Appendix
C
SUMMARY OF COMMENTS FROM PUBLIC WORKSHOPS
The following is
a compilation of comments received at the three public workshops held in
January 2006 in Garberville, Willow Creek, and Eureka, as well as written comments
submitted directly to HCAOG (up until February 17th, 2006.). Comments were received from individuals
in Willow Creek, Hoopa, Arcata, Garberville, Miranda, Eureka, Ferndale,
Fortuna, Manila, Cutten, Bayside, Orick, Klamath, Redway, and Shelter Cove.
These comments
are all in response to the question ÒWhat do you think should be addressed in
the 2006 Humboldt County Regional Transportation Plan?Ó
Comments have
been sorted into the standard RTP mode and transportation determinants
categories: Roadways, Transit, Aviation, Bike and Pedestrian, Goods Movement,
Recreational Travel, Transportation Management, Pipelines and Energy
Conservation, Land Use and Transportation, and Air Quality. Some sub-categories
were created under these to help make for easier review of the many comments
received. In
addition, other categories such as Telecommunications, Governance, Other
Recommendations, and Background Information were created to facilitate the
organization of comments received.
Comments with an
Ò*Ó appear under two or more topic headings. This redundancy is to help insure
that cross-cutting ideas are considered wherever appropriate in preparing the
Plan update.
ROADWAYS
U.S.
101
- *Improvements to 101 that would allow STA
(longer length) trucks are important for the east county economy.
- A median divider on 101 along the Benbow
grade is needed to increase safety. The community is very concerned about the
number of accidents there.
- *Fix 101 at Confusion Hill so it is
reliably open.
- Create a safety corridor along 101 at
Alton -- that could be an alternative to an overpass.
- The 101 southbound on ramp from Central
Avenue is unsafe.
- Improve the levee (rail bed) that
protects 101 from Humboldt Bay tides and storms.
State Route 255
- Install night illumination and turn lanes
along SR 255 in Manila at intersections
State Route 299
- *Two sites on SR 299 west of Buckhorn
Summit need STA upgrades (these are relatively low-cost).
State Route 96
- Need a ÒWillow Creek storm-receptorÓ to
address SR 96 runoff that flows into WCCSD water intake. Approximately $80k
price tag.
- The Hoopa Tribe runs industrial vehicles
both ways on SR 96, along a 30 mile stretch. It needs a little widening in some
places for safety. Note also that
there is some future growth anticipated in Hoopa and Orleans.
- Support and fund the ÒHighway 96
corridorÓ project, through the Hoopa square.
State Route 169
- An SR169 connector to Klamath (the coast)
– is important for east-west travel. There is existing physical access,
via Simpson roads.
Hoopa Valley Roads
- Find a way for public access to be
available for Horse Linto Road (Hoopa Tribe jurisdiction). Uses include
recreation/scenic and as an emergency access route. The TribeÕs concern is accessibility for law enforcement
patrol, especially regarding timber theft.
- A possible new, easier access to Horse
Linto Rd. would be a bridge at Tish Tang or Campbell Field.
- Do a study for a bridge across the
Trinity River at the south end of Òthe blue slideÓ to south end of airport in
Hoopa.
- It would be nice if the roads in Hoopa
had the names painted on them at intersections. Currently, there are not any street signs.
County
Roads
- Many of the County roads need
improvements.
- The Shelter Cove Road could be improved
somewhat simply by providing some turnouts in key areas.
- Traveling to and from Southern Humboldt
(Shelter Cove) to see friends and family can be a safety issue because of poor
road conditions. A driver cannot
see potholes or other road damage in the dark. They are in horrible shape and need to be repaired.
- The roads in Southern Humboldt, Briceland
Road between Redway and Briceland, need to be repaired. Pot holes and slides have accumulated
to an unreasonable level during the recent storms.
- Redwood Drive between Garberville and
Redway needs improvements for safety and reliable use.
- There can be congestion at intersections
along Redwood Drive – challenging for turning and for pedestrians,
enforcement needed for motorists that block intersections (Garberville).
- *Trucks parking in the Redwood Drive
median affect pedestrian uses (Garberville).
Southern
Humboldt in General
- Roads in Southern Humboldt are in
desperate condition, Briceland Road, Shelter Cove Road, Honeydew, Avenue of the
Giants, Highway 101 North and South, the road between Redway and Garberville,
Alderpoint/Harris Road, Sprowel Creek Road, just to name a few need
repair. Please allocate money in
the budge to maintain Southern Humboldt Roads.
- Before you build new roads for new
people, letÕs take care of the ones weÕve got. We are having a building boom that has increased commercial
truck traffic. The SUV fad has
added to the need for wider roads, better turn-outs and smooth shoulders;
monster trucks are a way of life now.
Next summerÕs R.V. drivers will face our roads in the worst shape IÕve
ever seen them. Shelter Cove jetty
improvements will mean big wear and tear on the Shelter Cove Road, which is
already badly degraded. I have
also heard that Mercer/Frazier Asphalt Batch Plant in Piercy may not renew
their lease. That could mean a
substantial increase in the cost of maintaining Southern Humboldt roads in 2
years. Before you build new roads
for new people, letÕs take care of the ones weÕve got.
General
- All communities and neighborhoods should
have more than one ingress/egress road, for safety and for reliable access.
- *Roadway improvement projects should also
incorporate improvements for bicycles and pedestrians. (Example: the U.S. 101 at Myrtle Av.
project does not).
Parking
- Address automobile parking in the plan
– the provision of parking (or not) has a lot of ramifications on land
use, vehicle use, etc.
- Free or fee? Parking is a free facility provided by most municipalities
(meters have been removed in Arcata).
Install meters and use parking revenues to subsidize transit.
- In Garberville:
- More parking is needed.
- Address parking behavior: Many business
owners and employees park in front of stores rather than further away.
- *There is a big demand for parking during
events that bring a lot of people into the area, like Reggae on the River.
TRANSIT SERVICE
Paratransit
- There is a growing need for public
transportation options particularly for seniors but also for outlying
communities.
- Paratransit services need to be increased
to accommodate increasing numbers of seniors and people with disabilities.
- The Transportation Solutions forum lead
to improvements, more dial-a-ride vendors, however, current service providers
need to provide expanded service; and they need more funding to do so.
- Implementation of the state's Olmstead
Plan over the next few years will increase the need for transportation services
for persons with disabilities. (The "Olmstead" decision requires that
states are to reasonably accommodate new and improved efforts to prevent
unnecessary institutionalization of individuals with disabilities and to
facilitate or expand community-based services and support.)
- Access to health and education services
is especially important.
- Ferndale has no public transit system,
you have to get to Fernbridge to get a bus. There is a grant-funded paratransit service that is helping
to keep people living in their homes.
There is a demand from Rio Dell, Carlotta, and beyond.
- Special needs populations in Rio Dell,
Hydesville, and outlying areas, need transportation to doctorÕs appointments or
medical appointments.
- Transit is needed for Southern Humboldt,
more than the ÒQUAILÓ provides.
- How can Southern Humboldt develop
paratransit systems like Ferndale and Willow CreekÕs?
- There is a local van available, but a
driver and operating subsidy is needed.
- HTAÕs Willow Creek bus is great and
people are using it.
- Replace transit service dropped by
Greyhound.
Schedules
and Routes
- Transit services need to be expanded to
include Sundays and weeknights.
- Extend public transportation hours of
service.
- CouldnÕt there be at least one loop
between Fortuna and Trinidad for Sunday bus service?
- Build a light rail between Fortuna and
Trinidad.
- An alternative to Òlight railÓ: could be
to establish park and ride stops along 101 for ÒexpressÓ buses to get on and
off and speed up transit times along the 101 corridor.
- Establish express service during peak
hours on Arcata/Eureka RTS bus route.
- We need more bus service from outer areas
such as Manila to CR.
- Airport bus service, especially on
Sunday.
- The majority of buses run between HSU and
CR, we need a coordination of resources. Schedule RTS buses that work for
students and university employees
- We need a transit link for Willow
Creek-Weaverville (thence to Redding via existing service).
- FortunaÕs Senior Bus works very well, as
far as it goes, but itÕs very difficult to travel beyond city limits. Even if
seniors can get to a bus stop – which most canÕt – the RTS system
isnÕt geared to their needs.
- We need a local transit service between
Garberville and Redway.
- We need transit service out-of-County to
the north (i.e. to Oregon &/or Redding, etc.).
- We need a non-fixed route transportation
system to connect paratransit services with other rural areas, e.g., Brookings,
Willits.
- *Public transportation plays a key role
in getting many workers from home to work. These patterns need to be studied to
improve transportation options for them.
- The senior bus(es) should run until 6:00
or 7:00 p.m. so that seniors have a ride home from doctor appointments.
- Higher priority needs to be given to
evening and weekend transit service and reaching under-served areas (especially
Eastern and Southern Humboldt).
- Schedules and maps posted at bus stops
can be customized to the bus stop at which they are posted, indicating in clear
large type when busses stop. These
signs could also offer guide folks to common destinations (indicating when, for
example, busses leave from HSU Library Circle for the Arcata Plaza.)
Coordination
and More
- There is very little communication among
transit providers; more internal coordination is needed.
- *Utilize information connectivity:
addresses transportation needs in one central location, such as a website where
all transportation providers schedule, routes and fares are listed
- Improve coordination between bus systems,
e.g. for those making connections between RTS and ETS or A&MRTS. Investigate GPS technology some urban
transit systems are using to give bus riders real-time info on bus locations.
- Someone has to step up and begin
addressing a solution that knits together the municipalities and the County
into an integrated system that leaves no senior or disabled person behind.
- Consider research of a TMA format to
support and enable a host of TDM & transit efforts such as shared transit
vehicles, vanpools, employer and shopper shuttles, ride share programs &
incentives for improving rural access to services (as an alternate to transit,
such as bringing services to rural areas)
- Create a Eureka Transit Center!!
- Transit information resources on the web
could be improved with greater centralization of transit information. Currently, transit users must find
separate websites if they need to use different transit systems to get to their
destinations. The AMRTS website
has links to other transit information resources assembled by volunteer and
former HSU student Nathanial Kelso, now living in Washington DC. The website has not been updated with
new services, like the Blue Lake Rancheria Transit System schedule. The HTA website, representing both ETS
and RTS, which should function as a hub website, doesnÕt have links to any
other transit resources. Even if
transit websites were better linked together, it is still difficult for users
to read schedules and figure out how and where and at what times they should
transfer between busses and transit systems. Fortunately, Google is offering a service called Google
Transit that helps transit users plan trips across multiple routes and systems
with ease, simply by entering their origination and destination points, and the
time at which they need to arrive.
- Creating a centralized transit information
resource that links to Google Transit for Humboldt County will mean that the
URL can be confidently printed on transit system literature. It will also allow schedules and routes
to be easily referenced on other websites and in email messages.
Promotion
and Incentives
- Any opportunities for transit providers
to promote services should be utilized; transit providers should do much more
marketing than they currently do.
- The business community and transportation
providers should work together to provide incentives for workers to ride the
bus, which would ultimately increase ridership.
- HSU and CR should help subsidize cost of
bus tickets for staff.
- Negotiate with HSU (& CR) to
implement UPass, a universal transit pass for students.
- HSU and CR could help create park &
ride and shuttle facilities throughout their territory. This could reduce the need for parking
on campus –existing lots that do not fill (e.g. Sunnybrae Center) could
be utilized.
Other
Ideas
- Develop a voucher system as an
alternative to transit, a system that would compensate private drivers who
provide a ride to someone (seniors, etc.) with a voucher that can be cashed in
for money.
- Look into something like a ÒjitneyÓ
service – a smaller fleet of vehicles for getting people downtown in Eureka.
- Transportation is always a top need for
seniors. They often say they canÕt
get to a bus stop. A ÒjitneyÓ is a
good idea.
- Could using smaller buses help ÒsolveÓ
some problems?
- Large employers and schools should be
encouraged to work with transit agencies to improve service.
- *A Òswipe cardÓ for transit -- some kind
of universal, easy-to-use ticket.
- Can existing systems be shared (all the
various buses and vans), so that all get used more?
- Look at Mendocino County Transit as a
model for extensive service in a rural area.
- Unmet Transit Needs hearings – do
the schedule and format differently, get the word out better, make meetings
more accessible.
AVIATION
Hoopa Airport
- The Hoopa Airport has some good
attributes, but funds are needed for improving & maintaining it.
-
ÒRestore
to serviceÓ make it a functioning airport
- Look into recertifying it back into the
county system, especially for access to FAA funds.
Garberville Airport
- The fuel cardlock system is improving
Garberville Airport use.
- *A lot of seniors and others like to use
the airport as a place to walk and get exercise, but it has been restricted by
gates – can access be provided?
- Visiting pilots lack transportation to
town – we need some kind of transportation service between town and
airport.
Other
- Apply card locks and other relevant
technological advances to other county airports.
- Develop Rohnerville as the main airport
instead of McKinleyville.
Rohnerville is central for Humboldt County, not McKinleyville.
- Common to all industry clusters, travel
by plane is key to keeping businesses competitive in the global marketplace.
- No airport expansion or runway extension
should take place – increasing fuel costs will probably decrease rather than increase air travel
demand.
BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN NEEDS
General
- Support for active living is key to
controlling long term health costs attributed to obesity. Walkability of
neighborhoods (rural) should be addressed at least as a goal in the RTP.
- Focus improvements on connections between
residential and retail/commercial areas. This will promote bicycle and
pedestrian commuting.
- Develop a toolkit of information,
resources, examples to help rural communities collaboratively work with
government to tackle bike & pedestrian needs on short segments of rural
roads (instead of those projects always being on the bottom of the list.)
- We need more proactive jurisdictional
action to respond to very high community demand for non-motorized facilities.
Arcata is proactive, partly due to Transportation Safety Committee and motivated
staff. HCAOG facilitating Annie
& Mary Trail and Arcata-Eureka trail dialogues is excellent.
- *There is not an agency such as Caltrans
for bike and pedestrian improvements. We need an authority, with staff, to
advocate for these needs and improvements.
Integration
- How can pedestrian needs be better
addressed and integrated with other modes? – Harris Avenue as an
example. Better walkways,
pedestrian aids such as lights, safety measures.
- *Roadway improvement projects should also
incorporate improvements for bicycles and pedestrians. (The 101 at Myrtle Av. project does
not)
- Bicycle parking should be incorporated
into new construction or development projects.
- No new roadway, bridges, or other vehicle
rights of way should be created that donÕt include pedestrian and bike
accommodations.
- Widening the main thoroughfares to
accommodate bikes/horse back riders/joggers and other non-motorized forms
encourages good health, safety for all and environmentally friendly
tourism. This should be a priority
for all road upgrades in Humboldt County.
- *We should continue to keep our options
open for future revival of rail freight hauling, but it in the near term focus
on making unused rail corridor available for pedestrian/bike/horse use.
Education
- Establish a ÒShare the RoadÓ ad campaign
for cyclists, pedestrian, and drivers.
Access
to Schools
- There is a lot of unsafe congestion
around schools in the morning and afternoon; and there is more driving and less
walking & biking.
- Increase efforts to provide Òsafe routes
to schoolsÓ, with sidewalks, bike lanes, etc.
- Provide drop off zones a block away or
short walk away, to help reduce congestion and encourage a little more walking
(make sure itÕs safe).
- Schools should work with transportation
providers to get kids to school safely.
- Map how kids travel to school, and
provide safe routes.
- Note that we are in an era of school
closures, regarding investment into improvements.
Sidewalks
- Sidewalks need to be safe for
wheelchairs, strollers, elderly, and all users. More curb cuts are needed at
intersections. Driveway dips are often hazardous – wider sidewalks or
other designs are needed. New
sidewalks need to be well-designed, and many existing ones need to be improved.
- Find ways to provide seating along
walkways, to provide rest stops for seniors and others.
- Sidewalks in Garberville need to be
evaluated and improved for access for disabled folks. Some have to take longer
and more difficult routes due to various obstacles. Support ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) improvements.
- Complete sidewalks within cities; add
missing segments.
SITE
SPECIFIC
East
County
- Construct a pedestrian causeway across
Willow Creek, parallel to SR 96.
- Bike/pedestrian improvements for the SR
96 Trinity River bridge in Hoopa.
- Downtown Hoopa: SR 96 bike and pedestrian
improvements are underway: traffic calming, realignments, beautification, etc.
- In Hoopa: bike/pedestrian trail
development and improvements, to create an interconnected system that connects
with downtown.
- Make improvements for bicyclists on SR
299 between Willow Creek and the coast.
- Make improvements for pedestrians along a
400Õ section of SR 299 between Roth Rd. and Fair Oaks trailer park.
- Support the development of a
bike-pedestrian loop around Willow Creek, connecting town, river, parks, and
both sides of the river.
South
County
- Redwood Drive between Redway and
Garberville needs improvements for safe cyclist and pedestrian use.
- Need safer pedestrian crossings on
Redwood Drive in Garberville.
- An issue to address is the need for truck
loading/unloading areas (currently the middle of the street is used quite a
lot.)
- *A lot of seniors and others like to use
the Garberville airport as a place to walk and get exercise, but it has been
restricted by gates – can access be provided?
- Make Avenue of the Giants more
bike-friendly.
- All main roads and highways in the
Garberville area need to be made bicycle friendly. During the summer months there is a constant stream of
bicycle tourists, yet neither Highway 101 nor Avenue of the Giants have consistent
road shoulders and signage for bike lanes. Widening the main thoroughfare to accommodate bikes/horse
back riders/joggers and other non-motorized forms encourages good health,
safety for all and environmentally friendly tourism.
Humboldt Bay Area
- Widen Old Arcata Road between Eureka and
Arcata – especially for safe bicycling (Note: Old Arcata Road
improvements is a
programmed project.)
- Create a safe route between Eureka and
Arcata – a separated pathway.
- Widen shoulders on SR 255 between Manila
and Arcata.
- Make the SR 255 bridges between Samoa and
Eureka safer and user friendly.
- Develop a bike/walk trail system around
Humboldt Bay.
- Dedicated bike and pedestrian paths
similar to the Hammond Trail should link all communities around Humboldt Bay
and Blue Lake.
- *Elk River Road needs improvements for
bicycling access to Headwaters Forest.
- *A Rails-to-Trails approach is not
compatible with a potential reintroduction of active rail.
- Develop an Arcata-Manila trail (or bike
lane)
-
The Highway
101 Mad River Bridge needs bike improvements
GOODS MOVEMENT
General
- Everyone who wants good paying jobs to be
available in the county should support resolution of the critical goods
movement issues.
Truck
- *Fix Highway 101 at Confusion Hill
- *In Garberville, trucks parking in the
Redwood Drive median affect pedestrian uses.
- *Improvements to 101 that would allow STA
(longer length) trucks are important for the east county economy.
- Make improvements for STA trucks at
Richardson Grove and Big Lagoon.
- *Two sites on SR 299 west of Buckhorn
Summit need STA upgrades (these are relatively low-cost).
Rail
- *Rail can be used for a variety of
reasons, not just freight, use it for tourism.
- The railroad is not dead; we need to
start looking at South Fork to Samoa, look at rail as an alternative; we donÕt
need to follow big city models.
- *A Rails-to-Trails approach is not
compatible with a potential reintroduction of active rail.
- *We should continue to keep our options
open for future revival of rail freight hauling, but it in the near term focus
on making unused rail corridor available for pedestrian/bike/horse use.
- The real feasibility of the rail needs to
be evaluated and vetted. Create a timeline with benchmarks (go/no-go points)
and letÕs either move forward or let it go.
- If/when itÕs let go, determine how to
preserve public ownership of NCRA corridor at that time.
Marine
- Humboldt Bay inner reach: need to adjust utilities depth so it
can be dredged deeper.
- Increase freight brokering to boost goods
movement.
RECREATIONAL TRAVEL
- *Utilize international
(transportation-related) markings to facilitate mobility of foreign visitors.
- There are many international
travelers/tourists to the (south) county, but there is not a way for them to
get around unless they have their own vehicle.
- *Help recreational travelers find/use
transit and bicycle rentals. Example: information about transit to/from the
airport is hard to connect with.
- Tourists in general need more
transportation choices.
- *Rail can be used for a variety of
reasons, not just freight, use it for tourism.
- *Elk River Road needs improvements for
bicycling access to Headwaters Forest.
- How about closing off Horse Mountain road
beyond where it is plowed in the winter to cars/trucks. They ruin recreational
skiing. Snowmobiles could be o.k.
- Trails, trails, trails
- The Humboldt Bay excursion train is a
great idea – not necessarily incompatible with using rail rights-of-way
as trails; demand for excursion train will probably only justify summer weekend
use.
- If the economics cannot support the functioning
of a railroad along the Eel River, create a trail for pedestrian, equestrian,
bicyclists. That would become a
world-class tourism draw.
TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM MANAGEMENT
Access
to Information
- Provide much more transit information, in
multiple locations – consolidate for easier access to schedules,
advertise services, put URLÕs on all buses.
- *Information connectivity, addresses
transportation needs in one central location, such as a website where all
transportation providers schedule, routes and fares are listed.
- *Help recreational travelers find/use
transit and bicycle rentals. Example: information about transit to/from the
airport is hard to connect with.
- Develop a web-based transit system that
ties all services together.
- Develop web-based rideshare program(s).
- *Utilize international
(transportation-related) markings to facilitate use by foreign visitors
Coordination
of Services and Transportation Demand Management
- Coordination is needed for local
transportation and mobility – some way that there could be a central
contact for supply and demand.
- An intermodal station is needed (Eureka
area).
- Assisted living centers are running their
own buses, casinos are running buses, coordinate them with transportation
providers, utilize existing resources.
- We need a transportation management
authority, with cooperative sharing of resources
- HSU should play role in providing
transportation in coordination with other providers.
- *A Òswipe cardÓ for transit -- some kind
of universal, easy-to-use ticket.
- Incentives for other businesses and
agencies to adopt transportation demand management like HSU, Arcata
- Create a TDMA to coordinate
business/school/public jitneys and other TDM strategies (including assisted
living facilities)
- There needs to be significantly more emphasis
on application of these techniques within all jurisdictions, especially
Caltrans – see www.vtpi.org/tdm for more
ideas.
- *TDM is an energy conservation tool, as
is promoting non-motorized transportation.
ITS
- More ITS systems before leaving Blue
Lake, heading east on Highway 299.
PIPELINE TRANSPORT AND ENERGY
CONSERVATION
- Facilitate the availability and use of
alternative fuels – biodiesel, hydrogen, etc.
- We need more charging stations for
electric vehicles.
- Diversify our fuel base.
- *Transportation Demand Management (TDM)
is an energy conservation tool, as is promoting non-motorized transportation
-
Implement
the new County energy plan.
LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION CONNECTIONS
- *Address automobile parking in the plan
– the provision of parking (or not) has a lot of ramifications on land
use, vehicle use, etc.
-
Emphasize
benefits of infill of existing developed areas vs. sprawl (reduces
transportation demand, promotes feasibility of public trans., ped & bike)
-
Limit sprawl
by focusing development along existing transit corridors, and provide local
incentives for ride-sharing.
-
*Public
transportation plays a key role in getting many workers from home to work.
These patterns need to be studied to improve transportation options for them.
-
Develop a
functional mechanism between transportation and land use planning efforts
– develop numerous small, implementable techniques to integrate these
efforts, e.g. helping all jurisdictions develop bicycle parking ordinances to
require along with vehicle parking for all new developments.
- A shortage of available and affordable
housing in Southern Humboldt results in a disproportionate number of teachers,
health care providers, and law enforcement folks not being able to live in the
area. This creates more vehicle
use, and has a social impact since the professionals arenÕt full-time
residents.
- *There is a big demand for parking during
events that bring a lot of people into the Garberville-Redway area, like Reggae
on the River.
AIR QUALITY
- The 2004 plan is good in this area
- Give priority to projects that enable
people to drive less
-
Develop
goals, mandates, or policies for alternative fuels, alternative fuel vehicles
(including hybrid busses), and emissions.
-
Address air
quality impacts of 101 traffic through Eureka
- Coordinate and recommend project
priorities w/NCUAQMD for their AB2766 program.
- Reduce global warming pollution (CO2,
NOx, and SOx.) We should use
alternative fuel sources, such as biodiesel, which are better for the global
carbon cycle than fossil fuels. It
would be great to see analysis of how that might work for Humboldt County bus
transportation needs.
- Expand bus services to keep drivers off
the road and improve air quality.
-
Greatest
air quality impacts locally are from industry and forestry practices, not
transportation. One move would be
to require vapor recovery on gas nozzles and filling stations, as urban areas
in CA require
TELECOMMUNICATIONS
- Fiber optic communication is important --
moving information rather than people.
- Provide classes over the T.V. -- utilize more distance learning.
- The east county needs fiber optic
redundancy.
- Broadband redundancy with the outside
world is important for the entire county.
- For broadband redundancy, we may need to
utilize power or gas lines – mention this in the RTP to bolster efforts.
- Telecommunications is a growing need in
this County. New technology
includes wi-fi Òclouds,Ó wireless networks that blanket an area.
- *Utilize information
connectivity -- addresses transportation needs in one central location, such as
a website where all transportation providers schedules, routes and fares are
listed.
GOVERNANCE
-
Get
HCAOG member governments to formally adopt the RTP through their governing body
to insure integration with their plans and actions of planning agencies.
-
Can
Community Service Districts be part of HCAOG? Why, why not?
-
As
an unincorporated area, Southern Humboldt is at the mercy of the County in
getting needs represented and met – this is an ongoing challenge. Note
that there is a distinction between ÒSouthern HumboldtÓ and ÒFortuna.Ó
-
*There
is not an agency such as Caltrans for bike and pedestrian improvements. We need
an authority, with staff, to advocate for these needs and improvements.
-
Local
governments are major employers --- can they be transportation Òrole models?Ó
OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS FOR RTP CONTENT AND
PROCESS
Integrating
Plans
- Incorporate local transportation plans
such as ManilaÕs into the RTP.
- Link to the Humboldt County General Plan
– i.e. the Transportation
Element (and other related elements).
- The RTP is not formally ÒadoptedÓ by
member organizationsÉtherefore they tend to not embrace it, or even really know
about it. Could it be adopted this time by member agencies (and tribes)?
Identifying
and Prioritizing Programs and Projects
- Look for opportunities to consider
collaboration and sharing of resources; such as for non-traditional transit
services.
- Encourage development and inclusion of
programs along with capital projects (e.g. alternative transport marketing/education
programs as a TDM strategy)
-
Policy
issue 1.13 – Three methods to ensure that the highest priority projects,
irrespective of where they are located within the County, receive what limited
funding is available. A) Further refining the Regional Performance
Objectives and Project Evaluation Criteria as outlined in section E of the
Action Element of the 2004 RTP to establish a solid project evaluation/ranking
tools which all the jurisdictions in the region buy into; B) Rank the project types; C) Within the
project type, remove all groupings by Agency/Jurisdiction so that all projects
in the region are competing against each other.
- Consider lumping all modes, look at what
the public priorities are, all together, and see what Òrises upÓ as top
priorities, regardless of mode
-
Unincorporated
communities are not well represented in setting priorities.
Background
Information
- Provide figures on transportation costs,
user costs, vehicle costs, fuel costs, which can be used for future planning.
- Include costs of auto transport and who
pays for it (individual driver vs. public subsidy) to allow comparison with
public transit. If this analysis were reported for all forms of transportation
in a parallel fashion it would promote rational comparison.
- Provide transportation and health
statistics and information--- how does transportation affect health? How can transportation aid in healthier
lifestyles?
- Include or expand on health statistics
which support the need for bike-pedestrian facilities (obesity, diabetes, accident
data)
- There is a perceived conflict between
bicyclists and motorists, however, a majority of bicyclists are also
motorists. Find data showing how
many motorists are also bicyclists, and vice versa.
- Provide information on how parking
impacts safety.
There are
changes that have occurred in both rail and harbor from the existing plan. Contact rail and harbor stakeholders
for updates.
