Traffic changes proposed

Spokane County commissioners have scheduled public hearings Tuesday on two traffic proposals that would affect north county residents.

One would ban parking on Carlson Road between Riverside State Park and Charles Road in the Nine Mile Falls area.

The other would reduce the 35 mph speed limit on Five Mile Road west of its intersection with Waikiki Road.

County engineer Bob Brueggeman said the state Parks Department requested the Carlson Road parking ban. He said state officials are concerned because, when Riverside State Park is being heavily used, people sometimes park on Carlson Road even though it has no shoulders.

“We’re just trying to keep both lanes open,” Brueggeman said, noting the roadway is sandwiched between a bluff and a guardrail.

He said the speed-limit reduction on Five Mile Road is being proposed because motorists can’t see far enough to stop safely at 35 mph when vehicles enter the winding road from driveways and intersections.

The speed limit would be reduced to 30 mph between points roughly between Hawthorne Road and Elma Drive on Five Mile Prairie and to 20 mph between Elma Drive and Waikiki Road.

Both hearings will be at 5 p.m. in the Public Works Building at 1026 W. Broadway Ave., just east of the county courthouse.