The Collector

October 4, 2024

Local Ballot Measures Could Impact Walkability, Transit and More
Humboldt County voters will soon be receiving their ballots in the mail. Three local ballot measures deserve particular attention from voters concerned about safe, sustainable and equitable transportation.

As we have reported previously, Eureka’s Measure F is an attempt to block the city from building affordable housing and a transit center on underused downtown parking lots. This measure weaponizes parking in an attempt to stop the construction of desperately needed homes for local people and a transit hub that would improve local and regional bus service and help revitalize downtown. It could also result in the city losing access to millions in crucial state funds and possibly losing control of its own land use regulations. CRTP opposes Measure F and encourages Eureka voters to vote no.

Humboldt County’s Measure O proposes a new, countywide 1% sales tax, and Arcata’s Measure H proposes a new 0.75% sales tax within city limits. Both are “general taxes,” meaning that in theory the revenue could be spent on anything the county (Measure O) or the city (Measure H) chooses. However, the Board of Supervisors and the Arcata City Council have both promised to spend revenues only on specific lists of eligible uses, and thanks to advocacy from CRTP and our allies, the lists for both measures include public transit. The Measure H list also includes bike and pedestrian infrastructure.

Of the two measures, Measure O would bring in far more revenue. And while the Supervisors promised to spend most of it on roads, they also promised an unspecified but significant amount to support bus services. If only ten or twenty percent of the expected revenues were dedicated to transit, that would represent roughly a twenty-five or fifty percent increase in the Humboldt Transit Authority budget, which could allow transformative improvements in local bus service. CRTP has not taken an official position on Measure O or Measure H.

Fatal Crash on Harris Street
Two drivers struck a man crossing the street on a mobility scooter last week in Eureka. According to police, the first driver knocked the man off his scooter, while the second hit and killed him. We grieve the loss of another member of the community on our streets, and our thoughts are with the friends and family of the victim.

The statement issued by police indicates that visibility issues caused by the sun being in drivers’ eyes contributed to the crash. If the drivers’ visibility was so limited that they could not see a pedestrian in time to stop and avoid a crash, that suggests that they were exceeding a safe speed for the conditions. Yet the police statement also says that speed “does not appear to be a factor.” And the statement says the victim was “outside of a crosswalk and away from the intersection,” which implies that the victim was at fault and would have been safe if crossing in a crosswalk.

In fact, this is known to be a dangerous area for pedestrians, in crosswalks or not. Street Story reports indicate that cars routinely fail to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks in the area, and one report relays an incident in which a person in a wheelchair was hit by a driver in a crosswalk. A neighbor who knew the victim in last week’s crash told a Times-Standard reporter that nobody feels safe crossing Harris in that area, and people with cars often drive across the street to the grocery store to avoid having to cross as a pedestrian.

Crashes on streets that are known to be dangerous are not “accidents,” and pedestrians who are killed by drivers are not to blame for their own deaths. We know that safe street design leads to slower cars and less lethal outcomes, and the city of Eureka thankfully has taken steps to improve safety on other streets. To save lives and prevent future tragedies, we must go further. It’s time for comprehensive changes to our streets and to our pedestrian victim-blaming culture.

Humboldt Bay Trail Won’t Be Finished Until Spring
An update on the county’s website indicates that trail construction between Arcata and Eureka is now expected to wrap up by May 2025. Hopes had been high for the long-awaited trail to be completed this fall, but we are all now looking forward to walking, biking and rolling on it next spring.

Supervisors Reduce Parking Requirements for Some New Housing
A new Humboldt County ordinance aims to implement a state law allowing homes to be built on land zoned for commercial development. We are happy to report that, following months of advocacy from CRTP, the Board of Supervisors made a few changes before approving the ordinance this week. Specifically, they removed parking mandates for new housing within half a mile of a bus stop and incentivized building in already-developed areas. These changes will help ensure that the new ordinance supports affordable, walkable housing instead of more sprawl.

It’s the Week Without Driving!
This week is the national Week Without Driving. Thanks to everyone who has taken the pledge to get around this week without getting behind the wheel. We’ll be sharing some reflections from participants after the week is over.

And thanks to the 20+ people who showed up to our first walk audit on Wednesday! Whether or not you’ve participated in the Week Without Driving so far, you are invited to join CRTP and our partners for our next walk audit on Saturday from 5 to 6 pm, starting at 5th and O Streets in Eureka. (We’ll be done in time for you to head on over to Arts Alive!)

Check Out a Recording of Our Street Story Training on Our YouTube Channel!
Our Outreach Specialist, Kelsey, has been out in the community providing Street Story presentations to local agencies and organizations. The presentation provides information about Street Story, why it’s important and how to utilize it in the community. Now it has been recorded! We are excited to provide this resource for folks to use in their future street safety efforts! Click here to watch the presentation, then check out the rest of our YouTube channel and subscribe to future videos. And don’t forget to make your Street Story reports!

Get Your Tickets for Our Mosaics with Mir Fundraiser!
Join CRTP and local artist Mir de Silva on Thursday, October 10th for a mosaic-making workshop at Six Rivers Brewery in McKinleyville! All mosaic supplies will be included and all ticket proceeds benefit the work of the Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities. We look forward to crafting a safer, greener future with you! Click here to buy tickets.

News from Beyond the North Coast

Newsom Signs Caltrans Complete Streets Bill
While Caltrans has started taking non-drivers into account in recent years, the agency has not always lived up to its promises to provide safe and convenient facilities for people walking, biking or riding the bus. The new law will require Caltrans to set specific targets for active transportation and transit facilities and increase accountability for meeting those targets. Since our region’s most dangerous roads are state highways, this is a big deal for the North Coast.

Unfortunately, while the governor signed the complete streets bill, his record on transportation safety continues to be mixed. For example, he vetoed a bill that would have required automakers to alert drivers when they dramatically exceed the speed limit. While the original bill would have required technology that actively slowed speeding vehicles, it was watered down in the legislature to require a mere driver alert – but even that was apparently a step too far for Governor Newsom.

Electric Vehicles Really Are Better Than Gas-Powered Ones
At CRTP, our focus is on reducing the amount of driving in our region and getting more folks safely walking, biking and riding the bus. All cars and trucks have huge environmental and social costs, regardless of how they are powered. But we are under no illusion that people will stop driving entirely, and to avoid climate chaos it’s critical that whatever driving is done in the future is done in zero-emission vehicles. Unfortunately, a growing number of Americans believe that EVs are worse than gas cars for the environment – something that’s just not true.

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.

The Collector

September 27, 2024

Progress Toward Hiller Road Safety Improvements
This week, the McKinleyville Municipal Advisory Committee (MMAC) discussed possible designs for a quick-build bike and pedestrian safety project on Hiller Road. There was widespread support for the kinds of improvements CRTP advocates for, including narrower lanes and other traffic calming features, protected bike lanes and pedestrian lanes, high-visibility crosswalks, public art, and a quick-build protected intersection at Hiller & McKinleyville Avenue. We expect final designs to be presented to the MMAC in a few months, with construction hopefully starting in the spring.

Thanks to everyone who showed up on Wednesday or emailed the MMAC with your support! If you couldn’t make it on Wednesday, you can still participate by sharing your crash, near-miss, hazard and safe place experiences on Hiller Road on Street Story! The MMAC has said they will review reports as they develop plans for the project. Get your reports in soon, and you can also make reports after the quick build has been completed to share your experience utilizing the new infrastructure. Haga clic aquí para hacer un informe en español.

Find Out More About the Humboldt County Regional Climate Action Plan
CRTP Executive Director Colin Fiske joins EPIC Executive Director Tom Wheeler and EPIC Climate Attorney Matt Simmons on the latest edition of the EcoNews Report to talk about the new Climate Action Plan draft, provide some context, and discuss what should happen next.

Colorful New Crosswalks in Arcata
Crosswalk art can make a place more beautiful and increase safety by slowing traffic and drawing more attention to the presence of pedestrians. Arcata’s new Cal Poly Humboldt-themed crosswalks are the first examples of crosswalk art we’re aware of in our region. We hope they’re not the last!

Get Your Tickets for Our Mosaics with Mir Fundraiser!
Join CRTP and local artist Mir de Silva on Thursday, October 10th for a mosaic-making workshop at Six Rivers Brewery in McKinleyville! All mosaic supplies will be included and all ticket proceeds benefit the work of the Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities. We look forward to crafting a safer, greener future with you! Click here to buy tickets.

Next Week is the Week Without Driving!
The national Week Without Driving starts on Monday. If you are a transportation decision-maker or an interested community member there’s still time to take the pledge to participate! And whether or not you take the pledge, you are invited to join CRTP and our partners for our two Week Without Driving walk audits in Eureka.

News from Beyond the North Coast

Newsom Vetoes Bill to Limit Caltrans Pesticide Use
AB 99 would have limited Caltrans’s use of roadside pesticides and herbicides and required the agency to comply with local pesticide rules. Pedestrians and bicyclists are particularly vulnerable to roadside toxics, and CRTP supported AB 99 in part to help limit their exposure. Unfortunately, the governor vetoed the bill, claiming it was unnecessary and would be too expensive to implement.

More People Bike When There Are Protected Bike Lanes
And there are fewer major crashes. Those are the findings from a recent report analyzing results in a major city (Washington, D.C.) and a smaller town (Bloomington, Indiana).

Kids Benefit from Limiting Cars
A new study finds that when restrictions on high-polluting vehicles were implemented in central London, it didn’t just reduce pollution – it also led to more kids walking and biking to school.

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.

The Collector

September 20, 2024

Public Meeting Next Week on Hiller Road Safety Improvements
Next Wednesday at 6 pm at Azalea Hall, the McKinleyville Municipal Advisory Committee (MMAC) will be hosting a public meeting focused on the design of future safety improvements on Hiller Road. The project will be particularly focused on bike and pedestrian safety, and at CRTP’s urging it will be a “quick-build” project, meaning that it will be built soon using low-cost materials that last a few years – providing immediate safety benefits while giving time to find money for permanent improvements. CRTP is asking for the project to include narrower lanes and other traffic calming features, protected bike lanes, high-visibility crosswalks, public art, and a quick-build protected intersection at Hiller & McKinleyville Avenue. Show up next Wednesday to have your say!

In addition to attending the meeting on Wednesday, a fantastic opportunity to share your experiences on Hiller Road is to make reports on Street Story! The MMAC has said they will review reports as they develop plans for the project. Get your reports in soon, and you can also make reports after the quick build has been completed to share your experience utilizing the new infrastructure. Haga clic aquí para hacer un informe en español.

South Broadway Complete Streets Project Nears Construction
CRTP has learned that the South Broadway Complete Streets project is on track for construction next year! This project is the result of years of advocacy by CRTP and our allies and will make one of the most dangerous stretches of road in our region much safer. CRTP continues to track the progress of the two other closely related safety projects that are planned for the rest of the Broadway corridor.

Another exciting project heading for construction in 2025 (or possibly 2026) is the long-planned Boyd Draw bike path under Highway 101 just north of Arcata’s Valley West neighborhood. The project will provide an alternate route for bicyclists and pedestrians across US 101 that avoids the Giuntoli interchange, and provide better access to the bike and pedestrian path on the Mad River highway bridge. The Humboldt County Planning Commission approved permits for the project this week.

Make Mosaics with Mir!
Join CRTP and local artist Mir de Silva on Thursday, October 10th for a mosaic-making workshop at Six Rivers Brewery in McKinleyville! All mosaic supplies will be included and all ticket proceeds benefit the work of the Coalition for Responsible Transportation Priorities. We look forward to crafting a safer, greener future with you! Click here to buy tickets.

The Week Without Driving Starts Soon!
We’re just over a week away from the second national Week Without Driving. If you are a transportation decision-maker or an interested community member there’s still time to take the pledge to participate! And whether or not you take the pledge, you are invited to join CRTP and our partners for our two Week Without Driving walk audits in Eureka.

Who Are the Real Cheaters When It Comes to Measure F?
Rob Arkley has plowed over $1 million into the ballot measure to block affordable housing on Eureka’s downtown parking lots, paying for armies of professional petitioners, marketers and canvassers. At every step, the Measure F campaign has lied and misled the public about what the measure will do. They forced the city to defend itself against an absurd (and now dismissed) lawsuit about when the vote should be held. There was even a shadowy shell company that strung along the Eureka City School Board for months in an apparent attempt to re-shape the narrative about Measure F.

Now an opponent of Measure F reports that the campaign put a “Yes on F” sign in his yard without his permission. When he repurposed the sign to reflect his actual position on the issue, the Measure F campaign sent a mailer to Eureka voters accusing him and the entire No on F campaign of being “cheaters.” The irony of such an accusation should not be lost on Eurekans.

Eureka City Council Adopts Bike Plan
On Tuesday, the Eureka City Council adopted a citywide bike plan focused mainly on developing a network of Bike Boulevards on low-traffic streets. The Council did not take up CRTP’s requests to establish minimum design criteria for the Bike Boulevards to ensure they are actually safe and low-stress for bicyclists, nor commit to safety improvements on dangerous high-traffic streets as well. However, the Council did direct staff to pursue our proposal for a quick-build strategy for many of the projects. City staff assured Councilmembers and the public that the plan is a “living document” and can be changed in the future.

E-Bike Voucher Funds Running Low (Unless You Live in Arcata)
The Redwood Coast Energy Authority still has a little money for e-bike vouchers, but not very much – so if you apply now, you may be placed on a waiting list. But if you live in Arcata, there’s extra money set aside just for you! That’s because the city made a special contribution to RCEA’s e-bike fund just for Arcata residents.

News from Beyond the North Coast

First Federal Vehicle Standards for Pedestrian Safety Proposed
For the first time, the federal government is proposing a safety rule for vehicles meant to protect pedestrians (instead of just people inside the vehicle). The new rule is aimed squarely at the enormous and dangerous pickup trucks and SUVs taking over American roads, and would require automakers to change hood designs to protect the heads of the pedestrians their vehicles might hit.

Bike Lanes Make Roads Safer for Everyone
A new study adds to the evidence that bike lanes – especially when protected by vertical barriers – cause drivers to slow down, which reduces injuries and deaths for all road users.

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.

The Collector

September 13, 2024

Two More Climate Action Plan Meetings Next Week
Next Tuesday at 3:30 pm, the Humboldt County Planning & Building Department will hold a scoping meeting to get public input on what should be considered in the environmental review of the draft Regional Climate Action Plan. The meeting can be attended in person at the Humboldt County Agricultural Center or remotely by Zoom. Click here for more information. Later that day, the Eureka City Council will hold a special 5:00 meeting at City Hall to discuss the draft plan.

Nearly three quarters of regional climate pollution covered by the draft plan comes from transportation. CRTP is asking for the Climate Action Plan’s transportation measures to align with the adopted Regional Transportation Plan, which would mean including more ambitious, effective and binding measures to reduce driving and support walking, biking and public transit. We are also asking for the plan to define “rural” and “urban” areas using the 2020 US Census definition of urban areas, rather than pretending that places like McKinleyville and Myrtletown are “rural” and therefore can’t be expected to have decent transit service or bike and pedestrian infrastructure. Finally, we are joining with our environmental allies to ask that the task of coordinating implementation of the Climate Action Plan be assigned to a new committee and staff at the Humboldt County Association of Governments, which already conducts regional transportation planning.

You can expect to see more detailed comments from CRTP and our allies in the coming days.

Eureka City Council to Consider Adopting Bike Plan
The City of Eureka has been developing a citywide bike plan for over a year. Next Tuesday (just after the special Climate Action Plan meeting), the City Council will consider adopting a final plan. The proposed plan focuses mainly on developing a network of Bike Boulevards on low-traffic streets. CRTP believes that Bike Boulevards can be an element of a safe and functional bike system, but other measures must also be also taken, including: (1) Establish minimum design criteria for the Bike Boulevards to ensure they are actually safe and low-stress for bicyclists (and not just painted sharrows); (2) Make bike improvements on major streets, too, since most bicyclists will be forced to use them at some point to get to their destinations; (3) Commit to a quick-build program that rapidly establishes a safe bike network, rather than taking decades to build every bike lane.

We are pleased to see that, at the same Tuesday meeting, the City Council will also be approving an annual street paving project that includes bike and pedestrian safety improvements in alignment with the city’s Complete Streets Policy. The improvements include buffered bike lanes on parts of H and Harris Streets, some bike upgrades on Myrtle Avenue, and some pedestrian accessibility improvements.

Report Your Local Tripping Hazard on Street Story!
A bumpy or uneven sidewalk is often a tripping hazard. While tripping on the sidewalk may be no big deal for many people, tripping hazards can cause major hurdles for some members of our our community, including those with mobility issues, such as people who use wheelchairs, the elderly, or even those who are pregnant.  In some cases there is the added risk of tripping and falling into traffic.

Sidewalks need to be safe and accessible for all who walk, bike, and roll. Next time you’re out and about, be mindful of the sidewalk conditions and report what you see on Street Story! Haga clic aquí para hacer un informe en español.

News from Beyond the North Coast

More About the Transportation Bills on Governor Newsom’s Desk
Check out the helpful summary from CalBike, and contact the governor to ask him to sign these bills!

Parking Reform Is Climate Action
The Parking Reform Network lists some of the ways that parking reform is an important climate strategy. If you didn’t know, now you do!

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.

The Collector

September 6, 2024

Public Meeting Next Week on Regional Climate Action Plan Draft
Next Tuesday, September 10th, at 6 pm, Humboldt County will be holding a public meeting at the Wharfinger Building in Eureka to discuss the recently published draft of the Regional Climate Action Plan (covering the county and all of its cities). According to the most recent estimate, nearly three quarters of regional climate pollution covered by the plan comes from transportation. Experts agree that avoiding the worst climate impacts requires us to significantly reduce the amount we drive – so come out on Tuesday and demand that the plan include meaningful actions to reduce driving and support more walking, biking, rolling and public transit!

Mark Your Calendar for Our Week Without Driving Walk Audits!
The second national Week Without Driving is coming up in just a few weeks, and you can still sign up to take the challenge! Whether or not you are challenging yourself not to drive for the week, you are also invited to join CRTP and our co-sponsors for two walk audits that week in Eureka’s 4th and 5th Street corridor. On Wednesday, October 2nd, from 12-1 pm we will be walking a loop starting at 5th and D Street, and on Saturday, October 5th, from 5-6 pm we will be walking a loop starting at 5th and O Street. Join us to help assess the walkability and pedestrian safety, accessibility and comfort of this key corridor.

Arcata City Council Delays Action on Making K Street Safer
Thanks to all of CRTP’s members and supporters who contacted Councilmembers to ask them to approve designs for a quick-build project that would significantly improve bike and pedestrian safety on K Street. Improvements like these were promised by the Council during their deliberations on the Gateway Plan last year, and are desperately needed to avoid a future tragedy on this dangerous street.

Unfortunately, despite strong support for the proposed changes throughout the planning process, the Council this week appeared reluctant to remove parking in order to provide space for safe bike lanes. (Several business representatives predicted they’d be negatively impacted by parking removal, despite studies showing that these kinds of projects usually help local businesses.) But the Council ultimately delayed making a final decision until a future meeting, so there is still an opportunity to get a good project. Rest assured that CRTP will continue to advocate for putting safety first on K Street.

Speaking of biking in Arcata, if you have ever used Arcata’s bike share system – or if you’d like to use it in the future – you should tell the city about your experiences! Click here to fill out the city’s bike share survey.

Measure F Would Be a Disaster for Eureka, Housing Advocates Warn
Measure F would effectively prohibit planned housing and transit center development in downtown Eureka by requiring the preservation of existing parking lots, plus the construction of costly parking structures for new residents. The California Housing Defense Fund recently sent a letter to city officials warning them that if Measure F passes, the city could be in major legal and financial trouble. Meanwhile, the former Jacobs school campus – which Measure F proponents claim would be developed with housing to offset the loss downtown – looks like it will instead be sold to the California Highway Patrol to build a local headquarters. And a new private parking lot is currently under development downtown, adding to the already huge amount of downtown parking, and making Measure F look even more ridiculous.

Cal Poly Humboldt Is Inaccessible
It has long been an open secret that getting around the university campus is nearly impossible for many people with disabilities. Amid advocacy by professors and students for improvements – efforts that advocates say have largely been ignored or rebuffed by the administration – a new map made by a Cal Poly Humboldt professor highlights just how inaccessible the campus really is. Unfortunately, dangerous and inequitable designs like those found on campus are common in our communities. CRTP advocates for universally safe and accessible designs for streets and other public spaces.

Help Encourage Your Friends & Neighbors to Use Street Story
We are looking for folks who want to film a short video with us about a location they want to highlight and make a report about on Street Story! These videos will be used on our social media to help promote Street Story reporting and give folks ideas for reports. Click here for an example!

We also have Street Story outreach materials we can provide, such as flyers and brochures for your business, workplace, or local bulletin board, or to share with friends, neighbors and co-workers.

If you’re interested in either of these opportunities, please email Kelsey@transportationpriorities.org.

News from Beyond the North Coast

Transportation Bills on the Governor’s Desk
It’s the time of year when Californians sit on the edge of their seats waiting to see if Governor Newsom will sign or veto the bills sent to him by the state legislature. This year’s important transportation bills awaiting action by the governor include SB 960, the Caltrans complete streets bill, and SB 961, which would require new cars to warn drivers when they go more than 10 mph over the speed limit. (The original bill would have actually prevented cars from excessive speeding, but it was significantly watered down by the legislature. Apparently breaking speed laws and endangering other road users is considered a sacred right by many legislators.)

Small Towns Lead the Way on Parking Reform
To hear some people tell it, you might think that getting rid of costly parking mandates for new development is a reform that only works in big cities. In reality, many more small towns than big cities have implemented this reform, and they’re doing just fine. Locally, we are excited to report that Arcata committed to citywide removal of parking mandates in its recent General Plan update.

Do Roads Help or Hurt Local Economies?
A new study finds that the economic costs of building new roads in urban areas far exceed the benefits – and that actually removing some existing roads would produce a huge economic benefit.

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.

The Collector

August 30, 2024

Can Roundabouts Be for Everyone?
Roundabouts significantly increase safety for drivers, which is great. They also move more cars than other types of intersections, which may not be so great. But most importantly, people walking, biking and rolling have different needs than drivers, and many roundabouts fail to provide a safe and comfortable experience for non-drivers – especially for pedestrians with disabilities. As local planners and engineers increasingly turn to roundabouts as a solution to street safety problems, the safety and comfort of non-drivers must be central to their designs, not an afterthought. For more on this topic, check out CRTP’s article in the September issue of the EcoNews.

Help Encourage Your Friends & Neighbors to Use Street Story
We are looking for folks who want to film a short video with us about a location they want to highlight and make a report about on Street Story! These videos will be used on our social media to help promote Street Story reporting and give folks ideas for reports. Click here for an example!

We also have Street Story outreach materials we can provide, such as flyers and brochures for your business, workplace, or local bulletin board, or to share with friends, neighbors and co-workers.

If you’re interested in either of these opportunities, please email Kelsey@transportationpriorities.org.

Don’t Forget to Register for the Week Without Driving!
For the second year in a row, we are challenging elected officials, transportation and planning professionals, activists and advocates to try not getting behind the wheel for a week – and in the process to get a first-hand experience of what daily life can be like for local non-drivers. The 2024 Week Without Driving runs from September 30th to October 6th. But please note: if you already have commitments that week and know you’ll have to drive some, we still encourage you to take the pledge and stick to it when you’re able. We won’t be mad at you for not making it the whole week – we just want you to consider what you would have done if you didn’t have the option to drive, either because of age, or disability, or because you couldn’t afford a car. Click here to find out more and take the pledge.

News from Beyond the North Coast

Caltrans Complete Streets Bill Heads to Governor’s Desk
SB 960 has been amended numerous times during the legislative process. It may not be quite as revolutionary as it was before those amendments, but it would still introduce significant new accountability measures and direct Caltrans to provide more bike, pedestrian, and public transit facilities on state highways – including community main streets in our region from Eureka’s 4th and 5th Streets to Highway 299 in Willow Creek. Click here to ask Governor Newsom to sign the bill.

New Bill in Congress to Address Unsafe Pickups & SUVs
Bigger vehicles are more dangerous for people walking, biking and rolling, and the increasing size and height of pickup trucks and SUVs is resulting in the deaths of more and more pedestrians and bicyclists every year. A new bill introduced in the US House of Representatives would address this problem by finally forcing the federal government to develop vehicle safety standards that consider not just the driver and passengers, but people outside the vehicle too.

Complete Streets Are Good for Business
We have long known that retrofitting streets with bike lanes, bike parking, bulbouts, and other pedestrian features increases safety and encourages more walking and biking. A new study finds that these projects also spur job creation and attract more (and more diverse) residents to the 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.

The Collector

August 23, 2024

Just Over a Month Until the Week Without Driving!
Don’t forget: the 2024 Week Without Driving runs from September 30th through October 6th. If you or someone you know is a local elected official or appointed committee member, work for a public agency on transportation-related plans and projects, or just want to see your community from a different angle, consider taking the Week Without Driving pledge. Participating in this challenge provides the opportunity to experience first-hand what life may be like for the many members of our local community who are non-drivers, either because of their age, a disability, or because of the high cost of owning and operating a vehicle. We are also working to pair up decision-makers with regular transit riders for transit ride-alongs, which can help provide an even deeper perspective.

Public Workshop Next Week on Safety Improvements for Samoa Boulevard & US 101
Next Thursday at 5:30 pm, the City of Arcata is hosting a workshop at the Arcata Community Center to discuss how the highway interchange at Samoa Boulevard and US 101 could be made safer and more comfortable for people walking, biking and rolling. This is one of the most dangerous spots in the city for bicyclists and pedestrians and acts as a barrier between the Bayside and Sunny Brae neighborhoods and the rest of the city, so we’re excited to see improvements. The city will also be discussing possible changes to the rest of Samoa Boulevard and South G Street. Click here for more information on the project, or click here to take a survey. And please show up on Thursday to advocate for meaningful safety improvements!

Remember to Report Safe Places on Street Story
Did you know you can report safe places on Street Story? While reports of crashes, near misses and road hazards are critically important, locating safe areas is also very useful information. Currently, only 3% of the Humboldt County reports are safe places. Safe place reporting helps us understand where communities are doing something right, and where people might be traveling to avoid other streets they don’t feel safe on. This is all helpful and useful information to get insight on the community’s travel experiences. If you haven’t been in a crash and can’t think of any hazard areas, consider reporting a road or intersection where you feel safe! Haga clic aquí para hacer un informe en español.

Humboldt County Planning Commission Discusses Parking Policy
While deliberating on a new ordinance to allow housing to be built on commercially zoned properties, some Commissioners brought up the fact that any future housing projects will still have to comply with the county’s costly parking mandates. Thankfully, the ordinance does allow the number of required spaces to be reduced under some circumstances, but in general those mandates still apply. Additionally, the county scrapped a requirement in the ordinance that the new housing be located in existing communities – a change which we fear will encourage more car-dependent sprawl. CRTP will be advocating to fix these problems before the final ordinance is adopted by the Board of Supervisors.

Want to Help Plan the Future of Your Community?
If you live in McKinleyville or Arcata, this might be your opportunity! Arcata now has an open seat on its Planning Commission; click here to apply. In McKinleyville, the Municipal Advisory Committee provides input to the county on land use and transportation planning topics, and three members’ terms are about to expire. Click here for more information on how to apply for one of the McKinleyville positions.

News from Beyond the North Coast

Want to Take the Bus to Your Next Hike?
In some rural, tourist-oriented areas, buses and shuttles take people directly to popular trailheads and outdoor recreation areas. There are a lot of challenges to designing transit access to nature in a way that is efficient and cost effective, but it’s a pretty exciting idea to consider here on the beautiful North Coast!

How Would You Feel About Paying Separately for Your Parking Spot?
If you live in an apartment, chances are good that it comes with a parking spot or two – and that the cost of providing that parking is included in your monthly rent payment. Charging separately for housing and parking (called “unbundling”) helps reveal the true cost of parking and ensures that people aren’t forced to pay for parking they don’t use. A new study suggests that many people would be happy to accept this arrangement, even when they own multiple 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.

The Collector

August 16, 2024

Eureka City Council to Talk About Vacant Building Ordinance
Next Tuesday, the Council will continue its discussion of a proposed ordinance that would penalize property owners for leaving buildings vacant while making no attempt to sell or rent them. Why is this a transportation issue? Because making full use of existing buildings in our cities reduces the pressure to build new car-dependent sprawl!

News from Beyond the North Coast

House Republicans Keep Trying to Cut Transit Funding
The latest budget proposals from House Republicans again include massive cuts to public transit, as well as prohibitions on spending transportation money to promote equity or climate resilience.

“Killed by a Traffic Engineer”
Did you know that you can become a professional traffic engineer in the United States without having taken a single class in traffic engineering? Or that many standard traffic engineering practices are based on outdated (and often debunked) research, or on no research at all? Former transportation engineer and current engineering professor Wes Marshall discusses these and many other shocking facts in his new book, and concludes that the profession needs to make some major changes – and to admit that its practices have been responsible for a huge number of deaths and serious injuries on America’s streets and highways.

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.

The Collector

August 9, 2024

Humboldt Transit Authority Wants Your Input on Fare Changes
Did you know that when you ride the bus in Humboldt County today, your fare could vary depending on who you are, where you are, and how you pay? It all adds up to as many as 50 different prices for riding the bus!  This bewildering system leads to a lot of inequities, not to mention confusion for new riders.

The Humboldt Transit Authority is proposing to change all that with a new system that standardizes fares across all local transit systems and charges everyone the same amount whether they pay with cash, a credit card, or a pass. With the new regular rate set at $2.00 (and $1.00 for discounted fares), this effectively means a reduced fare for most riders. We think the new proposed fare structure is more equitable and much easier to understand. But what do you think? Fill out this form to provide feedback to the Humboldt Transit Authority.

Mark Your Calendar for the 2024 Week Without Driving
This year, the Week Without Driving runs from September 30 to October 6, and CRTP is joined by the Humboldt County Association of Governments, the Humboldt Transit Authority, and Tri-County Independent Living as co-hosts here on the North Coast. Anyone can sign up to participate, but we are particularly focused on encouraging elected officials, committee members, public agency staff, and other transportation decision-makers to experience first-hand what life is like for non-drivers in our area. This year, we will also be holding walk audits and coordinating ride-alongs with transit riders as part of the Week Without Driving. Stay tuned for more information – and if you know a local transportation decision-maker, encourage them to sign up to participate.

Local Project Funding Allocations…and Delays
Several important projects in our region are on next week’s California Transportation Commission agenda. Perhaps most exciting, the South Broadway Complete Streets project is slated to receive its funding allocation for construction, a sign that work should start relatively soon. However, a separate agenda item shows that the project’s timeline has actually been delayed by four months due to negotiations with a neighboring property owner over right-of-way.

Other local project funding allocations on the agenda include $1.4 million for the Arcata Sunset Ave interchange project (see below) and $2.6 million for Fortuna’s Kenmar Road interchange project, as well as $1.1 million for the Elk Valley Cross Road project in Del Norte County and $600,000 toward improved bike lanes on Eureka’s Myrtle Avenue.

Great Redwood Trail Stars in New Video
If the video from NBC Bay Area’s Open Road program gets you excited about the existing trail segments and the potential for more, you might be interested to know that the Great Redwood Trail Agency is hiring! The agency is currently hiring an Operations Manager to oversee maintenance and operations of their property and right-of-way from San Francisco Bay to Humboldt Bay.

Arcata City Council Gets Update on Sunset Ave & US 101 Interchange Project
On Wednesday, the Council saw new designs for the project, which features a pair of roundabouts replacing the dangerous and complicated intersections on either side of the US 101 overpass. Responding to previous input from CRTP, the new designs provide a separate bike path and sidewalk across the bridge and through the southern ends of the roundabouts. Unfortunately, the designs do not provide any connections to and from the new bike path that do not require bicyclists either merging with car traffic or riding on the sidewalk. We are advocating to make sure these and other safety problems get fixed before the project is built.

News from Beyond the North Coast

Help Get the Caltrans Complete Streets Bill through the State Assembly
Caltrans rules and policies have a huge impact on transportation safety and sustainability here on the North Coast, because state highways serve as main streets in many of our communities. SB 960 would create stricter accountability to ensure that the agency’s projects provide safe facilities for all users, not just motorists. But if legislators don’t feel more public pressure, the bill might get stuck in the Assembly without a full vote. Click here to help move SB 960 to the governor’s desk.

What Happens When Parking Mandates Are Removed?
A new study adds to the evidence that lifting minimum parking mandates for new development results in more housing, fewer unneeded parking spaces, and more density – all of which makes neighborhoods more walkable and bikeable and supports better transit service. In the future, we hope to see these kinds of results locally. Arcata is slated to become the first community in our region to eliminate parking mandates citywide in response to its recent General Plan update, and similar reforms are also proposed for the future McKinleyville Town Center.

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.

The Collector

August 2, 2024

Tri-County Independent Living Expo Next Week
Tri-County Independent Living is our region’s disability services and advocacy organization (and a member of CRTP). Next Friday from 10:30 to 2:30 at the Sequoia Conference Center in Eureka, they will be holding their 2024 Expo, which is free and open to the public. Come out to learn about community partners and local resources for people with disabilities. Transportation is often one of the biggest challenges for people with disabilities, and CRTP advocates for street designs and transit systems that are safe, convenient and accessible for everyone.

Provide Your Input for the Del Norte Regional Transportation Plan
The Del Norte Local Transportation Commission is beginning the process of updating the county’s Regional Transportation Plan, a process that occurs every four years and is a requirement for many state and federal funding programs. At CRTP, we believe the plan should focus on transportation safety, especially for people walking, biking and rolling, and should prioritize investments in the local transit system. If you have comments about what should be in the new plan, you can fill out the comment form on the Commission’s website.

In other Del Norte news, CRTP recently learned that Redwood Coast Transit Agency buses are now free for seniors and people with disabilities. The agency had already eliminated fares for youth and for veterans, and now even more of Del Norte’s bus riders can ride for free! The fare-free program is funded by a state grant.

Broadway Featured in Statewide Report on Caltrans Complete Streets Projects
We strongly support the South Broadway Complete Streets project, which was planned and funded in 2020 thanks to our advocacy and will hopefully start construction soon. We also support a related project, funded this year, that consists of a trail connecting the old K-Mart intersection with the Herrick Avenue Park and Ride (and the Waterfront Trail/Great Redwood Trail system). But CalBike points out that, within Caltrans’ primary funding program, the Broadway trail is one of only five projects in the state this year that is just for people walking and biking – compared to hundreds of projects that are just for drivers. On a statewide level, the amount of Caltrans funding that goes to bike and pedestrian infrastructure is still shamefully inadequate.

Street Story Reporting on West End Road
West End road is a main connector for those biking between Arcata and points east, such as Blue Lake, but it lacks a bike lane. The majority of the road is winding with many blind curves. Bicyclists on Street Story have reported being run off the road by cars, getting cut off, and other dangerous situations with drivers. Here are some highlight narratives we shared in our Street Story Analysis from earlier this year:

 “Blind corners and residents who drive aggressively contribute to near-misses on a regular basis. This situation is incredibly intimidating for casual/inexperienced riders.”

“It’s a narrow area without a safe turnout available. Cars going in the opposite direction in a hurry don’t always care or see a bicyclist. It’s why I drive to blue lake and don’t ride even though I love the ride there. I would never allow my daughter to ride west end road or Glendale and when I do I’m scared.”

What are your experiences on West End Road? Share them on Street Story today! Haga clic aquí para hacer un informe en español.

News from Beyond the North Coast

Simple Lighting Systems Can Save Pedestrian Lives
The vast majority of pedestrian deaths occur after dark, and many happen in marked crosswalks. A new study finds that two simple lighting interventions – spotlighted crosswalks and flashing beacons – dramatically increase the rate of drivers yielding to pedestrians during nighttime hours.

Is California Living Up to Its Climate Funding Promises?
A new report reveals that the state is disguising cuts to climate programs using some creative accounting, meaning that its highly touted and urgently needed climate investments are not actually at the levels they should be. Transportation is the biggest source of climate pollution in the state, and increased levels of walking, biking, and transit riding are a big part of the solution.

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.