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.