Kristopher Fortin

Streetsblog California contributor, covering news in Orange County.

SGV Connect 30 – Changes for the Gold Line and California’s Climate Crisis

By Damien Newton and Kristopher Fortin | Dec 5, 2018 | No Comments

This week: an update on the Gold Line Foothill Extension, and a discussion of two recent climate change reports.

SGV Connect 25: Bike Improvements in Monterey Park and a Look at Attempts to Roll Back the Gas Tax

By Damien Newton and Kristopher Fortin | Aug 23, 2018 | No Comments

In Monterey Park, the city council narrowly passed a plan to improve bicycle and pedestrian access throughout the city. In this week’s SGV Connect, Kris Fortin talks to Henry Lo about the state of play for bicycle advocacy in the city and its next steps. Lo, a member of the Monterey Park Unified School District […]

SGV Connect 24: Double Decker Buses and Open Space Funding

By Damien Newton and Kristopher Fortin | Aug 10, 2018 | No Comments

Welcome back to SGV Connect. In today’s episode, our co-hosts conduct two interviews on the expansion of the Foothill Transit bus fleet and the arrival of open space funds in L.A. County. First, Kris Fortin follows up on the news (SGV Tribune, Forbes) that Foothill Transit is adding double-decker buses to their commuter fleet. Foothill […]

Cyclist on La Habra Boulevard near Euclid Street. Image: City of La Habra

La Habra Is Making Moves Toward Becoming a More Walkable, Bikeable City

By Kristopher Fortin | Jul 12, 2018 | 2 Comments

The city of La Habra passed its first Bikeway Master Plan last year, is looking to pass its first Complete Streets Master Plan. It is being aided by a grant from St. Jude Medical Center, which recognizes the importance of street design on residents' health.

The three-year Central Harbor corridor study is hanging on by a thread after OCTA's transit committee recommended Thursday to end it and move forward with incremental bus service improvements. Image: OCTA

OCTA Transit Committee Revokes BRT/Streetcar Study for Central Harbor Boulevard

By Kristopher Fortin | Jun 19, 2018 | 1 Comment

Santa Ana and Garden Grove want to extend the OC Streetcar and improve transit, but Anaheim and Fullerton oppose a streetcar option--and any project that would take away a general-use lane for transit.

Bus ridership is expected to decrease six percent next year, but fare prices and service levels will remain the same. Image: OCTA

OCTA Board Approves Budget with No Bus Service Cuts for Coming Year

By Kristopher Fortin | Jun 14, 2018 | 1 Comment

OCTA plans to improve its transit service--but also to widen roads in the name of "congestion relief."

Report: Fragmented Orange County Stymies Nonprofits’ Growth, Political Clout

By Kristopher Fortin | Jun 7, 2018 | No Comments

"Connecting the Dots: A Discussion of the Structural Realities of Policy and Advocacy Efforts in Orange County," offers some solutions for overcoming barriers to nonprofits participating in and influencing policy discussions in the county.

Edgar Arellano, Anaheim resident, rides on the City of Santa Ana's first protected bike lane on Bristol Street. Kristopher Fortin/Streetsblog CA

Santa Ana’s First Protected Bike Lane! . . . Is the Result of a Street Widening

By Kristopher Fortin | Apr 26, 2018 | 3 Comments

One good does not cancel out a bad. And in the case of the freshly installed (and almost completed) protected bike lane on Bristol Street in Santa Ana, a lot of bad preceded this hallmark moment. The city started installing the Bristol Street protected bike lane over the weekend between Seventeenth Street and Washington Boulevard. […]