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! You can submit items for consideration, or just enjoy the news collection!
Bay Trail South Is Under Construction!
The Collector
May 19, 2023
Editor’s Note: The Collector is on a break for the next two weeks. See you in June!
Bike Month Celebration and Expo Tomorrow
Celebrate Bike Month with a wide variety of bike-loving folks on Saturday from 11 am to 2 pm at the Jefferson Community Center in Eureka. CRTP will be providing bike valet, and we look forward to watching your bike while you enjoy the event!
And while you’re in Eureka, you can also visit the new Broadway Pop-up Demonstration Project. This project, which will stay up for about a month, demonstrates several options for protected bike lanes and pedestrian safety improvements on Broadway. Check it out and fill out the survey to give Caltrans your feedback. Results will help inform the design choices for the permanent Broadway safety improvements that CRTP has been advocating for years.
Bay Trail South Is Officially Under Construction!
It has taken decades to reach this point, but when construction is complete, Arcata and Eureka will finally be linked by a safe, comfortable facility for people walking, biking and rolling.
In other groundbreaking news (pun intended), Cal Poly Humboldt has begun construction on the big student housing project at the Craftsman Mall site in Arcata. This project will provide desperately needed housing for hundreds of students within walking distance of campus and downtown. And it will be built right on the future Annie & Mary Trail, which will soon provide connections north through Valley West and south all the way through Eureka (via the new Bay Trail South).
Proposals for Possible Transit Service Changes
A consultant for the Humboldt County Association of Governments recently published a memo laying out several proposals for changes to Humboldt County’s transit systems. Next Tuesday, you can attend a public workshop to give your feedback on the proposals (click here to register).
CRTP supports all-day transit service which is as frequent as financially feasible, bearing in mind the need for more local transit funding. Specifically, we continue to support calls for buses every 15 minutes between McKinleyville and College of the Redwoods, a major service upgrade which was not explicitly addressed in the latest memo.
However, we also support several of the service changes which are considered in the memo, including: adding express service from McKinleyville to College of the Redwoods; redesigning Eureka Transit System routes to a more efficient “hub and spoke” system; implementing microtransit services in McKinleyville and on the Samoa peninsula; and adding a new “Green Route” to the Arcata & Mad River Transit System.
Humboldt Supervisors Discuss Impact Fees, River Access
If properly designed, development impact fees could provide a more steady and predictable revenue source for public transit, bike and pedestrian infrastructure (among many other things) – or they could just support more car and truck infrastructure. On Tuesday, the Supervisors directed county staff to investigate the possibilities and report back.
The Supervisors also discussed Fisher Road in Carlotta, a public access route to the Van Duzen River which has been threatened recently by the actions of private property owners. CRTP and other trail supporters are advocating to maintain public access as an important amenity for users of the future Great Redwood Trail.
Keep on Making Those Street Story Reports!
Reports of hazards on the street, as well as near-misses and even actual collisions, help CRTP advocate for safety improvements and help local governments get safety grants. The more reports we have, the harder it is for decision-makers to ignore. You can even review reports other people have made if you want to advocate for safety improvements yourself! So make reporting on Street Story part of your routine. La versión de Street Story en español está disponible aquí.
News from Beyond the North Coast
Free Student Transit Pass Bill Moves Forward
AB 620, which would create a fund for free youth and college student transit pass programs, passed out of the Assembly Appropriations Committee this week. Another notable transportation bill which passed out of Appropriations and escaped the dreaded “suspense file” (where many bills go to die in Sacramento) was SB 50, which would prohibit police officers from stopping cars or bikes for low-level infractions and authorize unarmed civilian enforcement of traffic laws, a move CRTP strongly supports.
Who Wants to Go Back to the Office When the Commute Is So Bad?
A big part of the reason many people want to keep working remotely is that they hate long drives to and from the office. Building more compact, walkable and bikeable communities would help.
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.
Complete Streets & Safer Fleets for Eureka?
The Collector
May 12, 2023
More Fun Bike Month Events / Más eventos divertidos del mes de la bicicleta
Events over the next week include Sunday’s Bilingual Birding Bike Ride, a Eureka Mural Ride on Tuesday and Bike to Work Day on Thursday, and the big Bike Celebration and Expo next Saturday. We’ll see you on the streets and trails!
Los eventos de la próxima semana incluyen el paseo en bicicleta y observación de aves el domingo, un paseo en el mural Eureka el martes y el día de ir en bicicleta al trabajo el jueves, y la gran celebración y exposición de bicicletas el próximo sábado. ¡Nos vemos en las calles y senderos!
Will Eureka Move Forward with Complete Streets & Safer Fleets?
Next Tuesday, the Eureka City Council is slated to make several decisions supported by CRTP, including purchasing another property to help build the Bay to Zoo Trail and allocating some money for the C Street Bike Boulevard and for sidewalk improvements. But there are also proposed allocations for “parking improvements” and “Henderson Street improvements” with no information provided about whether these projects will include facilities for bikes, pedestrians or transit. The city recently adopted a Complete Streets Policy that requires all such projects to include safe facilities for all modes of transportation, or else justify an exception and provide an opportunity for public input. We’re putting the pressure on to ensure the city is actually following its policy on this and all other street projects.
Also on Tuesday, the Council will receive a presentation on electrification of the city’s own fleet of vehicles. CRTP supports rapid fleet electrification, but we also think it needs to be paired with vehicle safety retrofits and efforts to reduce driving by city employees. We are recommending the Council adopt RCCER’s model Safe & Sustainable Fleet policy, which does all of these things, including making a commitment to intelligent speed assistance technology that would keep city vehicles from exceeding the speed limit.
In other Eureka news, the city’s Transportation Safety Commission this week recommended significant changes to downtown parking management, including installing meters in some currently free public lots, increasing the hourly meter rate, and adjusting time limits. CRTP supports these changes, but we are advocating for the city to extend metering to curb parking as well – and to adjust rates to ensure a reasonable occupancy level and prevent cruising for free parking.
The Humboldt Transit Authority Keeps Those Buses Running
Listen to the latest EcoNews Report, featuring HTA General Manager Greg Pratt and co-hosted by CRTP Executive Director Colin Fiske, to learn more about how our local transit agency is tackling the challenges of providing service in a rural county while making plans to increase ridership and decrease emissions. Recently the agency announced another major transit grant for the region, which among many other things will help the Yurok Tribe re-start bus service between Willow Creek, Weitchpec and Orleans.
If you’re not yet a local transit rider, there’s another chance to start next week with 350 Humboldt’s latest Bus Adventure! These excursions are “a chance to get comfortable with public transit while meeting new people, chatting with old friends, doing something positive for climate change and exploring parts of our community.” Next Wednesday (5/17), the group encourages you to ride the bus to Blue Ox Millworks at 1st and X in Eureka. The group will meet at Blue Ox at 11am, tour the facility (self -guided, $15/person), and then have lunch or snacks (bring your own) at the picnic tables and take a walk on the Bay Trail. There are even free single-ride bus passes available for those who need them! Email Cathy at cathyck@sbcglobal.net with questions and to RSVP.
Keep on Making Those Street Story Reports!
Reports of hazards on the street, as well as near-misses and even actual collisions, help CRTP advocate for safety improvements and help local governments get safety grants. The more reports we have, the harder it is for decision-makers to ignore. You can even review reports other people have made if you want to advocate for safety improvements yourself! So make reporting on Street Story part of your routine. La versión de Street Story en español está disponible aquí.
News from Beyond the North Coast
Will EVs Make Americans Even More Parking-Obsessed?
For EV owners without their own driveways or garages, the hunt for a prime parking space – one with a charging station – and the need to move the vehicle after it’s charged could focus even more attention on the problems of vehicle storage. But is it even even possible for Americans to become more obsessed with parking than we already are? Regardless, EVs clearly won’t solve all the problems caused by cars. Federal parking reform can’t come soon enough.
Biased Crash Reporting Standards Lead to Biased Crash Data
National standards used by law enforcement to report car crash data have long distracted from crucial street design problems and fed into victim-blaming narratives about people walking and biking. Those standards could soon get even worse if advocates are not successful in their reform efforts.
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.
Supervisors Agree to Study Public Transit Funding
The Collector
May 5, 2023
Bike Month Continues / Continúa el mes de la bicicleta
Don’t forget that May is Bike Month! Next week’s events include the Arcata Bike to Work Day on Thursday (including a free morning Energizer Station and a Noon Rally), a bike-thru breakfast on Friday, and a bike rodeo on Saturday. And on Sunday the 14th, CRTP is sponsoring a Bilingual Birding Bike Ride in Arcata with the Northcoast Environmental Center and Moon Cycles. Click here for more information and to register.
¡No olvides que mayo es el mes de la bicicleta! Los eventos de la próxima semana incluyen el día de ir al trabajo en bicicleta de Arcata el jueves (que incluye una estación Energizer gratuita por la mañana y un rally al mediodía), un desayuno en bicicleta el viernes y un rodeo en bicicleta el sábado. Y el domingo 14, unirse a CRTP, Northcoast Environmental Center y Moon Cycles para un paseo en bicicleta bilingüe de observación de aves en Arcata. Haga clic aquí para obtener más información y para registrarse.
Supervisors Agree to Study Public Transit Funding
This week, the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors were scheduled to discuss how to raise more money for county roads. We know the roads are in bad shape. But public transit needs investment too, and we’re not about to let all the available money go to support sprawling car infrastructure. So CRTP stepped up, along with our members and supporters, putting pressure on the Supervisors to identify local funding for transit, not just roads. And the Supervisors responded: when they created a new committee to study funding sources and authorized public opinion polling, they specified that they would “include public transportation with that.” This vote marks the first step toward a dedicated local source of transit funding, which could have a huge positive impact on the regional transit system. Thanks to everyone who took action!
Although it got far less attention, the Supervisors also approved plans for sidewalk accessibility improvements in the McKinleyville and Arcata areas, and awarded a contract to improve bike and pedestrian infrastructure for kids going to school in McKinleyville.
Strategic Visioning for the City of Eureka
Today and tomorrow, the City Council is holding strategic visioning workshops. Does your vision for the city, like CRTP’s, include walkable, affordable housing? Better public transit? Improved bike infrastructure? Ambitious climate action? Whatever you want to see, you can let the Council know!
Unfortunately, some people seem to be envisioning the city as just a series of places to store their cars. That’s what we take away from yet another lawsuit filed by local conservative billionaire Rob Arkley and friends, which seeks to stop downtown affordable housing in order to preserve a parking lot, all while asserting bogus claims about environmental impacts. CRTP continues to advocate against this blatant abuse of environmental law, and more broadly against the inequitable, unsustainable, car-centric vision of the future that it represents.
Another Step Toward a Unified Regional Transit System
This week, the Arcata City Council voted to hand over most of the operations of the Arcata & Mad River Transit System (AMRTS) to the Humboldt Transit Authority. It has long been difficult to justify running the small AMRTS system independently, and the city has struggled to keep up routes and retain drivers. CRTP supports an efficient, coordinated regional system with easy transfers, and we think this is a good step in that direction.
Keep on Making Those Street Story Reports!
Reports of hazards on the street, as well as near-misses and even actual collisions, help CRTP advocate for safety improvements and help local governments get safety grants. The more reports we have, the harder it is for decision-makers to ignore. You can even review reports other people have made if you want to advocate for safety improvements yourself! So make reporting on Street Story part of your routine. La versión de Street Story en español está disponible aquí.
News from Beyond the North Coast
If There’s So Much Parking, Why Can I Never Find a Space?
A new podcast episode provides a great introduction to the ins and outs of parking policy. If you’ve ever searched for parking and wondered why the solution isn’t just to build more of it, we highly encourage you to give this a listen.
We’re Gonna Need More Money for Those E-Bike Subsidies
Despite being authorized several years ago, state e-bike rebates have yet to be released. But advocates already know that if more money isn’t appropriated soon, the program won’t last long after it’s launched.
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.
May Is Bike Month – Take the Pledge to Pedal!
The Collector
April 28, 2023
May is Bike Month. Take the Pledge to Pedal!
Bike Month is an annual celebration of biking as a fun, healthy, sustainable mode of transportation, and a way to encourage new people to get out on their bikes. This year, CRTP and the Bike Month Humboldt Coalition are encouraging people to sign a “pledge to pedal.” You can customize your pledge, whether it’s to join one of the many scheduled events or to take a trip by bike that you would normally take by car. And while you’re on the website, don’t miss the calendar. The featured event next week: Wednesday is National Walk, Roll or Bike to School Day!
Let’s Invest in Public Transit
Check out today’s op-ed from CRTP in the Lost Coast Outpost about the need for more local investment in the transit system. We’re excited and proud that local transit agencies keep getting state grants like the one this week, which will help fund the transition to zero-emission buses and build a much-needed transit center in Crescent City. But if we want really high-quality transit service, we’re going to have to invest local dollars too.
The Kind of Development Environmentalists Support
We like walkable, transit-oriented infill development – especially affordable housing on underused parking lots! Listen to this week’s EcoNews Report for much more on this topic. And if you know an affordable housing developer who might be interested in the opportunities currently available in Eureka, check out the city’s requests for proposals here.
Better Bike Parking for the McKinleyville Town Center
Our years of advocacy for a walkable, bikeable Town Center plan continue to have an impact! This week, members of the McKinleyville Municipal Advisory Committee unanimously supported improving standards for secure, weather-protected, short-term and long-term bike parking in the Town Center ordinance.
Victims of Eureka High-Speed Car Chase Need Help
We’ve said it many times before: high-speed police chases are notorious for injuring and killing bystanders (not to mention police and suspects). In this case, the suspects crashed their truck into another vehicle, critically injuring its occupants. Earlier, their vehicle had hit and severely injured a pedestrian. These outcomes are tragically predictable. So why are dangerous high-speed chases still allowed by local law enforcement agencies?
When Was the Last Time You Made a Report on Street Story?
Reports of hazards on the street, as well as near-misses and even actual collisions, help CRTP advocate for safety improvements and help local governments get safety grants. The more reports we have, the harder it is for decision-makers to ignore. You can even review reports other people have made if you want to advocate for safety improvements yourself! So make reporting on Street Story part of your routine. La versión de Street Story en español está disponible aquí.
News from Beyond the North Coast
Bike Safety Stop Bill Passes Transportation Committee (Again)
For the third year in a row, the bill allowing adult bicyclists to yield (instead of coming to a complete stop) at stop signs is moving through the legislature. Research has shown that this common-sense measure can actually increase safety, but the governor has vetoed it each of the last two years.
Pedestrian Fatality Data for 2021 Are Finally Released. It’s Really Bad.
Nationally, deaths increased by double-digit percentages. The problem is even greater in Black and Latinx neighborhoods. What will it take for policy makers to start taking this crisis seriously?
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.
Join CRTP for an Earth Day Bike Ride!
The Collector
April 21, 2023
Earth Day Bike Ride with CRTP Tomorrow!
This is the first in a series of rides we’re sponsoring with the Northcoast Environmental Center and local bike shop Moon Cycles. The ride is free and open to all, but is particularly aimed at folks who have a bike but feel a little uncomfortable getting out there and using it for transportation. If that sounds like you, join us! You’ll learn about basic bike safety and maintenance, infrastructure and route finding, and get to experience a ride with a bunch of like-minded friends and neighbors. You can also find CRTP tomorrow at the Decolonizing Economics Summit Earth Day Celebration.
Arcata Planning Commission Meeting Marathon Continues
Tomorrow (Saturday) at 8:30 am, the Commission holds a special meeting to discuss issues around the Gateway Area form-based code. Then on Tuesday, they will meet again to discuss parts of the General Plan update, along with concerns about building height and associated shading in the Gateway area. And then on Thursday they’ll meet yet again, this time focused on transportation issues in the General Plan and Gateway Area Plan.
Here are CRTP’s top-line recommendations for each of these meetings: On Saturday, the Commission should confirm that projects that comply with objective Gateway Plan requirements will receive by-right (“ministerial”) approval. This will ensure that developments are consistent with the community’s priorities while avoiding the unproductive, years-long reviews faced by projects like The Village. On Tuesday, the Commission should confirm the need for taller buildings to allow walkable, transit-supportive residential density in the Gateway Area. On Thursday, the Commission should adopt new General Plan policies that support their decision to “de-prioritize” car infrastructure, and commit to public transit improvements.
If you want to provide comments to the Planning Commission on any of these topics but would like more information, email us!
CRTP Member Meeting on Monday
On Monday at 5:30 pm, we’ll be holding a Member Meeting on Zoom featuring a presentation by Humboldt County Planning Director John Ford about the McKinleyville Town Center. If you’re a CRTP member, you should have received an email with a registration link. (If you’re not a member yet, you can always join today!) We hope to see you there.
Humboldt’s Air is Pretty Clean – But Not for Lack of Driving
Cars and trucks are the number one source of health-harming air pollution. Thankfully, Humboldt’s topography, weather, and relatively small population have so far allowed us to avoid air pollution levels seen elsewhere in California. But that doesn’t mean our region is immune from the health effects of tailpipe emissions! Those dangerous chemicals are still spewing into the faces of nearby people walking, biking and rolling, and even into people’s own cars.
Raise a Glass for CRTP!
For one more week (until the end of April), when you buy a Champagne violette cocktail at Phatsy Kline’s in Eureka, part of the proceeds will go to support CRTP. Enjoy – and please transport yourself responsibly to and from the bar!
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
Biden Administration Drops Climate Priorities from Highway Fund Guidelines
Does this mean a return to the bad old days of massive highway building at the expense of safety and the planet?
New Federal Rules Will Require A Lot More Electric Cars
Meanwhile, California is hitting its EV sales targets early. We’re all in favor of getting rid of fossil-powered vehicles. But the only real way to avoid environmental catastrophe is for new EVs to start getting a lot smaller – and for Americans to just start buying a lot fewer cars.
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.
Arcata Planning Commission Takes Steps to “De-prioritize” Car Infrastructure
The Collector
April 14, 2023
Arcata Planning Commission Takes Steps to “De-prioritize” Car Infrastructure
The headline from this week’s meeting was that the Commission voted to keep the proposed L/K Street couplet as a goal in the Gateway Plan. But they also expressed unanimous support for more near-term safety improvements to K Street. Making K Street safe for everybody has always been CRTP’s priority in this debate, and although the options presented by city staff this week do not go nearly far enough, the Planning Commission’s discussion opens the door for a more significant re-design.
With CRTP’s encouragement, the Planning Commission also made some other decisions which got less attention but may be even more significant in the long run. For example, the Commission voted to recommend new citywide policies prioritizing accessible design for people with disabilities, and exploring the possibility of a smart parking meter system downtown. (Smart meters could reduce the subsidy for driving, support businesses by increasing turnover, and create a new funding source for public transit.) They also voted to “de-prioritize” management for traffic congestion, and to view congestion as a potential asset for calming traffic and encouraging other modes of transportation, rather than a problem to be avoided. Other changes to the General Plan will be needed to follow through on this commitment, but the vote signals a major and much-needed shift from outdated, car-centric approaches of the past.
If you want to be part of the positive changes happening in Arcata, you might consider applying to be on the city’s Transportation Safety Committee. Two long-term members are leaving, creating new opportunities for you to serve and have your voice heard on key local issues.
Grab a Cocktail to Support CRTP!
During the month of April, Phatsy Kline’s in Eureka is supporting CRTP. Just purchase one of their specially made Champagne violette cocktails, and part of the proceeds will be donated to CRTP. And don’t forget to walk or ride the bus home if you can – or at least have a designated driver!
Regional Climate Action Plan Meetings TODAY & Next Tuesday
The Humboldt County regional Climate Action Plan is moving toward adoption at a snail’s pace. Meanwhile, new virtual public meetings have been announced for today (Friday) at 3 pm and next Tuesday at 2 pm. It’s likely that some attendees will be trying to convince the county to adopt less ambitious targets, including for low-carbon transportation. Transportation accounts for more than half of local climate pollution, and we desperately need smart policies to support more walkable development, better public transit, and infrastructure for walking, biking and rolling. So if you’re free, log on and support ambitious climate action! To find the Zoom info, click here, scroll to the bottom, and click on the “CAP Working Group” tab.
People Aren’t the Only Ones Threatened by Cars
In recent months, three otters have been killed by drivers in the Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary. Will the city take these fatalities seriously and take steps to slow traffic or ban cars from South I Street altogether? We hope so. We also hope they will start responding more quickly and seriously to the cases of human victims of traffic violence in town.
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
One Easy Step to Make Vehicles Much Safer
Intelligent speed assistance is a commercially available technology that uses GPS to identify the local speed limit and then prevents a car or truck from speeding. It can easily be added to existing vehicles. Now a national advocacy organization is challenging public agencies to retrofit their fleets. We think it’s time for local governments on the North Coast to adopt this common-sense, life-saving technology, and set an example for other drivers on the road.
Parking Reform Helps Get Housing Built
Case studies from two very different cities demonstrate that most of the housing built after parking mandates were repealed would not have been allowed before the reforms. Unscientific and costly requirements just force the construction of way too much parking!
What Is a “Complete Street,” Anyway?
Complete streets are supposed to be safe for people walking, biking or rolling – including kids and people with disabilities. But sadly the term is often applied to poorly designed projects that continue to prioritize cars while giving other users little real consideration. The result is a lot of self-congratulatory back-slapping while people continue to die on the streets. CRTP is aware that no project is perfect, and often compromise is necessary in order to see safety improvements actually implemented. But we will always advocate for the best, safest, evidence-based designs in every plan and project.
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.
Eureka Sued Over Walkable Housing Plans
The Collector
April 7, 2023
Eureka City Council Does the Right Thing & Is Sued for It
The Eureka City Council on Tuesday voted to release a Request for Proposals for affordable housing development on city-owned parking lots and vacant parcels. This represents a big step toward a more equitable, healthy, walkable community, and was required by the city’s previously adopted plans. But a group backed by local conservative billionaire Rob Arkley nevertheless announced plans to sue, dangerously abusing the state’s premier environmental law in the process.
As we pointed out in the latest edition of the EcoNews, our communities currently have a huge amount of land dedicated to private car storage, and this comes at a cost. Continuing to do things this way, as Arkley and his ilk would have it, represents nothing more or less than prioritizing car storage over human shelter and a thriving community. CRTP will continue to do everything in our power to fight for much-needed walkable, car-light housing development in Eureka and across the region.
Gateway Plan Review Moves Forward with July Deadline
On Wednesday, the Arcata City Council reaffirmed its previous direction to the Planning Commission to complete review of the draft General Plan update by July of this year. The update includes the Gateway Plan, and the Gateway review must also be completed by July, although the Council did not specifically revisit the Gateway topic because of a procedural issue. We are grateful that there is finally an end in sight for this lengthy process, and we’re hopeful that the city’s bike and pedestrian-friendly plans will eventually be adopted.
To that end, the Planning Commission will be reviewing the General Plan and Gateway Plan transportation policies at its meeting next Tuesday. The proposed L/K Street couplet is sure to be the hot topic of the evening; on that issue, CRTP will only support a solution that makes K Street truly safe without adding vehicular capacity elsewhere. But we are also concerned about some of the General Plan policies that have received less attention, including those that continue to prioritize “congestion relief.” The city has to come to terms with the fact that policies aimed at reducing vehicular delay (which barely exists in Arcata anyway) are ineffective and incompatible with its other stated goals of prioritizing walking, biking and public transit.
Bay Trail South Appears to Be On Schedule for Construction
Despite an apparent threat of litigation, the Board of Supervisors this week approved a construction bid award for the Bay Trail on time and on schedule. We are grateful and can’t wait for this project to be complete.
Meanwhile, another regional trail project, Eureka’s Bay to Zoo Trail, is also moving slowly ahead. We support this project, but we do have concerns about a few of the proposed features, including the Myrtle Avenue roundabout. Roundabouts provide great safety improvements for drivers, but without careful design can present difficulties for people walking, biking, and rolling. We’ll be monitoring closely to ensure that all the features of this trail maximize safety and comfort for active transportation.
Mark Your Calendar for an Earth Day Bike Ride with CRTP!
This is the first in a series of rides we’re sponsoring with the Northcoast Environmental Center and local bike shop Moon Cycles. The ride is free and open to all, but is particularly aimed at folks who have a bike but feel a little uncomfortable getting out there and using it for transportation. If that sounds like you, join us! You’ll learn about basic bike maintenance, infrastructure and route finding, and get to experience a ride with a bunch of like-minded friends and neighbors.
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
Car-Free Developments Succeed in the Most Car-Dependent Cities
It may be hard to live on the North Coast without a vehicle, but we’ve got nothing on the mecca of sprawl called Houston, Texas. Even there, though, housing developments with no parking are proving popular. Local planners and developers should take note.
A Federal E-Bike Rebate May Yet Materialize
Combined with local and state rebates which are expected in the coming months, a federal rebate could make e-bikes affordable to a whole lot of people.
Why Do People Still Call and Text While Driving?
It’s one of the most dangerous things you can do behind the wheel. A new study explores what can be done to break drivers of the habit.
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.
Humboldt Supervisors Not Sure About F Street Signal
The Collector
March 24, 2023
Editor’s Note: The Collector is on a break next week, but never fear – we’ll be back in April!
McKinleyville Committee Primed to Eliminate Parking Mandates in Town Center
On Wednesday, almost all Municipal Advisory Committee members supported the removal of costly, unscientific parking mandates from the town center ordinance, and some suggested establishing parking maximums. This is a really significant change for McKinleyville, and will go a long way toward allowing a walkable town center to develop. Thanks to all the CRTP members and supporters who spoke up! A final vote on this issue will come at next month’s meeting.
Humboldt Supervisors Not Sure About F Street Signal
The Supervisors delayed a decision about a traffic signal at F and Oak Streets just ouside Eureka city limits. Neighbors have been advocating for improvements for years, and Supervisors wanted to review all their options for safety and traffic calming. CRTP supports traffic calming and safe crossing improvements on F Street, but believes that a signal may not be the most effective method to achieve these goals. We hope that this review results in a project that truly prioritizes safety over traffic speed.
Also on Tuesday, Supervisors moved forward plans for extending the Humboldt Bay Trail to College of the Redwoods and discussed the latest storm damage to roads and the county’s huge road maintenance deficit. Supervisor Wilson pointed out that continuing to maintain and repair the county’s extensive rural road network to current standards is likely not financially feasible in the long term, and hard decisions will have to be made eventually.
Less noticed but also important, the Supervisors approved an agreement with Caltrans allowing county social services staff to access encampments where people are living in Highway 101 right-of-way. We are glad to see a public agency at least try to provide services to unhoused people in Caltrans right-of-way, rather than simply evicting them as has often been the case in the past. Most of the public land in our communities is devoted to streets and highways, and with the current housing crisis it is sad but unsurprising that some people end up living there.
Fortuna City Council Approves Kenmar Interchange Improvement Plans
We are pleased that the plans include desperately needed pedestrian access across Highway 101, as well as traffic calming features. However, we always have concerns about the safe design of roundabouts for people walking and biking – and those concerns are heightened here, where some approaches are high-speed highway off-ramps. With no vehicle stop required, these designs are particularly hard to navigate for people with low vision and blindness.
Arcata Planning Commission to Speed Up Gateway Plan Review
They’ll have to pedal harder to reach the finish line by the City Council’s July deadline, and unresolved issues will be parked in the bike rack. A special meeting has been scheduled for next Monday, in addition to next Tuesday’s regular meeting, to get the process rolling.
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
Bigger Vehicles Mean Bigger Problems – Whether or Not They’re Electric
CRTP Executive Director Colin Fiske joins the EcoNews Report to talk about why we need to look to solutions like infill development, not just electrifying trucks and SUVs, to solve the climate crisis and other environmental and social problems.
Bill to Study Fees for Bigger Vehicles Passes First Committee
Bigger vehicles are more dangerous, more polluting, and cause more damage to roads, so AB 251 would tell the California Transportation Commission to study options for charging them more to use the roads. Other bills that passed out of the California Assembly’s Transportation Committee this week include AB 413, which would prohibit parking within 20 feet of any legal crosswalk to improve safety and visibility; AB 825, which would allow bikes to ride on sidewalks anywhere there’s no dedicated, safe bike infrastructure; and AB 761, which would establish an official task force to plan for increasing transit ridership statewide.
New Report: The Climate Crisis Is Dire, Action Is Needed Now
Transportation is the biggest source of climate pollution in the United States, and on the North Coast.
Is Congestion the Solution?
A new study adds to the evidence that congestion causes people to drive less, and free parking causes them to drive more.
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 Delay for Humboldt Bay Trail South?
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.
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
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.
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.