37th Ave. Project Starts Tuesday

Get ready south hill residents, because another construction project will be firing up in your area soon.

The project to rehabilitate 37th Ave. from Perry to Regal streets begins next Tuesday, July 7.

The project includes installation of new curbs and sidewalks from Crestline to Mt. Vernon streets and replacing water transmission and distribution mains. Drivers will be detoured to 29th Ave. to Grand Blvd. and then onto Hatch Rd. to 57th Ave. and then to Regal St.

The nearly $2 million project is being funded by the 10-Year Street Bond, Water Department, and Spokane Transit Authority.

Pedestrian Count Results Are In

Thanks to Margie Hall from the City of Spokane's Planning Department. She was kind enough to compile the results of a pedestrian count we worked on in June. Margie and I take part in a Non-Motorized Transportation group that includes reprentatives from STA, SRTC, City of Spokane, the Lands Council, the Spokane Regional Health District, the Bicycle Advisory Board, the Commute Trip Reduction program, and several others.

In early June we did a walking audit of Monroe Street from Ide Street to Boone Ave. to identify barriers to walking, bicyling and using wheelchairs. And we found a lot of them. So that got us wondering how many people actually walk and ride on Monroe Street. We did a pedestrian count a couple days later (and have more planned) and were surprised by how many people do:

Site: REI, Boone to Mallon
3:30-4:40 p.m.
# pedestrians: 83
# bicyclists: 14
# illegal pedestrian crossings: 22
# illegal bike crossings: 1

Site: Monroe and Ide (north end of bridge to Broadway)
4:45-5:20 p.m.
# pedestrians: 66
# bicyclists: 9
# illegal pedestrian crossings: 14
# illegal bike crossings: 2

Site: Monroe and Broadway
3:45-4:45 p.m.
# pedestrians: 151 (3 in motorized wheelchairs)
# bicyclists: 33
# illegal pedestrian crossing: 27
# legal pedestrian crossings: 83

Truck-Pedestrian Collision Leaves Woman With Life-Threatening Injuries

First Avenue in downtown Spokane is reduced to one lane while police investigate a truck-pedestrian accident this morning. Post is blocked from Sprague to Second avenues.

A female pedestrian was hit by a truck in a crosswalk about 7:30 a.m. Police say her injuries are life-threatening and the driver could be charged with failure to yield to a pedestrian.

A pickup was turning left from First Avenue onto Post Street on a green light when it hit the woman, who had a walk signal.

This scares me because it happens to me ALL THE TIME downtown. I try to cross the street right in front of our building, always with the walk signal, and nine times out of ten I get cussed out by people waiting to turn right. I always yell at them, 'I've got the walk signal!!' but they usually yell back. Anyone else experiencing this on a fairly regular basis in Spokane?

Fuse Release 'Sizzle' and 'Fizzle' Award Winners

Thanks to Paul Kropp for forwarding this item:

The Washington state-based online advocacy group 'Fuse' just released their 'Sizzle Awards,' identifying what state leaders are great, and who's second rate, when it comes to progress.

According to their website, Fuse 'works to provide a cutting edge online organizing and communications hub for Washington and 'is focused primarily on securing major advances in progressive public policy for Washington State.'

Timm Ormsby is listed among the winners as a recipient of the 'Mother Jones' award but Mary Margaret Haugen and Judi Clibborn were given the not-so-prestigious 'Wrong Way' award and Governor Gregoire claimed the 'Pushmi-Pullyu' award.

You can check out more winners and losers, and what each award means, here.

Then let us know if you agree or disagree, or what awards you would give out given the chance.

Spokane County's Five Mile Project Starts Monday

For those of you who drive Five Mile Road, things are about to slow down even more. The County's reconstruction of 5 Mile and Strong Road starts on Monday, July 6.

Five Mile Road will be reconstructed from Berridae Road south to Strong, and Strong Road will be reconstructed from Rustle Road east to Five Mile.

Both streets will be open to local traffic only.

Bridge Projects Could Slow You Down

Spokane County's Engineering and Roads Department wants to alert you to two bridge projects that could increase your travel time this summer.

The Elder Road Bridge maintenance project has closed Elder Road from State Route 27 to Campbell Road until approximately August 15th. The east end of the bridge has experienced some settling. The project will restore the bridge and approach roadway to its original condition.

The Rutter Parkway Bridge will be closed beginning Monday, July 6 until about August 31. Drivers should plan to use alternate routes. The project will rehabilitate the concrete deck and overlay slab with concrete.

Council Okays Fish Lake Trail Stimulus Money

The Spokane City Council on Monday night voted to accept federal stimulus money for the Fish Lake Trail, meaning construction can now move forward.

The council voted unanimously to move ahead with the $1.7 million second phase of the project, which will connect a previously paved section to the start of the route in West Spokane. Here's the story.

Bike Commuting While Pregnant- Safe Or Risky?

Most people who know me know I'm pretty squeamish about pregnancy, so here's a topic I never expected to discuss on this blog: should pregnant women continue to bike commute? My first reaction was no, they should be hidden away out of the site of the non-pregnant public. I have to admit that's not fair though. This thread on the 'Bike Commute Tips Blog' by author Paul Dorn says bicycle commuting can be a particularly healthy activity for expectant mothers, even up to the week before giving birth.

He emphasizes that pregnancy is definetely a time when women need to use caution in their physical exertion, but says bicycling is among the best exercise a woman can choose because of it's smooth motion and it doesn't require lifting or jumping, and you can choose your level of exertion.

So read the article and let me know if you, your spouse, or a friend commuted by bike while pregnant.

Holiday Closures, Schedule Changes, Etc.

Because the Independence Day holiday falls on a Saturday this year, we've got some schedule changes in the works this week. Most government offices will be closed on Friday, July 3. Here's a roundup of what's going on:

- SRTC will be closed on Friday, July 3. We'll reopen at 8 a.m. on Monday, July 6.

- Most Washington State Department of Transportation construction work will be suspended by noon on Thursday, July 2 in anticipation of increased holiday traffic. Interstate 90 west of Spokane near the Cheney/Four Lakes Interchange will be reduced to one lane in each direction for a bridge deck repair. Interstate 90 just east of Downtown Spokane may have grooved pavement and abrupt lane edges.

- Spokane City Hall will be closed on Friday, July 3.

- Downtown Spokane parking meters don’t have to be plugged both Friday and Saturday, July 3 and 4.

- The Spokane City Council meeting for Monday, July 6, has been cancelled because of a lack of a quorum.

- Spokane County offices will be closed on Friday, July 3rd. The Spokane County Courthouse, Public Safety Building and Veterans Services will also be closed.

Olympia Transit System Named Best In Nation

Congratulations to Olympia, Washington's Intercity Transit! The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) has named Intercity Transit the best transit system in the nation for its size. Intercity Transit won the title in the medium-size category of transit systems providing between 4 and 30 million rides annually.

APTA presents the award each year to the transit system that best demonstrates achievement in efficiency and effectiveness over the previous three-year period.
Here's more on that award.

U District Local Revitalization Area Proposed

The City of Spokane has proposed developing a Local Revitalization Area in the University District on the east end of downtown and is seeking input from citizens on the proposal.

A public meeting is scheduled for this Wednesday, July 1 from 6-8 p.m. in the Nursing Center, Auditorium 105, on the Riverpoint Campus at 103 Spokane Falls Blvd.

Creation of a Local Revitalization Area would provide funding for public improvement projects within the District through a new version of tax-increment financing approved by the state Legislature in 2009. The funding could provide a boost toward the construction of a railroad overpass for pedestrians and bicyclists in the District, along with other potential projects.

You're encouraged to attend the meeting to learn about the Local Revitalization Area idea. The City is seeking input on the boundaries of the area, as well as the projects that could be constructed using this funding.

Poll Shows Spokane Citizens Want Better Streets

Early results from an online Spokane City Council survey show that the biggest 'want' of citizens is smoother streets.

In a list of 22 items, street improvements, more job opportunities, and the creation of a centralized public market ranked the highest among the 683 completed surveys as of Friday afternoon. Here are more early poll results from the Spokesman-Review.

And here's a link to the survey. You can take it through this Friday, July 3.

Stimulus Highway Projects About To Start

$20 million worth of stimulus highway projects are about to start in our area and holiday travel is expected to be down from past years over the 4th of July weekend.
Here's the details from the Spokesman-Review's 'Getting There' column.

Name Chosen For NSC Path

In the Fall of 2008 the Washington State Department Of Transportation solicited ideas from the public to name the pedestrian-bike path which runs parallel to the North Spokane Corridor (NSC). This path will connect to neighborhoods along with other trails in the community.

Over 45 potential names were submitted. WSDOT then invited representatives from Tribal, biking, and outdoor groups to choose from those submitted names. The group chose "Children of the Sun" which is the rough translation of the word "Spokane" in the Salish language.

Lane Closures On Lower North Side

Here's your warning; there will be lane closures and obstructions each day this week, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. so crews can install fiber optic cable. The work starts at City Hall and will move across the Monroe St. Bridge to Bridge Ave., then across Kendall Yards to College Ave., and up Maple St. to Indiana Ave., then down to the Fire Station on Ash St. Flaggers will be in place.

Traffic Signals Out In Northeast Spokane

The panic is over- the streetlights are back up and running.

Time to tuneup your four-way stop skills folks, some traffic signals in an area of Northeast Spokane are not functioning due to a power outage. The dark signals are from Division St. east to Nevada and Hamilton streets from Illinois Ave. north Wellesley Ave.

City crews have brought in generators for major intersections, but other signals are without power.

So here's the official protocal. EVERYONE stops when a signal is out and treats it like a four-way stop.

'LightLane' Gives You Your Own Bike Lane

Start saving your money folks, because I can envision a lot of people running out to buy this little gadget. The gadget blog Gizmodo says this new product called 'LightLane' will be available soon. Using lasers affixed to your bicycle, the LightLane projects a virtual bike lane around you, letting cars know their boundaries and, hopefully, making riding safer for you. It's got it's obvious flaws, such as the fact that it probably isn't very visible during daylight hours, but all in all I think it's pretty cool. No word yet how much 'LightLane' will cost but I'm sure it won't be cheap.

19 Cities Sued Over Red Light Cameras

Red Light Cameras are being challenged again. 19 Washington cities, including Spokane, are being sued by a group that claims people who get automated traffic-camera fines are being overcharged.

Here's an article by the Spokesman-Review.

Not All Parking Lots Are Ugly

Who says parking lots have to be ugly, barren places? The Neva-Wood COPS Shop has a brand new parking lot that's more of a compliment to their building than just a place to leave your car while you do business inside. Here's the story.

Washington State Bike Map

Got big vacation plans this year? Looking for something cheap to do? How about a bicycle trip across the state? Or just across your county? Wherever you're going on two wheels across Washington, the Washington State Department of Transportation has a bike map to help you. Here's a link. Just click the area you're interested in for local area details. Now get packing, you've got a bike trip to make. And thanks to Holly for sending me this link.