City May Lower Stevens St. Speed Limit Next To Lc

Spokane School District officials are asking the city to reduce the speed limit on Stevens Street between Fourth and Fifth avenues from 30 mph to 20 mph.

Students walking to and from Lewis and Clark High School, which sits along the west side of the one-block stretch of Stevens, often are pitted against “a lot of cars zooming by on Stevens,” said Mike Howson, Lewis and Clark principal. “We’ve had some close encounters.”

City traffic officials are studying the matter.

For several years, drivers and pedestrians have complained about each other’s conduct, Howson added.

“I hear from students who say they’ve been barely missed by cars and from drivers who say students are in their way - students are jaywalking,” he said.

Howson said he has also received numerous calls this year from parents who have observed that other Spokane high schools, such as Shadle Park, Rogers and North Central, have 20 mph zones.

Reduced-speed zones are mandatory around schools with patrolled crossings.

“That means elementary schools,” said Bruce Steele, director of traffic operations for the city. “Middle schools and high schools are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.”

Before any change is made to the speed limit on Stevens, Steele said, the city must complete a study evaluating factors such as traffic speed, traffic peaks and pedestrian count along the southbound, one-way arterial.

The study is expected to be completed sometime in the next month or two, Steele said. The results will determine whether a reduction in speed is in order, he said.

Joe Madsen, safety director for the school district, said he would like 20 mph zones around all middle schools and high schools.

“It might be a good idea to have it put in place for uniformity’s sake,” Madsen said. “Then drivers would know it was around all schools.”

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