The Collector
November 8, 2024
What Do Election Results Mean for North Coast Transportation?
The election of Donald Trump, along with a conservative majority in the Senate and possibly the House of Representatives, means that we can expect the federal government to double down on promotion of highway building and sprawling, car-dependent development, while attacking public transportation, bike and pedestrian infrastructure, and all programs and policies meant to address climate change. Advocates for safe, equitable and climate-friendly transportation will soon face a very hostile environment in the nation’s capital.
Local elections in Humboldt County, however, provided some relief from the bad news. It will take a while to finish counting all the ballots, but some results seem clear. Eureka’s anti-housing, anti-transit Measure F failed spectacularly, despite conservative business mogul Rob Arkley spending a record $1.6 million to inundate voters with misleading pro-F advertising. Measure F’s defeat removes a major threat to the development of much-needed walkable, affordable housing in downtown Eureka, along with the EaRTH Center housing-and-transit hub – although the city, along with CRTP, the Wiyot Tribe, and other parties, are still fighting in court to defend these projects from Arkley-funded lawsuits. Meanwhile, both Eureka and Arcata voters supported City Council candidates whose platforms featured infill housing development and sustainable transportation.
Measure O, the countywide sales tax, also appears to have passed. When putting this measure on the ballot, Humboldt County supervisors pledged to dedicate a significant portion of the revenues to public transit. This pledge is even more critical now that we face the likely prospect of cuts to federal transit funding. CRTP will be working hard to ensure that transit gets its fair share of Measure O revenue.
Hit-and-Run Driver Leaves Pedestrian with Major Injuries
The incident happened earlier this week on Highway 101 in southern Humboldt. We hope that Max Wolfe has a full and quick recovery, and our thoughts are with Max and his friends and family.
Despite dangerous conditions, many people walk (and bike) on the highway, especially in rural areas where there are no other feasible options for getting between towns. If you have observed especially hazardous locations or experienced a crash or a near-miss on a rural highway in our region, don’t forget to report it on Street Story.
Vote for CRTP!
We know you may be tired of hearing about elections, but if you’re a North Coast Co-op member, there’s still one more ballot for you to cast. Voting is happening now through November 17th to determine which organizations can participate in the 2025 Seeds for Change register round-up program – and CRTP is on the ballot! The money raised in a month of round-ups can make a really big difference for an organization as small as CRTP, so we would really appreciate your vote.
**CORRECTION**
Last week, we posted a schedule of this year’s Unmet Transit Needs hearings. Since then, the date of the City of Arcata hearing has changed. It is now 6:00 pm on Wednesday, December 18th. See the updated schedule of hearings here.
As we noted last week, the transit needs documented at these hearings can help make the case for more transit funding, and they can guide decisions about what to do with that funding. If you’d rather not go to a hearing, you can also submit your comments by calling or emailing the Humboldt County Association of Governments (go to this link and click on “Comment on Unmet Transit Needs”), or you can fill out an online survey. Responda la encuesta sobre necesidades de transporte insatisfechas en español aquí.
News from Beyond the North Coast
Santa Rosa Works Toward Safer Streets
Check out the steps one nearby city is taking to reduce traffic speeds and protect bicyclists and pedestrians.
Why Big Pickup Trucks and SUVs Are So Deadly
A pedestrian is twice as likely to die when hit by a driver with a large SUV as opposed to a sedan. A new report delves into the reasons today’s huge vehicles are so dangerous. In addition to sheer size, those reasons include tall and blunt front ends, huge blind spots, and stiffer frames.
Report: Reducing Car Dependence Would Save Trillions of Dollars
It would also save countless lives and go a long way toward confronting the climate crisis.
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.