New Answer To An Old Question

The answer to the question "How far will people walk to reach a transit stop?" has traditionally been half a mile. New research presented yesterday at the Annual Meeting of the Transportation Research Board (which our Transportation Planner Eve is attending, by the way) says that number may be wrong. Which could change the whole context of what living "close" to transit means. So just how far does public transit reach extend? The Atlantic Citylab takes a look at the new numbers.

Governor Calls for New Funding For Transportation Projects In State of the State Address

In his State of the State address yesterday, Gov. Jay Inslee called for the Legislature to pass a package of major transportation projects. He also said that would require some sort of new tax to pay for them.

For the last two years, the Democratic-controlled House has approved such a plan, but Senate Republicans have killed the plans.

Republican response to yesterday's speech was that the governor's plan doesn’t do enough to reform large transportation projects that have been plagued with problems, like the stalled tunneling operation under Seattle to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct.

Here's the Spokesman-Review's summary of the State of the State address.

Your Car Is Watching You

Thanks to Charles for sending me this article. I'm not sure if this is cool or frightening. Proposed new legislation could very soon require cars to have a "black box," also known as an "event data recorder" like those found in airplanes. The box would record what happens with a vehicle and could be examined in the case of an accident.

A lot of people don't like the idea and say it's "Big Brother watching." What a lot of people don't realize though is that some of the features already in cars today are also recording your information. For instance, using navigation records your starting point (usually your home) and the places you go. And pairing a phone to the car's audio system also gives away some of your personal information. But consumer reports has some ways to get around this. Check them out here.

Seattle Dog Uses Public Transit Solo To Get To Dog Park

You see all kinds of stuff riding the bus- but a dog riding alone? That's what the folks on one Seattle bus route see regularly. A black lab named Eclipse has made herself right at home on the bus- as a way to get to the dog park. Sometimes her owner is with her, but a lot of the time she rides solo, to the delight of the other passengers.

Spokane Drivers Among Worst For Texting/Talking On Phone

Do you use your cell phone while driving? If you live in Spokane County, you're far from alone. Results from a 2013 study show that Spokane County drivers are among the worst in Washington when it comes to talking or texting while driving.

Investigators observed behind-the-wheel behavior of thousands of drivers at intersections in Spokane, King, Snohomish, Pierce, Yakima and Whatcom counties. Spokane drivers had the highest cellphone use, followed by Whatcom County, 12.5 percent; King, 9 percent; Yakima, 8.6 percent; Pierce, 5.4 percent; and Snohomish, 4.3 percent.

Here are more results from the study.

Grant Aimed at Making Area Railroad Crossings Safer

In the last year, there have been 22 collisions between cars and trains in Washington State. A new grant will pay for signs that should help to cut down on incidents like that in Spokane and Whitman counties.

More than 40 potentially hazardous crossings will be fitted with reflectors and better signs to make the crossings more visible. KREM 2 News has the story.

Some Big Improvements Coming For North Monroe

Congratulations to the City of Spokane on two grants to improve North Monroe.
The first, from the Washington State Department of Transportation's (WSDOT) Highway Safety Improvement Program, is for $3,773,200. It will convert one a section of Monroe to two lanes with a two-way left turn lane and wide curb lanes. Curb extensions and pedestrian lighting will be installed and sidewalks and traffic signs and signals will be upgraded.

The second grant, through the WSDOT’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Program, will provide the remaining $326,800 of the anticipated $4.1 total needed to revitalize North Monroe. Included is reducing North Monroe from five lanes to three from just north of Indiana to approximately Kiernan at the top of the North Hill and several other improvements. For the entire project scope, check out the Emerson-Garfield Neighborhood blog post on the grants and their expected impacts.

Newest Mercedes Comes With It's Own Crosswalk

Mercedes-Benz revealed a new concept car at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week but it's got more in common with Inspector Gadget than the family truckster. The "F 015 Luxury in Motion" car not only recognizes and reacts to pedestrians in front of it, it can even project a real-time crosswalk onto the road and use voice commands to direct the person to cross. 

The "Where the Sidewalk Starts Blog" has more information on this latest self-driving car.

Obama: Enjoy Cheap Gas Prices Cause They Won't Last

We've all known it all along but have been ignoring reality. President Obama, however, is not shy about raining on the parade by saying that low gas prices won't last.

In an interview with the Detroit News yesterday, the president advised people to save some of that money they're saving at the pump, or invest it in something that will help with family finances, and the environment, later- a fuel efficient vehicle. Here's that interview.

Pilot Project Tries Composting Road Kill

What happens to animals that are hit and killed on roadways? In Virginia, they're composted. Yep, you read that right. Workers remove an average of 20 road kill animals per week, according to the Virginia Department Of Transportation, and turn them into dirt.

Here are the details. And according to VDOT, it's not as gory as it sounds.

Lawmakers Who Could Make A Big Difference In Transportation This Year

Representative Peter DeFazio-
Transportation superhero in
disguise?

Who is going to be a transportation superhero this year? Every year, there are members of Congress who step up and fight for changes and improvements in transportation legislation. The Hill has some predictions as to who some of those players will be this year with this article, Five New Transportation Players to Watch in 2015.

Mapping the Paths Most Taken

You probably have some favorite routes to walk, run or bike. And you might notice some of the same people using the same routes everyday. But how many people use the same routes? And why are some so popular and others not so used?

One of the developers of Mapbox, an app to make interactive maps and data visualizations, used routes recorded on Runkeeper, an app that allows you to map where you travel on a daily basis, to find good routes to run when he was traveling to unfamiliar cities. After laying these routes over maps of the cities, he started noticing some things.

For instance, it became clear that given a choice of running by water or not, most people will run by water. And that there are very few unexplored places anymore. Citylab has more on these maps and where people are going.

Gas May Be REALLY Cheap Now, But Comparatively, It's Always Been Cheap For Americans

While we've all been marveling at the recent low gas prices, one thing that's been overlooked is that, in a global sense, gas in the U.S. fuel has been cheap for years. Comparatively speaking.

On a list of world gas prices, America ranks towards the bottom, as seen in the chart below. Why? Citylab tackles that question and the answer is gas taxes. Didn't see that coming since we complain about how high Washington gas taxes are all the time, did you?

Distracted Driving and Seat Belt Emphasis Patrols

Keep your eyes on the road and your seatbelt on. This month local law enforcement agencies will be teaming up for distracted driving and seat belt emphasis patrols in Spokane County.  

A 2013 study done by the University of Washington showed that 14.5% of Spokane County drivers in the study were distracted (texting or talking on a cell phone).  Sixty-seven percent were texting, with only 6% using a hands-free device.

Using a handheld phone is the equivalent of driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.08.  Texting is even more dangerous, with a crash risk higher than driving with a blood alcohol level of 0.19.  

The Airway Heights Police Department, EWU Police Department, Cheney Police Department, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office, Spokane Police Department, and the Spokane Valley Police Departments will be participating in extra patrols to cut down on this distracted driving.

WA Roads Closed Due To Flooding, Landslides and Rain

Flooding in Cosmopolis on theWashington Coast just off Hwy. 101

According to the Washington State Department of Transportation, rain, flooding and landslides have blocked the following roads as of 10:30 a.m. today:

• SR 101, from milepost 53.5 to 29
• SR 538, from mp 5 to 3
• SR 109, mp 1.8
• Hwy 12 mp 28.1
• SR 101 mp 89 AND mp 91.2
• Hwy 12, mp 1
• SR 105, mp 10 to 4.5
• SR 4, mp 0 to 4

Motorcycle Deaths Drop Sharply

Good news for motorcyclists and an overall victory- motorcycle fatalities on U.S. roadways dropped dramatically in 2013 for the first time since 2009.

A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration survey said 4,668 motorcyclists lost their lives on U.S. roads in 2013, down from 4,986 in 2012. That's a 6.4 percent decrease.

That compares with a 3.1 percent decrease in all U.S. traffic fatalities.

Where riders died depended on state laws. The Yakima Herald has more on this and the age group where motorcycle deaths decreased the most.

City Looks At Options For Post Street Bridge- Again

The city of Spokane is taking a new look at the question of what to do with the aging Post Street Bridge. The bridge is old and has had weight restrictions on it for many years. The question is though, would it be a better idea to rehabilitate it or replace it?

The Spokesman-Review's "Getting There" column has information on a plan to do a study on the bridge.

Top 10 Automobile Innovations of 2014

What were some of your favorite auto innovations in 2014? Self-driving cars? "Smart" cars that talk
to each other? A bus powered by human waste? Flying cars? Wait, did I just say flying cars? Well, maybe not flying but hovering.

ETAuto.com lists there top ten favorite automobile innovations for 2014.

SRTC Board Meeting January 8

There's no coasting the first few weeks of the year in our office! The first meeting of SRTC's Board is next Thursday, Jan. 8 and it's a busy agenda with lots of interesting stuff. You can see the agenda here. If anything interests you, feel free to attend. All Board meetings are open to the public. We're located at 221 W. 1st Ave., Suite 310 in Spokane.

Sullivan Road Resurfacing Public Open House

Sullivan Road will be resurfaced this upcoming summer between Sprague and Mission.

You're invited to a presentation on this project next Thursday, January 8 starting at 5:30 p.m. at Valley Assembly Church,15618 E. Broadway Avenue.

An overview of the project plans will be presented at 5:45 pm, followed by an opportunity for community members to share questions, comments, and concerns.