Spokane7
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December 26, 2011 in City, Idaho
Getting There: Council chooses streets for repair
City expecting $2.5 million more from $20 tab tax
Spokane city officials have come up with what they believe will be an equitable way of spending a new $20 annual vehicle license fee to fix streets.
The Spokane City Council last week adopted a series of recommendations for spending the estimated $2.5 million that will be raised in the city with the vehicle tab money.
Five sections of broken arterials would be repaved; three segments of residential streets also would be repaved; sidewalks would be improved; and additional residential streets would get maintenance.
The projects will be spread across the city in an effort to show a large number of drivers what is being done with their money.
It wasn’t hard finding streets that need fixing.
“There are so many projects to choose from,” said John Covert, chairman of the Citizens Transportation Advisory Board that helped select the projects.
“That’s the one thing we wanted,” he said. “Let’s get projects all over the city so people can see projects in their neighborhoods.”
The work could create as many as 14 jobs a year, but it hasn’t been decided whether the city will contract or hire in-house crews. That will be a decision of the incoming administration of Mayor-elect David Condon.
The arterials slated for repaving are Atlantic Street from Boone to Sharp avenues; Maple and Walnut streets from Second to Fourth avenues; North Foothills Drive from Hamilton to Perry streets; and Northwest Boulevard from Olympic to Garland avenues.
In addition, three residential streets would be repaved. They are Cook Street from Garland to Rich avenues; Woodside Avenue from Lindeke Street to Five Mile Road; and 18th Avenue from Ray to Freya streets.
Also, several residential streets will have cracks sealed with asphalt to extend their lives, and three other residential streets will get coatings of asphalt emulsion and gravel to create a new driving surface.
Ten percent of the funding from license fees will go to sidewalk and pedestrian improvements.
Covert said the recommended work was taken from the city’s six-year street program. A citywide pedestrian plan under development will be used to guide selection of sidewalk and crosswalk improvements.
Funding for the program was approved by the City Council last winter under a state law that allows local governments to collect the $20 license fees through a transportation benefit district.
That action was taken after local governments in Spokane County failed to reach agreement on a countywide district.
“No one wants to pay more, but I don’t want to bounce down the streets either,” Covert said
Traffic deaths drop sharply in Idaho
Traffic fatalities are down in Idaho this year, but the Idaho Transportation Department said the number of deaths should be lower still.
Through mid-December, the state reported 158 fatalities, compared with 200 for the same time period in 2010.
“Our highway safety partners are committed to eliminating death and serious injury on all roadways in Idaho using enforcement, education, engineering and emergency response,” ITD highway safety manager Brent Jennings said in a news release.
Three out of four fatalities occur on rural highways. That should tell drivers they need to use extra caution on those types of roads.
Seat belts, sobriety, proper vehicle maintenance, defensive driving and slowing down in bad weather are ways to reduce risks. Also, don’t drive drowsy and don’t indulge in distractions such as phone use.
“Too many drivers take their attention away from driving and simply run off the road and overturn or crash into a fixed object,” Jennings said.
Idaho’s downward trend in fatalities follows a national reduction in traffic deaths across the country in 2010.
Officials hope to sustain the downward trend next year.
Road safety class set for Jan. 14
To help drivers stay out of trouble and alive, the Idaho State Police is offering another of its popular and free “road safe” classes Jan. 14 at 9 a.m. at the district office, 615 W. Wilbur Ave., Coeur d’Alene.
The class will teach drivers about staying out of trouble during winter and avoiding other hazards, such as impaired and aggressive drivers. The class runs about three hours.
Class size is limited to 60 drivers, so call ahead for a reservation from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at (208) 209-8620.
Planning results online
Results of a planning workshop earlier this month on the University District and Sprague Avenue corridor have been posted at eastspragueredev study.blogspot.com under the citizen resources tab.
Also, results are at www.developingspokane.org/ tad/info/?id=1.
Those who participated in the survey showed a preference for encouraging urban village-style development. The study now moves to an alternatives analysis in January.
MLK Jr. Way opens Thursday 
paulti on December 26 at 12:24 a.m.
Please please consider doing something on Perry between 29th and 37th. It’s really bad.
Jim9876 on December 26 at 7:04 a.m.
I am glad to hear that some of the money will be used to help pedestrians. The Tiger Trail alongside Pioneer Park is very dangerous. I hope some improvements or repairs can be made. It is the only way to get down from South Hill without being close to car exhaust.
misjustice on December 26 at 7:52 a.m.
I’m curious about how and when the funds, to repair our roadway infrastructure, will start being collected from citizens. Will the fee be on our yearly tab renewal form? And will the fee start being collected on Jan. 1, 2012?
bsdetector on December 26 at 8:42 a.m.
Got my tabs this month (for January) and paid the extra fee. Now, let’s wait and see if the new city council uses the funds as intended or funnels them to “public safety”.
DickAdams on December 26 at 9:18 a.m.
MisJ:
I paid $40.00 for my 2 cars in November. The micro (city council) managers didn`t miss a beat implementing the $20.00 vehicle tax. I nixed the $5.00 Gregiore asked for, which I believe her hands were tied to arbitrarily impose the tax without a vote and is voluntary. The $40.00 was my Christmas gift to the city along with my $300.00 water bill. My yard shall be brown next summer. Oh, BTW, my car licence plate tabs increased for both vehicles.
misjustice on December 26 at 9:23 a.m.
So, the City started collecting the fees before the New Year? Hmmm….
liberal_in_right_wing_land on December 26 at 10:13 a.m.
Complain about the streets, but don’t wanna pay to fix them. Welcome to Spokane. Maybe the magical street fairy will come down at night and repave all our roads when we are sleeping.
Hate our car tabs fee, go to Seattle and it will make you be thankful you live in Spokane for once.
polistra on December 26 at 1:43 p.m.
Strictly speaking, NW Blvd doesn’t intersect Olympic. At that point the real through-street has become Assembly, and the name of NW Blvd has split off to the west on a separate residential street.
It doesn’t need repaving anyway; it just needs renaming to avoid constant confusion!
Fetch on December 26 at 7:30 p.m.
mismoron, they started collecting the $20 fee in Sept. My $30 car tab is now $65, not including the park fee. There are just so many things wrong with the city the new mayor and council don’t have a chance.
greenlibertarian on December 26 at 9:06 p.m.
A KXLY story says the car tab fee was to start in Aug, but DoL indicates the fee started Sep. 1st, 2011
michaelm on December 26 at 9:37 p.m.
Please keep it civil.