Keep Construction Crews Safe

News release from the City of Spokane Engineering Department:

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CITY WANTS TO KEEP YOU AND OUR STREET CREWS SAFE
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The City of Spokane needs the help of citizens to have a safe, successful, and efficient construction season.

This year, the City is planning more than $18 million worth of construction projects. These projects are designed to maintain and enhance public infrastructure for the benefit of all, but they also can be frustrating for motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians.

As you move about through the City this summer, Spokane Police and engineers request the following assistance:

Obey construction speed limits. The speed limits are set to help ensure the safety of construction workers and limit damage to vehicles driving through construction zones.
Follow marked detours. Using neighborhood streets to avoid traffic backups on a detour route can lead to safety risks for children and others living in our neighborhoods.
Don’t drive past construction barricades. Barricades are put up to protect the public. Hazards in a construction zone may not be obvious, and crews driving loud, heavy equipment can’t hear approaching vehicles, let alone cyclists or pedestrians.
Report vandalism, speeding or reckless driving at construction sites. Call the Police Traffic Hotline at 625-4150 or 9-1-1 in emergencies.

“Working together, we can improve safety for citizens and construction workers while delivering a product that everyone can be proud of,” says Eldon Brown, the City’s Acting Director of Engineering Services.

How To Alienate A Pedestrian?

Pedestrians and pedestrian facilities have been on my mind lately. That's because we're partnering with the Spokane County Health District, the City of Spokane, and the Active Living Task Force (ALTF) to develop a Regional Pedestrian Plan.

Coincidentally, just after leaving a Ped Plan meeting this morning, I logged onto MetroSpokane just to see what's new, and there it was, an article on 'How To Alienate A Pedestrian.'

Check it out As a 'man (or woman) on the street,' do the items they mention bother you?

Try Your Hand At Balancing A City Budget

I hear it all the time; people complaining that their city's budget is out of whack and they could do a much better job keeping it balanced. Well here's your chance. The City of Spokane Valley is offering you a chance to try your hand at balancing their budget.

The Valley's six year forecast shows a gap between revenues and expenditures in the long term. So they're asking for your input and how to solve that problem.

Go to the Valley's website to make your own budget, then let us know how you allocated funds. More street projects? Less street projects? Bike and pedestrian facilities. Give us your thoughts.

Our Transportation Facilities Are Being Watched

I don't know if this will make you feel better or scare the hell out of you. I'm on the fence about it.

I was out taking pictures this morning of sites of transportation projects to be completed over the next twenty years. One of those projects is to move of the weigh station near Stateline further east along I-90. I stopped at the pretty much deserted weigh station and took a couple pictures, then drove off. About 10 minutes later I received a call on my cell phone from Washington State Patrol asking why I had been taking pictures of the weigh station!

It took just minutes for them to run my license plate and track down my cell phone number! Everything was fine after I explained why I was taking pictures and I guess it makes me feel a little better to know that someone is watching the people who are watching our infrastructure. On the other hand, it kind of scares me that they could track me down that fast.

Fix The Streets For Ice Skating Fans??

I've heard them all; the cries to fix the streets for drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians. But now someone wants the streets fixed for ice skating fans!

Letters to the editor
Fix streets for skating visitors

What a wonderful thing it is to get the skating championships here in Spokane. Yes, we did a great job the last time, but our streets were certainly in much better condition than they are now – or will be in another year and a half!

No matter what is done to "polish" up the city for all of the out-of-town and out-of-country visitors, one ride on one of our many deplorable streets will undo everything good that's been done and leave a negative impression. They'll be so busy dodging potholes that they'll miss everything that's so good about our city. That's not the kind of international attention that we want – or need.

So, Mayor Verner, what is going to be your priority? Take a trip up Maple/Cedar to High Drive (or down), South Monroe, even Market Street, and see what out-of-towners will be forced to deal with as we residents do. I'm not talking about side streets, but almost every arterial in this fine city of ours. Where will our priorities be?

K. J. Merritt
Spokane

How Not To Ride Your Bike To Work This Week

In honor of the first day of Bike To Work Week, we bring you this montage of bike crashes, because nothing's funnier than watching someone else wipe out (and not get seriously hurt). Hope your week goes better than this.

Roundup For The Week of May 12

Division Street lane reductions, Bike to Work week and Spokane Valley road construction. Just a few of the things going on in the transportation world in our area. Here's the roundup for this week from the Spokesman's 'Getting There' column.

Statistics Show Decline In Driving Miles

For the first three months of 2008, highway travel has declined by 2.3% nationwide and 5.6% in Idaho, relative to the same three months in 2007. That's according to a 'Traffic Volume Trends' report put out by the Federal Highway Administration.

Travel on all roads and streets dropped by 4.3% for March '08 compared to March of the previous year. Travel for the month is an estimated 246 billion miles. In Washington, people drove 781 million vehicle miles in March. Across the border in Idaho, it was 418 million. That's a drop of 6.2% in Washington and 6.3% in Idaho.

The report doesn't address why the drop in driving but I know I've been riding the bus much more frequently due to gas prices.

Bike Commuter Clinic

Kudos to Huckleberry's and Wheelsport for teaming up to conduct a 'Commuter Clinic' on May 15 to recognize Bike To Work Week.

Parade Street Closures

Some streets in downtown Spokane will be closed Saturday from 8:30 a.m. until noon for the annual Junior Lilac Parade. Here's the roundup:

· Washington St. between Main and Boone avenues
· Dean Ave. between Washington and Howard streets
· Cataldo Ave. between Washington and Howard streets
· Spokane Falls Blvd. between Bernard and Post streets
· Post St. between Spokane Falls Blvd. and Bridge Ave.
· Main St. between Bernard and Stevens streets
· Stevens St. between Main Ave. and Spokane Falls Blvd.

Division Street Delay From the WSDOT

Be prepared to slow down on Division Street, between Foothills Drive and Houston Avenue. Weekdays between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m., that section of roadway will be reduced to just two lanes. Then, from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m., it will be reduced even further to one lane. There will be some sidewalk restrictions as well.

Crews will be installing a fiber optics communication system. The fiber optic line will complete a link between two existing fiber lines that are part of the transportation communications network.

Check out this progress on the North Spokane Corridor

The North Spokane Corridor gets a bad rap from some folks in our community who feel that planners should not be focused on roads. But as you will see in this video, the corridor project is truly multi modal. It includes separated bike and pedestrian trails for the entire length on the freeway, as well as right-of-way for a north/south light rail link.

What do you think? Do you support our region's investment in the North Spokane Corridor?

Gas Tax Holiday: Good or Bad Idea?

I grumble about high gas prices just as much as the next guy (or gal in this case), but when a friend asked me about the 'Gas Tax Holiday' proposed by Hillary Clinton and John McCain, I told her it was a bad idea. Here's why:

- The federal gas tax is 18.4 cents a gallon. Clinton and McCain would like to suspend that tax for the summer months. That money funds the federal Highway Trust Fund (HTF), which finances road projects nationwide. The HTF already faces a $3.4 billion shortfall, which is why our roads are in bad shape and we hear constant complaining about them.

- The federal transportation department says every $1 billion in highway spending creates 34,779 jobs, which means the a gas tax holiday could cost 300,000 construction jobs.

- Economists say the average driver will only save about $30 over the summer, or 33 cents a day, because oil companies will most likely push up the price of gas by almost the size of the tax cut if there is a gas tax holiday.

- Eliminating the tax will lead to increased consumption.

So that's my reasoning. Anyone have anything to add or a differing opinion?

Construction Zone Therapy

Rebecca Nappi, of the Spokesman's 'A Matter of Opinion' blog is asking people today if they have any "secret" ways to avoid the insanity on Ash/Maple or any construction zone?

What's your secret route or coping method?

Jaywalking: Bain of Mankind Or The Quickest Way To Get Somewhere?

Do you jaywalk? Do you believe that if you get caught jaywalking you should get a $56 ticket? That's what the Spokesman's 'Huckleberries' blog is asking readers today, in response to an article by Doug Clark that says he believes emphasis patrols to bust jaywalkers shouldn't be a priority.

Here's your chance to voice your opinion. Is jaywalking really the scourge of downtown transportation modes or simply a harmless way to get where you're going faster?

Trip Back In Time Courtesy Of MetroSpokane

Our blogging buddies over at MetroSpokane have a contest they hold occasionally where they ask readers to identify local streets or intersections based on old photos. This week, they have a really cool picture of the intersection of Main and Post as it was in 1953. The cool thing about the picture though is the background, you can see things that are still there 55 years later! Take a look

He Looks Like Everyone Else, But He's Got A Secret

Because May is National Bike To Work Month and a mechanical breakdown can happen to anyone, we offer this 'Bicycle Repairman' piece from Monty Python's Flying Circus. And if you can't comprehend it in English, it's even got Spanish subtitles!

WSDOT Way Over Budget For Winter Costs

Keeping state highways clear of snow and ice during the winter is an expensive job - a $35 million job, to be exact. And that’s if there's a “normal” amount of precipitation.

The heavy snowfall and cold temperatures this winter Washington State Department of Transportation more than $8 million over budget for snow and ice removal. Here’s a look at the cost breakdown (and this is only through March, it actually snowed all the way into April):

Avalanche Control:
97 missions
221 detonations
99 recoilless rifle rounds
8560 pounds of explosives

Deicer:
Cost: $150 per ton
Planned use: 55,000 tons
Currently used: 85,000 tons
Difference: 30,000 tons at an extra cost of $4.5 million

Labor:
$2.2 million extra in regular time
$1.6 million extra in overtime
Total over budget: $8.3 million

The 2008 Legislature provided an extra $5.25 million to help balance the costs of winter cleanup efforts, but WSDOT anticipates carrying at least a $3 million deficit into next winter. If the 2008-09 winter is milder, they could recoup some of the costs.

Move Your Car For Street Sweeping

City of Spokane crews will sweep area streets this week from 6 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday. Residents are asked to move vehicles from the street during sweeping. Sweeping will continue citywide until it is complete in July. You can also get updates by calling the City’s street maintenance hotline at
456-2666. This week, crews will sweep the areas bounded by these streets:

Northwest: Monroe St. to Ash St. and Wellesley Ave. to Francis Ave.
Lincoln Rd. to Francis Ave. and Ash St. to A St.

Northeast: Wellesley Ave. to Euclid and Nevada St. to Division St.
Wellesley Ave. to Illinois Ave. and Crestline to Hamilton/Nevada St.

South: 29th Ave. to Hartson Ave. and Havana St. to Ray/Thor St.
14th Ave. to 29th Ave. and Lincoln Rd. to Grand Blvd.

Transportation Roundup

Expect some delays on I90 if you cross the border, a local bridge is out of commission and you can't put that campaign sign just anywhere. Here's the wrapup for this week from the Spokesman's 'Getting There' column.