Traffic lights on Division Street now have vehicle detection ability

Drivers who get up really early or stay up extra late will know that Division Street traffic lights go to flashers during the wee hours.

Division traffic gets the flashing yellows while cross streets get flashing reds.

Two years ago, the city installed a new computerized signal system on Division to help move traffic more efficiently.

In addition, new vehicle detection systems were completed in January.

Starting on Tuesday, traffic lights on Division at Garland, Queen, Rowan and Central avenues will no longer go to flashers overnight.

The vehicle detection system will be able to respond quickly to approaching vehicles and change the light phase for safer travel through the intersections.

“The system will allow for more efficient service during low-volume times” at those four intersections, a city news release said.

The change will also improve safety for pedestrians since crosswalk signals have not operated during the flashing-signal hours.

The flashers have run from 1-5 a.m. on weekdays and 2-5 a.m. on weekends.

Tips for young drivers

The Idaho Transportation Department is going mobile with its website designed to help young drivers and their parents learn how to keep youngsters safe on the road.

Idahoteendriving.org is now available through a mobile-friendly version.

“The aim of Idaho Teen Driving is to encourage safe driving among young adults, educate them about risky driving behaviors and reduce their chances of being in a crash,” said Margaret Goertz, the youthful driver program coordinator with ITD’s Office of Highway Safety, in a news release.

Motor vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death for teenagers. Drivers ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely to be involved in an accident.

The website offers tips and advice on how to operate a car safely. There are tutorials on tire changing, jumping a battery, winter driving conditions and parking. Rules that limit newly licensed young drivers can be found.

There is also a scholarship competition in which teams of young people submit videos on the problem of distracted driving.

U.S. Highway 2 meeting

Redesigning U.S. Highway 2 from Mt. Spokane Park Drive to Elk-Chattaroy Road will be the subject of a public open house on March 12 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Mountainside Middle School.

New design ideas for the segment from Mt. Spokane Park Drive to Day-Mt. Spokane Road will be unveiled at the meeting after residents and business owners expressed concerns about earlier proposals.

The goal is to increase traffic safety on a stretch of highway that has seen a 9 percent increase in traffic in the last decade, according to the Washington state Department of Transportation.

WSDOT is in charge of the project. The meeting will be a drop-in event.

Bumper sticker poll

In its ongoing effort to enlighten the public about issues involving driving, PEMCO Insurance has come up with some new data identifying who likes bumper stickers, magnets and decals.

According to a recent poll conducted for PEMCO, vehicle owners under age 55 are twice as likely to have bumper stickers as older drivers.

The rate is 30 percent for drivers under 55 and 16 percent for those 55 and older, for an overall rate of 25 percent across the driving population in Washington.

Young women with children were the likeliest group to accessorize.

About half of the messages on vehicles are proclaiming group affiliations or support of sports teams.

Palouse bridge repairs

State highway crews are going to repair the Palouse River Bridge on state Highway 26 at Colton starting today. The work will involve the sidewalk, railings and other bridge components.

Road work in Spokane

In Spokane, work on an addition to the Lexus car dealership downtown will continue through this month with a lane and sidewalk closure at 1030 W. Third Ave.

Also, ongoing work on a Garden Park utility rehabilitation will force a street closure at 2403 E. 37th Ave. on March 23.