Roundtable Focuses On Bridge Plan Group Questions Need For Lincoln Street Project
They sipped red wine, dark beer and iced tea, skipped over potholes and landed on the Lincoln Street bridge project.
That’s where they stayed for more than an hour, straying only occasionally to talk about parking, pedestrians and bicycles during an informal discussion about the future of transportation in Spokane.
The third in a series of “public brew pubs” sponsored by the Citizens League of Greater Spokane drew about 25 residents Thursday evening to downtown’s Cafe Europa. The group was eager to engage in “casual, fun” debate about issues facing the community.
The first brew pub focused on water issues, the second on the downtown core.
Organizers launched the transportation roundtable with a toast, a “Here yea, here yea,” and brief introductions.
And then they were off.
“How do you folks feel about that bridge?” asked Sheila Collins, co-owner of a catering business.
“I don’t see how it can help the traffic flow in any significant way,” said Terry Lawhead, who works on parking issues for the Downtown Spokane Partnership.
Rick Hastings, an architect studying ways to stop the project, questioned city officials’ assurances that the bridge will ease traffic congestion and improve air quality.
Encouraging people to live downtown and drive less, along with limiting the number of arterials cutting through the city’s core, is a better solution, Hastings said.
“If air quality was really the issue, for $36 million we could make a really friendly pedestrian plan downtown,” said Collins, referring to the bridge’s estimated cost.
“If you build a new road, it’s only a matter of time before it gets congested,” said Sue Kaun, a former Spokane County Freeholder.
Besides, Kaun said, building couplets and freeways only puts more people behind the wheel when they should be on their feet, on a bike or on the bus.
“There should be something that encourages you to use park-and-ride lots,” said Roark Stephens, an avid bicyclist.
Don Higgins, co-president of the Citizens League, suggested closing off streets to make downtown more foot-traffic friendly.
The group detoured into talk about comprehensive planning, cultural centers and revenue bonds, took a few swipes at local politicians, then leaped back on the bridge.
“Is it too late to stop it?” asked Therese Covert, executive director of the Citizens League.
“It’s never too late,” Kaun said.
Chris Hugo, a city planner, jumped into the conversation after talking traffic at another table.
The bridge design includes “the most optimal views of the Spokane Falls imaginable,” Hugo said. He reminded the group that the Monroe Street bridge likely prompted similar worries about scenic vistas during its construction in 1910. Now it’s a nationally recognized bridge, he said.
Sue Wisener, a transplant from Vancouver, B.C., offered praise and hope for her new home.
She came from a city that “loved to be pedestrian” she said. The city made their curbs wide for walkers, built commercial districts near housing and stopped building bridges.
“There are all these great things happening all over the world making cities great. It begins with great streets, transit systems that work, pedestrian systems that work …,” Wisener said. “It can be done, it’s just a question of making it happen.”
, DataTimes