Phone, road a less likely combo here

Spokane County drivers use their cell phones less frequently on the road than their Western Washington counterparts, according to a recent survey conducted for PEMCO Insurance.

And we’re more likely to support laws restricting cell phone use.

According to the poll, 43 percent of Spokane County respondents said they never talk on a cell phone while driving. That compares to 28 percent in King County and 32 percent in Pierce County.

And it has nothing to do with cell phone ownership. In fact, a higher percentage of people here said they have cell phones than did in King, Snohomish or Pierce counties.

Eastern Washington drivers as a whole were also more likely to say that cell phone use while driving should be illegal – 43 percent, compared to 35 percent in the Puget Sound area.

Wait for the call

If you have a cell phone, you can rejoice in a stop to endless circling at Spokane International Airport.

The airport opened a cell phone waiting lot just moments from the terminal. Drivers waiting to pick up passengers can wait in the lot for free for up to an hour. They must stay with their vehicles.

Arriving passengers can call to say they’ve landed, and by the time they’ve walked from the gate to the airport driveway, their ride will be there.

The cell phone lot is located on Flint Road. Follow the signs to the north shuttle parking area.

Fair warning

No specific location this week for the Spokane Police Department’s traffic unit.

You’d just better behave everywhere you drive.

The traffic unit will be patrolling citywide, looking for drivers who fail to yield and uncontrolled intersection violations.

If you’re wondering what the rules are at uncontrolled intersections, here goes: First one there has the right of way. If both drivers arrive at the same time, or there’s any question as to who got there first, the driver on the right gets to go first.

Click-it 2005

It’s that time of year again, when police and traffic safety officials work together to encourage motorists to wear their seat belts.

This year’s crackdown starts today and lasts until June 5. The Washington State Patrol will be focusing on Highway 27 (Pines Road) at 16th Avenue and Highway 290 (Trent) at Boeing. Spokane Police will be patrolling the downtown area and Division Street.

In Liberty Lake, police will be at Harvard Road and Interstate 90 and at Liberty Lake Road and Appleway. Medical Lake Police will patrol Highway 90 at Lefevre and Stanley, and the intersection of Lake and Lefevre.

The Spokane County Sheriff’s Department is focusing on Division Street north of Francis and Highway 2 near Airway Heights. Sprague and University and Broadway and Sullivan will be the key spots for Spokane Valley Police.

Since 2002, when the Click-it or Ticket program was launched, the number of people killed in motor vehicle crashes each year in Washington has fallen by 19 percent. Traffic safety professionals attribute the decline to a statewide rise in seat belt use.

If that isn’t enough to get you to wear your seat belt, keep in mind the ticket is $101.

Slow going

The Interstate 90 Argonne/Mullan Road interchanges are scheduled to be a maze of flaggers for part of this week. Signal work will necessitate flaggers from about 8 a.m.-3 p.m. today and Tuesday on the westbound ramps. On Wednesday, crews move to the eastbound ramps.

I-90 off-ramps are scheduled to be closed overnight at Maple this week because of work along Third Avenue downtown, but no specific date was available.

The good news is that the I-90 off-ramp at Freya is supposed to reopen Tuesday.

Also on I-90, watch out for work crews near Liberty Lake. They will be installing new motorist information signs Tuesday-Thursday. There may be some lane restrictions.

The intersection of Third and Stevens is scheduled to be closed this weekend.

Regal Street work in the city of Spokane will cause lane restrictions south of 38th Avenue.

Government Way and Pacific are expected to be ugly today through Wednesday while their surfaces are ground down to install a water main. In some places, Government Way will be reduced to one lane in each direction.

Work gets under way Thursday on the intersection of Bigelow Gulch Road and Argonne Road. The $3.5 million project is just the first step in a multiyear effort to improve safety on Bigelow Gulch Road.

Spokane County crews will be restriping Market Street from Magnesium to Lincoln roads this week. There may be some lane restrictions.