Kristopher Fortin
Streetsblog California contributor, covering news in Orange County.
Recent Posts
OCTA Budget Outlook: Balanced, But Problems Loom
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Money from S.B.1 will allow OCTA to avoid deep service cuts on it buses, but if ridership continues decreasing, there will be hard choices to make in the future.
OC Streetcar to Receive $50 Million in Federal Funding
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The OC Streetcar got a reprieve this week when it was included in Congress's recently agreed-upon funding package. If it is signed by President Trump, the Garden Grove-to-Santa Ana streetcar project would receive $50 million from the federal New Starts program, which faces an uncertain future under the current administration.
High-Speed Rail Authority Discusses Routes to Anaheim
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California high-speed rail proposes to use the existing rail alignment between L.A.'s Union Station and ARTIC in Anaheim. That will require some modifications, including a number of grade separations.
15,000+ Bicyclists, Pedestrians Come Out to Garden Grove’s 3rd Open Streets Event
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More than 15,000 people came out to bike and walk in Garden Grove's Open Streets event on Saturday. The 2.5-mile route stretched from Main Street to West Street and had some streets closed to cars, streets with mixed traffic, and a one-mile pop-up protected bike lane.
OCTA’s Discounted Day Pass Fails to Impact Declining Ridership, Will End
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OCTA experimented with a discounted day pass for its buses to help increase ridership--rather, to counter rapidly decreasing ridership. But it “didn’t provide the movement of the needle that we were looking for in terms of increasing ridership” and will be ending soon.
Garden Grove Open Streets Event Returns for Third Year on April 1
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Garden Grove's third Open Streets route on April 1 will have a mix of car-free streets, pop-up protected bike lanes, designated walking paths and a pop-up neighborhood greenway.
Bus Rapid Transit? More Streetcar? OCTA Considers What’s Best for Harbor Blvd
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The Orange County Transportation Authority is studying twelve different transit options, including Bus Rapid Transit and a streetcar, for the highest-transit-use corridor in the county.
Community Land Trust Seeks to Revitalize Vacant Lots in Santa Ana
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Thrive Santa Ana hopes to turn vacant city-owned lots into affordable housing, community gardens, recreational space, economic incubators
Equity lessons fall on deaf ears at Orange County Active Transportation Forum
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“As far as equity, everyone has a very different definition of equity.” Wait, what? “If you ask the folks in South Orange County, they say we’re not having equity, [we’re] investing $350 million in the streetcar in Santa Ana. Where’s our $350 million? You can’t be serious . . . “When you’re asking people in […]
Equity Concerns Fall on Deaf Ears at OC Active Transportation Forum
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As far as equity, everyone has a very different definition of equity. Wait, what? If you ask the folks in South Orange County, they say, ‘We’re not having equity. [We’re] investing $350 million in the streetcar in Santa Ana—where’s our $350 million?’ You can’t be serious . . . When you’re asking people in Santa […]
‘That Time Is Past’: Santa Ana’s Bold Plan to Eliminate Traffic Collisions
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The Safe Mobility Santa Ana Plan was released earlier this month with very little fanfare, yet it may be the planning document that will possibly have the biggest impact on the city’s streets for years to come. The plan identifies 42 high-priority projects–37 corridors and five intersections–that would take an estimated $40 million to complete. But […]
Park(ing) Day in North Orange County: A New, Welcome Experience
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Lynk Gibson, 7, grabbed a thick blue marker from a bin and started drawing onto a board with a footprint outline while his 4-year-old brother Nolan looked on at his side. Krystin Gibson, the boys’ mother, handed Nolan a marker and directed him where to draw. The boys gravitated toward a jenga set nearby, while staff […]