Airline To Quit Giving Passengers Prayer Cards

Share Tweet Alaska Airlines is ending decades of giving passengers prayer cards with their meals, saying the airline heard from customers who preferred not to mix religion with transportation.

The News Tribune tells why the airline is ending the practice after decades. I've never gotten one of these cards. Have you?

Safe Routes To School Program Looking For Applicable Projects

Share Tweet I know a lot of folks who read this blog are 'agency' people, so I'm posting this item in case you hadn't heard about it yet; the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT)just issued a call for projects for the Safe Routes to School (SRS) program.

That means that cities, counties, transit companies and tribes can apply for funding for projects that increase the number of children walking and biking to school where it is safe, and if it’s not safe, work to make it safer. The program supports pedestrian and bicycle safety projects such as walking to school buses, sidewalks, bike lanes, pedestrian safety education, bicycle safety skills classes, crossing guards, speed feedback signs and traffic safety cameras.

Eligible Safe Routes projects are those within two-miles of primary and middle schools (grades K-8), and that address engineering solutions, educational and encouragement programs, and law enforcement efforts.

If you're not with a local agency but have an idea for a SRS project that would improve safety for children in your area, contact your local jurisdiction to see if they're willing to look into it. More information on the program and the applications process can be found here.

Letter Writer Says Drivers Need To Take Their Free Left Turn

Share Tweet Spokesman-Review Letter to the Editor
Ignorance Increases Traffic

As a driver who relies on steady movement on our downtown streets to provide expeditious travel in the city, I believe I have discovered the main causes for our never-improving congestion. It is not the people driving below the speed limit. You can in most cases pass them.

The drivers who fail to take advantage of free right turns against red lights hold up long strings of motorists that have to sit and wait until the light turns green. I have observed this so many times that it makes me wonder how they were able to secure a driver’s license without some basic knowledge of what their responsibility is to help avoid the congestion.

Most of these people are unaware that a left turn from a two-way street onto a one-way street against a red light is perfectly legal. I refrain from honking and gesturing as an attempt to educate these drivers to make good choices to help us keep the traffic moving, but some days my patience becomes very strained on what the best approach might be. Maybe some public service messages on television or radio would be a good beginning.

Ray Moss
Spokane

Well, that's a complaint I haven't heard before. Anyone else encountering this issue?

A Bicycle Super Highway & A Village With No Roads

Share Tweet Want to slow things down; maybe find a slower pace in life and a small town isn't low key enough for you? Maybe try Holland or Sweden.

The south of Sweden is quickly becoming known as a place where bicycling is a way of life and more people ride bikes than drive cars. And to promote that image, they're even building a four lane 'super cycling highway' with exits (but no intersections), wind protection and periodic bicycle service stations. Treehugger has the story of this highway for bikes.

If even biking is too fast for your lifestyle, Holland has a village where you will not find a single road in the entire town. Rather, it is connected by waterways and paths and a few biking trails. Here are some more cool pictures of that town.

State Of The Union Includes Proposal For Transportation Infrastructure Plan

Share Tweet President Obama's State of the Union speech last night didn't focus as heavily on transportation as it did last year, but he did propose a $200 billion plan to build transportation infrastructure with money saved from bringing troops home. Her's the Spokesman-Review's summary of the speech.

Federal Transportation Bill Proposal Will Reportedly Be Released Friday

Share Tweet Apparently there's been some work behind the scenes on a federal transportation bill recently. Word began leaking earlier this week that House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chair John Mica might release the draft text of such a bill this Friday. That was followed by a couple summaries of the proposal that made their way out to the public.

The bill would reportedly provide about $58 billion per year. Transportation Issues Daily has an entire package of stories about the "American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act," as it will be called, including five big proposed changes in the bill, hurdles to enacting a Fderal Transportation Bill, and how it would reform transit programs.

The Interesting History Of The Modern Traffic Signal

Share Tweet Do you know why the inventor of the original traffic light doesn't get credit for his invention? Well then, you'll have to read this article from Gizmodo. It really is an interesting story involving collisions between horses and cars, the huge influx of cars on our roads between 1910 and 1920, and discrimination in the early years of the 20th century. There, did I sell that well enough?

Virginia Gov Proposes Selling Naming Rights To Transportation Infrastructure

Share Tweet The Big Mac Bridge. AT&T Highway. Ford Bypass. Just a couple of the possibilities if Virginia's Governor's proposal of selling the naming rights for the state’s bridges and highways goes through.

Gov. Robert McDonnell thinks the move could generate funds for road maintenance. Opponents say the proposal would turn the state into a marketer working on behalf of corporate interests.

Read the L.A. Times story and give your thoughts- a good way to raise funds for repairs that won't get done otherwise or the selling out of America? Or any opinion in between, of course.

Spokane Valley Council Debates Gateway Idea

Share Tweet We've been talking about 'gateways' a lot lately around here- the entrances to cities or metropolitan areas that a lot of communities are trying to spruce up in order to send a positive message about their area to the people who use those areas.

Spokane Valley is no different- they have an idea in mind for a gateway. The only problem is now they're debating what it should include. A piece of property near Appleway and Thierman was slated to get an entrayway welcome sign, but the plan then grew to include art, trees, and apparently a sidewalk is required. Now some City Council members say it's too much- and too expensive- while others say that 'curb appeal' is necessary to entice businesses and shoppers.

The Spokane Valley News Herald looks at both sides of the issue.

New Traffic Alignment Near Whitworth & Technology To Get Buses Through Green Lights More Efficiently

Share Tweet Spokane County officials are working with residents near Whitworth University to devise a new traffic alignment for the arterial serving that area and Spokane Transit is working on technology that would allow buses to extend green-lights so they can run up and down busy corridors more efficiently. Those are just a few of the items in today's Getting There column from the Spokesman-Review.

Browne's Addition Plowing Tuesday & Wednesday

Share Tweet If you live in Browne's Addition, the City will be plowing your streets on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, starting at 9 a.m. each day. Plowing of north-south streets is planned for Tuesday and east-west streets on Wednesday. Because streets in Browne’s Addition are narrow, all vehicles must be moved to accommodate the plows. Vehicles that aren’t moved will be towed, so be warned.

Will 2012 State Of The Union Be Transportation-Heavy?

Share Tweet President Obama gives his State of the Union speech tomorrow (Tuesday) night, and there's a lot of speculation on whether it will focus heavily on transportation again. Last year's speech had more references to transportation than the previous twenty State of the Union speeches.

Despite the talk though, there still hasn't been a federal transportation bill authorized in the year since that speech and many other transportation issues have remained status quo. Transportation Issues Daily tells us what we can expect and how you can weigh in on what the President said after the speech.

Bacteria Eats De-Icer So It Doesn't End Up In Rivers & Lakes

Share Tweet What happens to the thousands of gallons of used de-icer after it's put on streets? In most cases its washed into storm drains with melting snow, where it ends up in either water treatment facilities or rivers and other bodies of water. In Portland though, airport officials are feeding it to bacteria to dispose of it.

What?? Yep, you heard me right. Last year, the airport sprayed more than 60,000 gallons of glycol-based de-icing fluids on their planes and runways, too much to dispose of in a way compliant with the limits of its wastewater discharge permit.

So they had to find another way to get rid of it, which is detailed in this article from Boise State Public Radio.

Local Snow Removal Roundup

Share Tweet So here's a roundup of snow removal efforts from all the agencies I get news releases from:

City of Spokane
- Upgraded to a Stage 2 Snow Declaration around 6:00 last night, meaning they'll do a full-City plow of all residential and arterial streets. That takes about four days.
- Overnight, crews replowed many arterials and plowed the downtown area into berms in the middle of the roads.

Spokane Valley
- A full city plowing of all residential areas began around 6 a.m. today.
- Crews worked overnight to plow primary and secondary arterials, hillsides and known problem areas.
- Please move your vehicles off the streets if possible to make it easier for plow drivers, and less risky for your car.

Spokane County
- Crews re-plowed primary arterials and emergency routes last night.
- Crews continue to work 10-hour shifts around the clock to clear more than 2,500 miles of roadway.
- Warmer weather is forecast for tomorrow and next week, with rain expected. Please clear snow from down spouts and storm drains to prevent flooding. Overnight lows could result in patches of black ice and frozen intersections.

Washington State Department of Transportation
- Snoqualmie Pass is open but there are areas of ice and compact snow so take it slow if you go over the Pass.
- Traction tires are required.
- It's snowing there as of 8:20 a.m.

City Declares Stage 1 Snow Condition

Share Tweet The City of Spokane just declared a Stage 1 Snow Condition, meaning cars are required to be moved from all arterials and STA bus routes within six hours, or by 6:30 p.m.

It also means City snow removal crews will work 24 hours a day to plow all arterials, bus routes, and all streets in the City’s residential hill routes.

Who Roller Skates On A Ferry Boat?

Share Tweet Um, I guess its been a while since I've been on a ferry, because I didn't remember them as being places of vice and bad behavior. But the Washington State Patrol says stuff going on is so inappropraite on boats that they're asking for a bill to control behavior on ferries.

Here's a sample: spitting, littering, urinating or defecating in places other than approved plumbing fixtures (ew- really??), carrying flammable liquids, roller-skating (on a boat?? Must be better roller-skaters than me), gambling (gotta pay for your fare somehow), and trying to pass oneself off as a ferry worker. Okay, the last one I have really no clue about.

Surprised? I sure was. Here's the rest of the story from the Spokesman-Review.

Most Spokane To Seattle Flights Cancelled This Morning

Share Tweet In case you hadn't heard, most flights from Spokane to Seattle are cancelled this morning. One runway at Sea-Tac Airport is open for flights to arrive and depart, but it can't accomodate many flights.

Freezing rain has followed heavy snow in Western Washington, causing icy roads and power outages. The National Weather Service has issued an ice storm warning until noon today for the Seattle area and southwest Washington.

@Vanillajane sent this pic of what happened when she rolled down her car window in Olympia this morning, and as just a few minutes ago she said her power was out.

So if you're heading that way, or trying to, check for flight status here.

Transportation Technical Committee Meeting Agenda For Jan. 25

Share Tweet Our monthly Transportation Technical Committee (TTC) meeting is next Wednesday, Jan. 25. The agenda just came out today. You can view it here. The meetings are open to the public, so if it suits your fancy, come check it out.

Two Public Meetings Next Week On Upcoming Projects

Share Tweet A couple public meetings are coming up on January 25 that you may be interested in, depending on where you live and drive:

- A Sullivan Bridge Preliminary Design meeting is scheduled for Jan. 25 from 6-7:30 p.m. at CenterPlace Regional Event Center, 2426 N. Discovery Place in Spokane Valley.

Engineers and design consultants for the bridge replacement project will be on hand to go over preliminary plans and get public opinion on bridge appearance, options for routing traffic and maintaining business access, and ideas for minimizing impacts during construction.

Construction of a new southbound bridge is necessary due to cracking in the girders and the concrete driving surface. The bridge is closed for temporary repairs now that are expected to be complete around the end of February.

- Also on Jan. 25, Spokane County is hosting a public meeting on the Harvard Road widening project. The project has been revised to widen Harvard Road from Euclid to 2,000 feet north of Wellesley to a two lane section with shoulders and a separated shared use path on one side. Left turn lanes would be constructed at the Euclid and Wellesley avenues and a traffic signal installed at the Wellesley Ave. intersection.

The meeting is at the Otis Orchards Elementary School located at 22000 E. Wellesley Ave. between 5:30-8 p.m.

Council Approves Sidewalk Construction Projects

Share Tweet Spokane's City Council Tuesday confirmed that funds set aside for sidewalk maintenance won't be diverted for street repairs.

There was some question that the new members of the Council might repeal the $20 vehicle tab tax passed last year, or at the very least, redirect the sidewalk money to street projects.

The Council last night set the record straight though, and approved three sidewalk construction projects using that money. Here's which projects were approved.