I thought this comic made a humorous illustration to Chris's earlier blog post Who's really shrinking our economy?

Nick Anderson / Houston Chonicle

Why we need a more system-based approach for transit planning and customer information in Humboldt County...

"Why does HTA not sevice Blue Lake?" is a question someone asked on the Green Wheels core list, the email list that some Green Wheels advocates use to communicate among each other, last week.

The short answer is that Humboldt Transit Authority (HTA) does not serve Blue Lake because transit service between Arcata and Blue Lake is already offered five days a week by Blue Lake Rancheria Transit System. (It seems to me this "System" would appropriately called a "Service" since it's a single route… which relates to the topic of this post.)

Good news!  Redwood Transit System and Eureka Transit Service have both expanded their service.

Beginning Monday, July 14, RTS will offer 4 additional trips each weekday.  Several existing trips have been extended and/or include changed stop times.  See Updated schedules here.

Since the beginning of the month, ETS has been running an additional route (Purple) on Saturdays.  The Rainbow Route has been changed.  Updated schedules here.

Click here for more…

From the Humboldt Herald:

By summer’s end, 7-foot wide bike/pedestrian lanes will flank Old Arcata Road from Three Corners to Stephens Lane.

The construction, which got underway last month, is the final phase of a project that began in the late 1970’s, according to Chris Wentworth, Deputy Director of Humboldt County Public Works. He told KHUM last week the project will connect with existing lanes running through Bayside to Arcata.

Construction will continue thru August.

Our friend "Rambling Jack" Durham, editor of the McKinleyville Press notes the recent increase in "utility cycling" around town.

He also transports the inserts for the McKinleyville Press in one of the more picturesque possible ways (below).  Click the Schwinn for more.

Released this week, the 2007-2008 Humboldt County Grand Jury report includes a section on public transit in Humboldt County.  In a time of increased transportation challenges because of rising fuel costs and an aging population, their report suggests, public transportation needs attention and funding.

League of American Bicyclists:

Recently at Where Camp, a conference at the Google Campus, many people discussed the importance of setting standard data formats for describing routes and infrastructure (including parking). The comprehensive geographic data available for most of the road network in the United States, which we are used to accessing through online mapping services, includes mainly information of use to motorists, but not for bicyclists.

The Humboldt County Association of Governments is conducting its regular Pedestrian Needs Assessment Update.  This process collects citizen input on sidewalks, trail, roads, intersections, crosswalks, land use, and conditions that affect pedestrian access and walkability.

To take an on-line survey, go to www.hcaog.net. The information you provide will be included in the Pedestrian Needs Assessment Update.

Robin Chase, founder of Zipcar, and now GoLoco, spoke at the TED awards conference on many topics near and dear to my heart, namely how a connected world with better designed markets and prices will be a more efficient and happier place. I think she's taking her faith in the mesh network concept a little bit far, though: it seems like there will be some serious bandwidth constraints if they're used for much data-intensive purposes.

Housing affordability = the cost to rent or buy, right?  But when if the cheapest housing is far away from where you work, urban centers, and essential goods and services?  Then, there's less of a chance that public transportation (transit) will be available or affordable, and if you drive, you'll drive farther and that'll cost more.