Pines Near I-90 To Be Closed Over Weekend

Southbound Pines Road will be fully closed near I-90 at the UPRR tracks and detoured on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 2 & 3, from 7a.m. to 7 p.m. Union Pacific Railroad crews will be making improvements to the crossing there.

Prescription: More Bike Lanes. STAT

If an apple a day will keep the doctor away, what will a bunch of new bike lanes do? A group of physicians in Toronto are asking city council to speed up the installation of bike lanes throughout the city, using the slogan "Change lanes and save lives." The Torontoist has the story.

Bill Seeks To Repeal WA Helmet Law

Anyone have one of these they
want to part with?

I was just telling a friend that I need an Evel Knievel-style motorcycle helmet for my winter sledding exploits and how hard it is it find them. There could be a lot of helmets flooding area Goodwills though if a bill repealing the state helmet law is passed. The Washington State Senate Transportation Committee has a hearing on the proposal today.

While I'm skeptical that the bill will pass, motorcycle helmet laws across the nation have apparently been falling out of favor in recent years. The News Tribune has the pros and cons of repealing the helmet law.

Some New Hondas To Come With Siri

Like Siri in your Iphone? Well you may have her in your car soon. Honda says it will install Apple's Siri voice-activated telematics assistant into several of its 2013 models, so you can keep your hands on the wheel while Siri does the calling, texting and navigating.

Automotive News has the story.

Public Meeting For Stormwater Drainage Project

If you live or drive in the area of  Bettman Road and Dickey Street, you'll want to learn how your route is going to be disrupted initially, but improved in the long run, with a project to improve stormwater drainage this summer.

The City of Spokane Valley will host a community meeting Wednesday, Feb. 13, 6:30pm to 8:00 pm at Park Place Assisted Living, 511 S. Park Road to share information on the project. It calls for adding swales, installing underground pipe and structures, and possibly removing some privately-installed landscaping in the public right of way. The work is expected to begin during summer and may take between four and eight weeks to complete.

Want To Be First On Your Flight? You'll Pay For It

Want to board your flight early so you can be sure to get a seat with family or friends? You're going to pay for that. At least with Southwest Airlines anyway. While Southwest continues to let your bags fly free, they're also looking for other ways to make money through fees, just like other airlines. The company is now offering customers the opportunity to purchase a spot in the 'A' boarding group- for $40! Yikes, seems kind of expensive to me, but then it's never fun to get on the plane and have to choose among the last available seats that are usually not very desirable.

KBOI News/Talk has all the details.

WA Senator Cantwell Reflects On Work With LaHood

Washington State Senator Maria Cantwell worked closely for several years with Ray LaHood, who announced Monday he is stepping down as U.S. Transportation Secretary. That announcement led Cantwell to release a statement yesterday about her time with LaHood and "his record of making smart transportation investments that support economic growth” and how "... His commitment to this vision paved the way for the new Freight Policy Council that adopts the collaborative Washington state approach to freight mobility."

Transportation Issues Daily has Cantwell's whole statement and how she says LaHood has helped our state out in particular.

Quit Playing With My Emotions Ray, Are You Staying Or Going??

Update: I reported last week that Ray LaHood would be staying on as U.S. Transportation Secretary 'indefinitely.' Well, apparently indefinitely only means two months or until his replacement is appointed. LaHood made the announcement yesterday that he would be leaving the position as soon as someone is appointed to take his place. Transportation Issues Daily looks back at his time as Secretary and how he won a lot of people over.

Senator Says Hitchhiking NOT Dangerous, But About Free Choice

Okay, so apparently we've had it wrong all these years. All those warning from my mom and teachers about how you'll end up dead in a ditch or raped if you hitchhike are bunk, according to a Wyoming senator who wants to make it legal to thumb a ride again.

Sen. Leland Christensen says hitchhiking is much safer today than it once was, you're much more likely to hurt yourself in a freak accident than be assaulted by a driver that picks you up, and that picking up hitchhikers was once even considered patriotic. He's also selling his bill as 'free choice' and 'neighbors helping neighbors.'

The Jackson Hole News has the story. What do you think?

Annual TV Station Pothole Campaign is Back

It was pointed out during yesterday's Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) meeting that it's that time of year in Spokane when the roads can be really hard on our vehicles, and the annual 'Pothole Patrol' campaign and KREM 2 News is back up and running.

Each year the station asks viewers to report the biggest potholes they see and they will report them to the jurisdiction responsible, then follow up with those jurisdictions to see if they were repaired. How the program works is below, or you can go to the KREM Facebook page to report them.

City Partners With Kendall Yards To Keep Road Pollutants Out Of River

One of the 'buzzwords' gaining momentum in transportation in recent years has been 'public-private partnership' and Spokane has formed one of their own. The City is partnering with the Kendall Yards development to divert a portion water that runs off city streets, carrying pollution and toxins, from ending up in the Spokane River.  The Spokesman-Review's 'Getting There' column has the story.

Susnet Hill Today and In 1938

The Spokesman-Review has a cool 'then and now' photo in today's issue of the Sunset Highway in 1938 and then the same view today. They have it protected so I can 'steal' it to post here however, so you'll
have to go here to see it yourself.

There's also a brief history there of the Washington State Good Roads and Transportation Association (WSGRTA), which I didn't realize has been around since the very early 1900's. SRTC Board Member Joe Tortorelli is president of WSGRTA.

The Music You Listen To Can Influence How Good Or Bad Of A Driver You Are

Can Elton Make You A
Better Driver?

Who would have thought it? New research says that which song you listen to can influence how safe a driver you are. And some of the safest artists to drive to are Elton John and Norah Jones. Their slower songs anyway. That's because, in a recent study, fast beats were found to cause excitement that caused drivers to speed up to match the beat of the song. And hip-hop made females drive more aggressively than normal.

So what are the 10 safest songs to drive to? You might be surprised. The Telegraph has the playlist you should download to be a safer driver.

Spokane Invades Olympia To Talk Transportation

A delegation of business and community leaders that went to Olympia for a day of advocacy this week are headed home today. SRTC's Executive Director, Kevin Wallace, was on that trip, although SRTC, being a government agency, doesn't take part in advocating for anything. Kevin's role was to educate on the needs of transportation in our area, and education was apparently a hot topic.

Greater Spokane Incorporated blogs about talks in Olypia involving the North Spokane Corridor and a possible state transportation revenue package.

LaHood Says He'll Stay On As Transportation Secretary 'Indefinitely'

This item may be a couple days old but it's breaking news to me; U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood says he will continue to fill the position for an indefinite period of time during Obama's second term. LaHood had originally said he wouldn't serve past Obama's first term and now he's being somewhat cagey, not saying how long he'll be around or why he's staying; if it was at the president's request or his own idea.

Bloomberg has the story.

I have a somewhat unhealthy obsession with LaHood for the visibility and transparency he brought to the field of transportation over the past four years so I say good for you Ray! Let's get some stuff done this term then we'll let you retire to go fishing or whatever it is you do when you're not at work. Although I suspect it's still something transportation-related, such as building model trains or flying remote control airplanes.

New Mothers Confess To Dangerous Driving

While they're otherwise protective of their children, a new survey finds that new mothers talk on the phone and text or check e-mail at an alarming rate while driving with their babies in the car. The data shows 78 percent(!) of mothers with children under age 2 acknowledge talking on the phone while driving with their babies and 26 percent say they text or check their e-mail. And that distracted driving doesn't even take into account how many times they say they have to turn around to deal with their baby in the back seat while driving.

So how do they come out when the number of crashes new moms have been in are compared to the general population of drivers? Not very good. AZCentral takes a look.

Police To Enforce Taxi Zone Parking Downtown

Spokane Police are starting to crack down on drivers other than cab drivers who park in "taxi zones" in downtown Spokane. Taxi Zones have been established around most nightclubs to allow intoxicated patrons to safety utilize taxi service. Ultimately, this will reduce drinking and driving, making our streets safer.

A lot of everyday drivers are taking advantage of the zones though, parking in them and preventing cabs from being available to the public. Partnering with local downtown businesses, Downtown Neighborhood Conditions Officers (NCO’s) will be increasing the enforcement of these parking zones. Parking in a Taxi Zone is a parking infraction with a fine of $30.00. The zones are also posted as immediate tow away zones, and officers can impound unauthorized vehicles.

Irish Council Asks For Permit To Drive Drunk

Would you pay for a license to drive drunk? Some small-town politicians think Irish farmers would. Councilmen in a southwest Ireland town passed a motion asking the government to create a permit that would allow isolated farmers the ability to drink a few pints and then return home in their car, or on their tractor, without fear of being busted. KHQ News has the story.

Two Local Schools Join No-Idle Zone Program

With the recent weather inversion and so many kids these days having asthma, a lot more people are thinking about the positive aspects of clean air. Two local schools have recently joined the 'No-Idle Zone' program.

Libby Center and Moran Prairie Elementary are now taking part in the program, which provides No-Idle Zone signs to post near trouble spots, which typically at schools are near student pick-up areas. The signs ask drivers to turn off their cars in those areas instead of letting them idle, and accompanying educational information is sent home to parents and activities are available to teach kids about air pollution in the classroom.

If you're interested in your child's school being in the program, check out Spokane Clean Air Agency's newsletter here. The No-Idle info is on the third page.

Flaming Cheese Closes Norway Road Tunnel.

I can NOT even believe that a news agency would put an article like this out there and not accompany it with a picture! A road tunnel in Norway is shut down for several weeks- due to flaming cheese. Yep, you read that right. A truckload of goat cheese caught fire and burned for four days when gases from the melting cheese hindered fire fighting efforts. I say throw some chips at it and let the locals eat the problem. Anyway,
here's the article from the Washington Post.