Just in time for the holidays: Last night, the Spokane City Council passed the Complete Streets ordinance in a 5-2 vote. (The same for and against as the vote for the Complete Streets resolution in April 2010.) As Councilman Jon Snyder pointed out in his recap, it was an "epic meeting." Council Chambers were packed with folks eager to testify.

I'm very proud of all the people who worked so hard to pass the ordinance and create a groundswell of support.

From Councilman Snyder: This policy has been 3 years in the making–or longer if you include the years it took to create the City’s Comprehensive Plan. The Complete Streets ordinance seeks to implement the Comprehensive Plan by making making sure major street construction adds elements called for in our Master Bike Plan and Pedestrian Plan. By making it easier for folks to bike, walk, and ride the bus the City can avoid congestion, save on pavement maintenance, and grow our tax base by creating a better environment for local business.

But a lot of the testimony last night focussed on the health and safety aspects of Complete Streets. We heard from disabled veterans, folks from Lighthouse for the Blind, grade school teachers, physicians, neighborhood representatives, and small business owners imploring us to help make our streets safer for all users and to address the epidemics of obesity and diabetes that result from inactivity. In all more than forty people testified and Futurewise turned in a petition with an additional 500 names in support.

One of the facts I brought forward was that in the past 5 years traffic deaths have outnumbered homicides in the City of Spokane, and half of our traffic fatalities are to bicyclists or pedestrians. The amount of bicyclists or pedestrians who have died on our streets in the past five years is about double the amount of folks who have died in fires. Given this reality shouldn’t we spend some money on making our streets safer? Currently we spend almost nothing on Complete Street related improvements.

All the testimony was compelling. I think my favorite speaker might have been from an older gentleman with white hair who supported Complete Streets for none of the above reasons. He asserted that having streets that are more friendly to bikers, walkers, and bus riders just makes our community more friendly. When you get more opportunities to interact outside of a vehicle he said that the fabric of our society gets stronger. Hard to disagree with that. The ordinance passed 5-2 with Councilmembers Apple and McLaughlin voting against.

There's no doubt in my mind that Complete Streets will make our city safer, healthier and more prosperous with this simple change to the weay we design and maintain our city streets. Now comes the implementation!

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