Spokane7
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April 5, 2010 in City
Policy would emphasize user-friendly Spokane streets
City Council to consider added benefits for bicyclists, pedestrians
With a populace that has complained loudly for decades about bumpy roads, Spokane’s focus on street money is creating smoother rides for cars.
But with voices growing for better bike transportation routes and pedestrian rights, there’s increasing pressure to construct bike lanes, separate sidewalks from the curb, plant more street trees and build bus shelters for transit users.
It’s a concept known as “complete streets,” and the Spokane City Council will take a new step today in developing policies for creating roadways that serve multiple kinds of users. Councilman Jon Snyder introduced the proposal, which asks city workers to “identify the gaps” and locate “opportunities to supplement and fund” complete street plans. Snyder said he hopes the nonbinding resolution will result in guidelines and rules for future street construction.
“The city has done some really good things and has missed some really important opportunities,” Snyder said. “Everybody benefits when this is done right.”
Supporters of the idea say improving transportation for pedestrians and bicyclists helps makes streets safer for everyone, including drivers. They also say it encourages commuters to travel in a way that promotes exercise and lessens environmental impact.
Some, however, warn that there could be costs. Councilwoman Nancy McLaughlin said she supports adding bike lanes and other pedestrian and transit amenities – if the city can afford them.
“The concept of complete streets is great,” McLaughlin said. “The affordability of complete streets is a whole other story.”
She said she’s open to Snyder’s proposal as long as it isn’t dismissive of drivers and is clear that the city has limited resources.
“I may be able to support it if I can get some amendments added to it,” McLaughlin said.
Snyder stressed that some streets are “complete” the way they are and don’t need bus shelters or bike lanes. The city already has a bike plan that guides bicycle route improvements.
“The biggest misconception is they think that every street is going to need every change,” Snyder said. “A lot of the (improvements needed for) complete streets cost little or zero funding.”
For instance, Snyder said, the money needed to stripe a road for on-street parking or for a bike lane is nearly the same. In the long term, complete streets can cut costs by promoting travel that creates less wear on roads, he said.
Earlier this year Futurewise, a nonprofit planning and environmental policy group, started Complete Streets Spokane in partnership with other organizations including the YMCA. One goal of the new coalition is to promote complete street standards.
City public works officials say they’re committed to the concepts and that much of their work already incorporates them, but they say some improvements come with cost limitations and trade-offs.
For instance, when the city repaves 37th Avenue this year between Perry Street and Grand Boulevard, new bike lanes will be installed, but on-street parking will no longer be allowed, said Mike Taylor, Spokane’s engineering services director.
The city also will install sidewalks, but they will be attached to street curbs. Building a pedestrian path separated from the curb with a green space would have forced the city to buy more right-of-way.
“How much you can do depends on how decision makers allocate funding,” Taylor said.
Most of the 37th Avenue project will be paid for by the 10-year street bond approved by voters in 2004, but the Spokane Transit Authority is paying for the sidewalks. Taylor said that’s because the street is a significant South Hill bus route.
With growing budget difficulties, Taylor said it may be harder to win supplementary funding from agencies such as STA.
Still, city and county leaders are in the midst of debating the creation of a vehicle license fee, most of which would be used to improve local streets. At a meeting last week of Spokane and Spokane Valley city leaders, Spokane Mayor Mary Verner said if a tab fee is pursued, she hopes it would be countywide and mostly divided among local jurisdictions.
County commissioners could approve a $20 tab fee without asking voters. Anything higher would have to be approved by ballot.
In 2004, Spokane voters approved the $117 million street bond funded by property taxes. It’s already paid for the repaving of 53 miles, but city leaders have been strict in using those funds and generally only allow them to be spent on work between existing curbs. That’s why the city used STA money to build the sidewalks on 37th.
The policy has angered some who say it has forced the city to abandon plans long in the works to improve bike and pedestrian travel. Snyder noted that when Second Avenue is repaved this year through downtown, it won’t have a bike lane, even though the city’s master bike plan calls for one. Supporters of the strict rules say the city is just trying to ensure it has enough money to finish all 110 miles of repaving promised in the 2004 vote.
Snyder said he’s hopeful a new complete streets policy can be ready before creation of a new funding source, such as a vehicle license fee, to ensure money could be used for more than motor vehicle travel.
Several cities have adopted complete street rules, including Seattle in 2007. Snyder said Spokane’s rules should be unique and the “policy that’s best for Spokane.”
Snow rules will be considered 
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lewis8457 on April 05 at 8:11 a.m.
Fix the streets first, before wasting money on so called improvements. The streets are used year round, no one rides a bike in the snow.
what we need is the streets fixed if we haven’t had money for 20 years to fix the streets how is it we have money for bike lanes and beauty improvements?
lewis8457 on April 05 at 8:14 a.m.
Policy would emphasize user-friendly streets, does that mean there wont be any cops on the beauty streets? The caption did say user-friendly (in Spokane) what a laugh.
wyoboy on April 05 at 11:35 a.m.
Yep, I will ride a bike in the winter in Spokane.
Better a horse
Bucky on April 05 at 1:09 p.m.
Around here there are actually people who ride bikes all year round. In any case, if the cost is negliable to incorporate multi use in the design, all the better, encouraging exercise via bike is great.
misjustice on April 05 at 1:18 p.m.
I’m glad that city leaders are exploring ways to improve our streets and make them better for everyone; pedestrians, those that bike, and motorists. Forward thinking cities like Portland and Seattle have implemented similar plans and their vision has shaped the image of the cities and made those communities better places to live.
After consideration of the best way to implement any such plan, and should the County Commissioners use their authority to impose a $20.00 fee to help fund the plan, I would gladly pay the fee.
misjustice on April 05 at 1:21 p.m.
I understand people’s frustration and distrust of the SPD; but comments relating to SPD aren’t on topic or really pertinent to this article.
spokanesausage on April 05 at 7:02 p.m.
Fix the darn streets first. This concept may end up taking more money away from new roads and put more into stripping bike lanes.
The other thing about this is that the city council assumes that walkers and bikers want to use busy arterials to get around. Maybe commuter bikers like Snyder and Rush ( bike commuters probably amount to less than 1% of total commuter traffic each day). The vast majority of bikers, parents, seniors and kids want better infrastructure in parallel streets.
This almost seems to be a special interest,self important piece of legislation being brought forward by Snyder and Rush. At the very least, it’s a decent concept wrongly applied.
Dazzeetrader11 on April 05 at 8:14 p.m.
Fix the streets! Seattle and Portland have decent weather a lot longer than Spokane… Cars are nearly essential in all but 4-5 months of the year. First things first.
But worse…a new tab fee? Yes, I’m sure more taxes will please everyone…
I’m watching the City Council meeting online. Great big organized lineup a “Lands Council” types. Fix the streets and fix them for autos without new charges to an overtaxed public.
Bikes come second…and they should in Spokane’s climate.
BarbChamberlain on April 05 at 10:39 p.m.
Spokane’s long-term inability to come up with sustainable funding for street repair needs to be addressed, no doubt.
This isn’t an either/or debate. Everyone has an interest in decent street surfaces. Believe me, when you are your own shock absorber on the bike saddle, you’re interested in good roads!
It also isn’t “just about bikes” the way you’d think from the comments posted so far. Complete Streets are streets designed for ALL users—pedestrians, people with mobility limitations, people riding bikes, drivers, transit, and freight movement. A street that is badly designed for any of these is more dangerous for all of us.
One of the major barriers to people changing how they get around is bad/unsafe design. Cities that invest in infrastructure improvements see more walking, biking and transit use. Pure and simple, you build it, they will come.
That translates to less wear and tear on the roads, less air pollution, less traffic congestion, less competition for limited parking, and healthier citizens. It also means more money in your wallet—it’s a lot cheaper to walk, bike or bus with gas at $3/gallon. I’d rather save the money for my kids’ college fund or spend it locally than export it to the OPEC nations.
It’s easy to assume that everyone CAN drive, too. We have the poorest legislative district in the state right here. There are plenty of people walking, biking and riding the bus not out of choice but out of economic necessity.
Any of my neighbors who use a wheelchair can’t get to the bus stops along South Perry without traveling in the street because the sidewalks aren’t complete. The same thing is true all over town.
Older adults who may no longer be safe drivers have the same problem when the unpaved grass gets slippery and muddy along the route. If they have access to transit they can stay independent in their homes longer.
By reducing the mobility of people with disabilities and older citizens—through having incomplete streets—you construct barriers to employment and social interaction.
I want a city where it’s safe for all of us to move around.
More on my blog with links to information on Complete Streets: http://bit.ly/dxD8aq
@BarbChamberlain