerable people are regularly killed there. In the last decade alone, at least 5 people have been killed and at least 35 people severely injured while walking or biking on 4th and 5th Streets. Pedestrians are severely injured or killed on these streets at 90 times the average rate for streets and roads in Humboldt County.
It’s past time to make these dangerous downtown streets safe for everyone. If you haven’t signed the petition for safer 4th & 5th Streets yet, click here to sign now.
Our recent report “Dangerous Downtown Streets” describes the safety crisis on 4th and 5th Streets in detail, and recommends improvements to make things safer. Our point-of-view videos provide clear perspectives on what it’s like for people of all ages and abilities to walk and bike around 4th & 5th Streets. But if you’ve spent any time in downtown Eureka, you already know: these streets are dangerous.
Five years ago, our petition for a safer Broadway spurred Caltrans to plan a major safety overhaul of Broadway. Some of those improvements are now under construction, but the rest are still unfunded. So in addition to major safety upgrades on 4th and 5th Streets, our new petition demands that Caltrans fully fund and build the rest of Broadway’s safety improvements too.
If you want to help us get more signatures on the petition, we’re looking for volunteers! Email kelsey@transportationpriorities.org for more information.
More Progress on Walkable Housing in Eureka
Just a week after the Wiyot Tribe’s Gou’wik Hou Daqh “(Where the Families Are) family housing development was approved by the Eureka Design Review Committee, the Tribe broke ground on its Laqilh Hou Daqh (Where the Elders Are) housing project. As the Wiyot Tribe noted in its press release:
“Laqilh Hou Daqh is being developed on a parking lot, formerly owned by the City of Eureka, fulfilling Dishgamu’s values by developing infill housing on vacant or underused land within existing urban areas, integrating sustainability by reducing sprawl, cutting transportation emissions through walkability, using existing infrastructure efficiently, and incorporating green technologies, offering a key strategy for climate-friendly density and revitalizing communities. By using local contractors, the project provides local living wage jobs. This project leverages existing services, reduces habitat conversion, and increases affordable housing units with significantly lower overall carbon footprint compared to building in undeveloped areas. This development aligns with “smart growth” principles by focusing on compact, mixed-use development near transit.”
We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Meanwhile, Linc Housing continues construction of its three downtown housing projects, the EaRTH Center transit and housing hub is expected to start construction this year, and the Sunset Heights affordable housing project (which includes a collaboration with CRTP) is lining up final funding. All in all, Eureka is seeing huge progress on much-needed walkable, transit-friendly housing. Even better: most of these projects come with bike, pedestrian, and transit upgrades too!
Caltrans Cutting Trees in Richardson Grove
CRTP has opposed Catrans’ highway expansion project through Richardson Grove since our founding in 2015. This week, Caltrans began cutting trees in the grove in preparation for what the agency says will be a spring start to construction. We join our allies at EPIC in condemning Caltrans for cutting trees with no public notice, while a lawsuit against the project is still pending in court, and for continuing to pursue this unnecessary, destructive, and costly project at all.
Two Positions for Local Sustainable Transportation Enthusiasts!
If you’re passionate about sustainable transportation and land use planning, there are two big opportunities right now to take on important local positions. If you’re looking for a full-time job, the Humboldt Transit Authority is hiring a project manager. If you’d like to volunteer for the community, the McKinleyville Municipal Advisory Committee is looking for applicants for a vacant seat. These are both great opportunities to help shape the future of our region!
Arcata to Expand Bikeshare System
This week, the Arcata City Council approved a plan to add two new bikeshare stations to its system. This latest expansion brings the total number of stations to 12, and will for the first time add e-bikes. CRTP is excited by the prospect of adding e-bikes, which help empower many local residents to replace car trips with a healthier, more environmentally friendly option.
Because bikeshare is most useful when coordinated with public transit, we are encouraging the city to locate new stations at well-used bus stops. We are also advocating for Eureka to add stations, including at the new EaRTH Center transit hub.
Almost a Tragedy
On Sunday, a driver in Old Town Eureka suddenly drove their car onto the sidewalk, narrowly missing several pedestrians and a horse. This could have been a tragedy, but instead it is a lesson. Old Town streets are narrow, and the city has built a lot of traffic calming features on 2nd Street where the crash occurred. That meant the driver was going slowly enough that pedestrians could “run out of the way,” as one witness put it, and avoid being hit. It’s a clear demonstration of why it’s so important to design streets for low traffic speeds, especially in areas with lots of people walking, biking, and rolling.
News from Beyond the North Coast
Dumb E-Bike Laws
New Jersey may soon become the first state in the country to require a license and insurance to ride an e-bike. This unworkable proposal would only serve to push more people back into cars – making our streets less safe. Unfortunately, New Jersey isn’t the only place where legislators are making proposals like this. What we need is not a crackdown on pedal-assist e-bikes that empower more people to get around by bike, but instead reforms to keep manufacturers from confusing legislators and the public by pretending that high-powered mini-motorcycles are actually e-bikes.
California’s Focus on Cars Makes It Harder for Many People to Access Resources
A new UCLA report finds that California’s transportation policy continues to prioritize cars at the cost of human lives, the climate, and equitable access to resources.
Most Americans Are Open to Living Without a Car
Despite the overwhelming force of car culture in the US, a new survey finds that 18% of Americans really want to live car-free, and another 40% are open to the idea. The results suggest that there is more support for policies that reduce car dependence than policymakers might have previously thought.
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.