Spokane7
65°
September 27, 2010 in City, Idaho
Getting There: Road-sharing just got easier
Marked lanes, ‘sharrows’ create designated bike routes
The city of Spokane received a $600,000 grant to establish a bike loop downtown, including this new lane on Howard Street.
(Full-size photo)
The Howard Street corridor in Spokane from Fourth Avenue to Buckeye Street is being turned into a bicycle route.
In addition, a bicycle loop is being marked off in the downtown area west of Howard.
The idea is to make bicycle transportation safer and more inviting.
The city of Spokane is spending $600,000 in federal grant money to lay down new pavement stripes and arrows to mark the routes.
The Howard Street portion runs from Fourth Avenue on the south to Buckeye Avenue on the north and passes through Riverfront Park.
Howard is now marked with lane stripes for bicycle riders. Some parking was removed along Howard, and some sections that had four lanes for drivers have been reduced to two.
Fourth from Jefferson to Lincoln streets will feature a bike and pedestrian path separated from the street. Fourth from Lincoln to Howard streets will have bike lanes on each side of the street. Parking will be removed on the north side of the street and remain on the south side.
On Spokane Falls Boulevard and other streets being designated as bicycle routes, motorists and riders will see a symbol known as a “sharrow” on the pavement.
The symbol shows the figure of a bike rider below a group of arrows, indicating that the lane is intended for equal use by bike riders and motorists.
“When the bicyclist is in the sharrow, they kind of own that lane,” said Ann Deasy, a city spokeswoman.
Motorists should follow at a safe distance, or pass the bicycle rider in the adjacent lane to the left, much as they would pass a slower vehicle, she said.
The sharrow symbol also acts as a warning to motorists that they are likely to encounter bicyclists on that route.
The loop route follows portions of Spokane Falls Boulevard, Main Avenue, Riverside Avenue, Jefferson Street and Fourth Avenue.
“It’s certainly a good step forward,” said bicycle advocate Bob Lutz in an e-mail. “It also represents an easy fix for the city and is not that controversial.”
He said other improvements, such as creating separated bike lanes, would cost more money and likely spark debate.
The Howard Street route through Riverfront Park to Buckeye is the same route that the newly inaugurated Summer Parkways event used.
During those events on July 11 and Aug. 22, Howard Street was closed to vehicles and became a parade of nonmotorized transportation.
William Bender, an organizer of Summer Parkways, said it was no accident that Howard Street was chosen for the event. The fact that the city was going to turn Howard into a major north-south bike route was a key to the choice of Howard for the Summer Parkways route, he said.
The addition of the bike routes downtown was part of a series of recommendations in a comprehensive traffic study done for the city in recent years.
As much as drivers might complain about traffic enforcement cameras at traffic lights, an insurance company in Washington says there is evidence the cameras cause drivers to be more careful.
Pemco Insurance commissioned a poll recently that shows that 55 percent of the state’s drivers think twice about running through a yellow light that’s about to go red if they know there is a chance they might get caught with a violation.
The poll has an accuracy rating of 95 percent.
Spokane began using photo camera enforcement two years ago.
ISP classes include tips for winter driving
Idaho State Police this fall is offering free safe-driving classes that will include instruction on winter driving.
The classes are on Oct. 9 at noon and Oct. 23 at 9 a.m. at the ISP regional office at 615 W. Wilbur Ave. in Coeur d’Alene. The classes last for up to three hours.
Call (208) 209-8620 to sign up. Registration is limited to 60 drivers per class.
This is the eighth year that the award-winning program has been offered.
Work to watch for
• Construction work at Wellesley Avenue and Division Street continues to hamper traffic there. Wellesley is closed at Division, and Division has lane restrictions.
• Interstate 90 at Stateline should be flowing more smoothly again in the westbound lanes. The Washington Department of Transportation last week said it was reopening two-lane traffic westbound after one lane was closed to allow for construction of a new port of entry.
MLK Jr. Way opens Thursday 
straighttalk on September 27 at 8:13 a.m.
Bike riders also need to be aware of vehicle drivers and ride in the middle of the bike lane not on or hugging the white lines. There is room enough to share and watch out for all vehicles if all drivers or riders are just use some courtesy.
liarsinnews on September 27 at 8:25 a.m.
Re sharing the road just got easier. Bob Lutz said, “its not that controversial”. How profound! I wonder how he can say that?? Yesterday was my first trip driving around in the downtown core area since the pavement has been marked up for bike rightaways . They are disjointed and confusing. Yipes. And what spokeswoman, Ann Deasy had to say, sounded like someone with moronic logic. Its time to charge a fee for bikes traveling along the routes, immediately. Oh, one more thing re federal grant money. Its stealing money out of the taxpayers pockets. The word GRANT should be banned and replaced with federal taxpayer money instead.
biker on September 27 at 8:32 a.m.
Straighttalk….In a perfect world, you are correct about riding in the center of the bike lane, however often times the center and the curb-side edge of the lane is a receptacle for broken glass, roadside trash and errant gravel and manhole covers, not to mention the occasional car door swinging into your path.
Most of us do it right and respect our lanes as much as most drivers respect their traffic flow. (No sudden moves). There are indeed a few bad apples on both sides of the spectrum. If the cyclist is not wearing a helmet, beware, very likely a novice or one of those riders that give us a bad name. If they are dodging on and off the sidewalk upon reaching intersections, be very aware. If it’s a 20-something male riding an undersized BMX bike, be extremely aware. Lastly, don’t you think it’s about time we cyclist should be required to have some type of rear-facing mirror on our bikes. Safety goes both ways.
misjustice on September 27 at 9:59 a.m.
$600,000 for paint on a roadway that will be covered with snow in a month & the majority of bike riders will have put their bikes away for winter. Then in the spring there will be no sign of the painted lanes because the snow plows have scraped it away. WHAT A WASTE OF TAX PAYERS MONEY!!!! Wait and see the increase of auto/bike accidents this city has!!
Also, it’s time to start putting a road tax, licensing fees & mandatory lessons for the law of the road for ALL bike riders. If they share the road, they should be taxed for the use of that road!!
509ifyourlucky on September 27 at 10:14 a.m.
Spokane has to come up with the times and have more than just one bike lane in the city. Bike lockers should be at all bus stops if racks on buses are taken.
westerly on September 27 at 10:24 a.m.
Pretty nice..but gads..city of Spokane can’t even afford paint to stripe this. Sad..right Verner??
gmorton on September 27 at 11:24 a.m.
Now the city needs to monitor usage of these bike lanes for a few months. If the usage does not at least equal the auto traffic displaced they should be removed, per the “Contrarian Criterion”:
http://www.freespokane.net/?p=304
Bruce (aka thatoneguy) on September 27 at 11:27 a.m.
I’m sure this will help… just as soon as Spokane drivers put down their phones/pagers/Blackberrys/mascara brushes/magazines/DVD players and actually look at the world outside their cars. After an initial “dick adams” stage of “all these lines & signs are confusing,” they will get used to it.
But only if that first thing I mentioned happens, which it probably never will. In the meantime, bicyclists: be aware of the laws (if you’re on a road you have to act like a car, i.e. one-way street signs, and stop at red lights) and BE CAREFUL BECAUSE NOBODY KNOWS YOU’RE THERE. Actually that’s good advice for car drivers too…
westerly on September 27 at 11:29 a.m.
What a bunch of cheapskates..look at the bike symbol, all other cities have these bike lane pics!!
http://www.flinttrading.com/products/premark/bike.aspx
Spokane got $600,000 to do this and then the city workers paint half a bike…incredible stupidity! Probably took most of the 600k and gave it to their employees..
Ken Paulman on September 27 at 11:41 a.m.
@gramma:
“Cyclists don’t pay taxes” is a tired argument. Many cyclists also own cars, and virtually all of them pay property, sales, income and other taxes.
The “us vs. them” car/cyclist framing is equally tiresome. Most people will drive a car, ride a bike, walk or ride a bus to get somewhere at some point in their life. Everyone has to pay for portions of the transportation infrastructure that they will never use.
Besides, if more motorists obeyed the law (speed limit, 3-foot rule) and passed cyclists safely, we wouldn’t need bike lanes in the first place.
IHike4Fun on September 27 at 12:06 p.m.
Ken,
I agree the tax argument is illogical. I know of only one person who rides a bike who doesn’t own a car (or 2). That guy works at a bike shop.
It would be nice if we lived in a polite and considerate world. But if we did this would be South Carolina instead of Washington.
bobglaza on September 27 at 12:10 p.m.
one could make a convincing argument that cyclists pay a greater share of taxes for usage of the roadways. their vehicle of choice causes less damage and wear resulting in lower maintenance and repair expense.
rest assured…if bicyclists didn’t pay taxes…there would be a lot more bicyclists
liarsinnews on September 27 at 12:17 p.m.
thatoneguy: I drive defensibly and safely, period. Maybe I`m not as smart as you and the the wisdom you claim along with above average intelligence, but maybe I have missed any announcements by Mayor Verner, that the Lilac City had painted new markings for bikes and how they were to be used when the only painting is a half bike etc. I`ll wait and see how it works out. I do agree, cell phone users should be ticketed and pay a fine for reckless driving. Heck, since the no cell phone law was enacted, I haven`t noticed any difference with so many people continuing to talk and drive. Heck, I even notice LE using cell phones when driving.
misjustice on September 27 at 12:58 p.m.
Semi Trucks pay more road taxes than automobiles. Delivery trucks pay less road tax than semi’s but more than autos. I believe if you are using the public roadway you should pay a percentage for that usage. You want to use the road, but not be responsible for payment of that privilege. Licensing & taxing bicycles makes sense, and I don’t care what your age is. You want the benefit of using said roads but you don’t want to pay for that benefit. Typical.
Also, I pay taxes just like you do. I pay to put my cars, trucks, motorcycles, RV’s, camper, trailers, you name it, on the road. We all pay per however many vehicles we each have that is on the road.
Most of you that use bikes don’t think the rules of the road apply to you when you are on your bike either. You run lights & stop signs. You go the wrong way on one way streets. You ride up & down on sidewalks where pedestrians are. If you are going to be on the road, you need to be ticketed for wrongdoing just like any one else.
Quit complaining & pay your fair share for using the roads.
MrNatural on September 27 at 1:08 p.m.
Nothing gets the malcontents more activated than another grand social experiment towards utopia…
Personally I’m glad that we are giving this a bike lane a shot and promoting safe and healthy alternatives. I am concerned that there seems to be little in pre-promotion i.e. message reinforcement of these new bike lanes on signs TV and radio. I’m concerned that there are too many clueless drivers out there on what the protocols are for a bike lane and an information campaign would help lower the risk of accidents etc.
gmorton on September 27 at 2:02 p.m.
Mr Natural wrote,
“Nothing gets the malcontents more activated than another grand social experiment towards utopia…”
For good reason. “Grand social experiments toward Utopia” invariably entail some demagogue with a hair-brained plan dictating how others should live. And of course they insist that others pay for their hair-brained plans.
Streets should be configured according to demonstrated use. If cyclists make up X percent of use they get X percent of the ROW. If that percent is not sufficient to accommodate a regulation bike lane, then no bike lane gets built until it is. You configure streets to accommodate the modes actually used, not the Utopian fantasies of planners or the dogmas of greenie ideologues.
misjustice on September 27 at 2:22 p.m.
gmorton; re street configuration…But if we build it, they will come.
de3 on September 27 at 5:29 p.m.
Unfortunately, after the winter and sanding of roads, all the paint will have been ground away, just like what happens to most of the other painted stripes on the roads.
Dazzeetrader1980 on September 27 at 6:12 p.m.
lol…boy Verner’s figured out another way to spend money ( our money=federal grant money). She is such a joke. Bikes and trees….it’s the only agenda she has except spending like she’s incompetent. Oooops there’s that word again.
Look…bikes are fine by me…5 months of the year if you wanna risk it. A waste of money and time to do this….worse in these hard times.
And in 2 years, it’ll have to be redone…a fine make work project. I hope she doesn’t try to be re-elected. She’s full of nonsense….not sense. Most anti business andti growth mayor to date. A farce .
ChefGus/ John Olsen on September 27 at 6:19 p.m.
I rid a Triumph Bonneville… and the “experts” course as well as several manuals of safe/effective riding includes the admonishment to ride in the RIGHT third of the lane… ie the stripe that is covered by the left front tire of cars… as a way of asserting the “right” to exist… now not many people will “ARGUE” with a big bike ridden by a man… but from conversations with numerous scooter riders and bike riders…. they “don’t get no respect’ AND THEY SHOULD…. this you or me win or lose stuff has to stop…. all of us pay taxes and deserve our space in the universe… the key to effective and safe cycle and bicycle riding is to imagine that you ARE invisible… ie no one sees you… and if one does that you can maintain your own safety…. don’t depend on the other guy to see you…. cause they may not.. not through any bad motive… they just do not see you.. i’ve almost killed/clipped more than one cyclist/bicyclist.. going to the airport this morning there was a FOOL riding a bike eastbound on garland at 5:25 AM with NO headlight… at Calispel.. and if there had not been a car behind him with lights on I’d not have seen him, and run right over him.. his fault… for no head light.. but tragic outcome;…. bikes need to be more visible in dark hours… and they choose not to do it often.. john
ChefGus/ John Olsen on September 27 at 6:22 p.m.
OOPs left third of the lane…..:)) j
notaSmartBombsFan on September 27 at 7:17 p.m.
An absolute waste of $600,000. Isn’t the city facing a multi-million $$$ budget deficit?
jpintler on September 27 at 8:03 p.m.
I already pay for tabs on my SUV, utility trailer, and motorcycle each year; whether I use them or not. I also pay the same property, sales, and federal income tax that in part goes to road maintenance like everyone else. I ride one of my road bikes to work from the north side to Fairchild AFB at least 6 months out of the year. (18 miles each way) I think I’ve paid my fair share and done my part to reduce wear-and-tear on the roads. Wow, look out Seattle and Portland; little ol’ Spokane might grow up some day and become a real city on your heels!
gmorton on September 27 at 8:45 p.m.
nisjustice wrote,
“But if we build it, they will come.”
Well, no, they won’t. The Centennial Trail offers a commuting alternative to I-90. But the fraction of daily commuters using it is well under 1%. It is used for weekend recreational riding, not daily commuting. You can follow any bike lane in the city and you’ll be lucky to see one cyclist every six blocks. You don’t steal 10-15% of right-of-way to accommodate <1% of the traffic.
509ifyourlucky on September 27 at 10:52 p.m.
Some of you worry about the cost. So lets raise vehicle registration fees.
Some of you complain that cyclists aren’t aware. Well more than you think are.
Dazzeetrader1980 on September 28 at 12:55 a.m.
The city received a $600K grant but who said it’ll cover the entire cost? Further, who will pay for maintenaince of these lines? What happens if very few use these special lanes? DO they revert to standand traffic?
How about the bikers pay tabs for use of the street like automobile people do. Seems fair doesn’t it? Or better…let’s increase those fees $20 or more like Verner and her green crew would like to do with autos.
Bet the green enthusiasm would die off quickly if they had to pay for their “rides” just like normal people ( smirk…normal…!)
Pantheons of big ideas these libs have. Nice to know they pay their taxes of bikes. Being the upstanding citizens they profess to be…it would be a please. Next up..parking lots with monthly fees for bike parking. an have Verner tag the bike spots with surcharge of say $75-$100 for each space. Like the “Hopey Changy” Verner style now? Snyder must as should Amber and Rush….the “green brigade” forcing citizens to improve their lives. ( snicker).
Ken Paulman on September 28 at 4:25 a.m.
I pay more than my share for the roads.
I live three miles from downtown (St. Paul), and ride a bike every day (yes, even in winter). Yet I pay the same property tax rate and state income tax rate as the guy who chose to live in a mini-mansion 30 miles from town and drive alone in an SUV every day. I’m subsidizing his commute and his lifestyle choice, but no one ever said life would be fair.
So, again, I’m more than happy to pay a “tax” for bike infrastructure (oops! I already am!), as long as I get my money back for the car infrastructure I’m not using.
Ken Paulman on September 28 at 4:58 a.m.
And Daisy: You don’t pay license tabs “for use of the streets.” Streets are a public amenity funded by a variety of sources; cyclists, who also pay for the streets, have a right to use them under the law.
License plate fees pay primarily for state highways - even some you’ll never, ever drive on.
Debusama on September 28 at 9:03 a.m.
They say that Denver is the least overweight city in America because of all the access to outdoor activities…. So what is Spokane’s excuse? The fact that so many people seem to want to charge cyclists for using the road points to the element of our local culture that might explain the difference between Spokane and Denver: the idea that the only reason to commute under our own power is the lack of a car. Anyone on a bicycle must then be unemployed and too poor to pay for a car and gas. Why else would someone expose themselves to, God forbid… physical exertion?
It is Ironic that so many of the people who are apparently are under this impression and feel the need to harass the vagrant cyclists by screaming profanities from the window of a 30-year-old pickup truck with black smoke billowing out of the tailpipe are behind the wheel of a vehicle worth less that the cyclist’s bike. I think that deep down these people know that most cyclists own a car and have already paid for their share of the road maintenance.
The reality is that when I choose to ride my bike to a destination rather than drive, I am taking up less space, contributing less to traffic congestion, putting less ware and tear on the roads, polluting less, and keeping your gas prices lower by not adding to demand. All of this is despite the fact that I already paid more than my share when I registered my two cars. Unfortunately, it is much more convenient for one’s ego to resent the people who are able do the things that his or her own gluttony prevents, than to exercise critical thinking skills.
MrNatural on September 28 at 9:27 a.m.
The commute today is in some disarray
As Spokane commuters all freak
To share the road with a cyclist load
This decree they call bike to work week
To cycle they say is a healthier way
To cut pounds and emitted pollution
The problem it seems is compatible dreams
On this road toward a bike-car solution.
We espouse the merits or fuss up like ferrets
The nuisance t’ween pedal and drive
Take patience my nation and accommodation
And we’ll all get to work alive
We ponder the rules see oblivious fools
Weaving in and out sidewalks and lanes
As the cars try to pass it’s a pain in the ass
And harmonious idealism wanes
From shore to shore here’s a metaphor
For how we as a society meld
Drive car or ride bike whatever you like
We resolve to be equally held.
reprint by request :)
gmorton on September 28 at 11:26 a.m.
Ken Paulman wrote,
“Yet I pay the same property tax rate and state income tax rate as the guy who chose to live in a mini-mansion 30 miles from town and drive alone in an SUV every day.”
Well, no, Ken. He also pays fuel taxes, and if your city is like most, it receives a portion of that revenue for local street maintenance.
But you’re right that for the most part city streets, unlike state and federal highways, are maintained through general revenues (ostensibly) paid by all citizens, rather than with dedicated funds paid by users. That is because they accommodate all modes of use, from pedestrians to cyclists to skakeboarders to autos to transit systems. So the real question is, “How should that common resource be optimized?” And the answer must be, in order to optimally accommodate the largest group of users. So you don’t devote 10% of the ROW to a mode used by 1% of users, if that will reduce capacity for the other 99% of users (such as by reducing traffic lanes). In other words, the minor uses must yield to the dominant use. Ride your bike all you want, but don’t expect 1 bike per hour to displace 100 autos per hour.
Ken Paulman on September 28 at 7:22 p.m.
gmorton, I understand your point, but I think it’s a bit more complicated than that.
First off, as I’ve mentioned, user fees don’t come anywhere close to covering the costs of automobile infrastructure. There was an article on Grist.org today (http://bit.ly/9B4mvM) on this very subject. Here’s an excerpt:
“The average driver travels 10,000 miles in town each year and contributes $324 in taxes and direct fees. The cost to the public, including direct costs and externalities, is a whopping $3,360.
“On the opposite pole, someone who exclusively bikes may go 3,000 miles in a year, contribute $300 annually in taxes, and costs the public only $36, making for a profit of $264.”
The numbers are hypothetical, but the point is that encouraging people to park their cars and ride bikes is good economic policy (not to mention good public health policy, assuming you can prevent drivers from mowing down the cyclists with their cars).
And that article doesn’t even factor in the subsidization of parking lots - building codes mandate big swaths of land be devoted to providing free parking, when that land could generate much more tax revenue if it was developed.
Another study found that in Portland, the total cost of the city’s world-renowned bike infrastructure was equivalent to the cost of a single mile of freeway (http://tinyurl.com/2be35eg). In the last decade, the percentage of bike commutes in Portland has increased from less than 2% to nearly 7% (approaching 10% in some neighborhoods). That’s thousands of trips, accommodated at a much lower public expense.
Minneapolis, New York, Chicago, same story. Even Los Angeles is starting to figure this out. In Copenhagen, Denmark, one-third of commuters travel by bike. That didn’t happen by accident.
Bottom line: Cities aren’t developing bike infrastructure to be cute or PC. They’re doing it because it’s good business. As someone who used to ride Howard Street every day, I’m glad to see Spokane is starting to catch up with the rest of the developed world.
May I suggest celebrating with a bike ride?
Bruce (aka thatoneguy) on September 29 at 9:39 a.m.
Yep, I am wiser and more intelligent than anybody, because in driver’s ed I was taught to read all the road signs and pay attention to all the markings on the road. Knowing what the speed limit is, knowing if you’re in a left-turn-only lane, and knowing if there’s a bike zone on the street (and whether there are any bicyclists in it) are signs of superior intelligence. Yes indeed. People of earth - worship me, for I am superior.