When you are stuck in slow-moving traffic on Division Street in downtown Spokane during the afternoon rush hour, be grateful. Traffic congestion means people are on the road returning home from their jobs. But too much of an economic good thing can turn into a nightmare.

Seattle traffic is stuck in that nightmare. Seattle drivers spend 45 hours stalled in traffic each year, according to the Texas Transportation Institute’s Urban Mobility Report. Of the 85 cities studied, Seattle ranked 19th in terms of congestion.

Spokane tied for last place. Drivers here were stuck for just eight hours on average. The study isn’t considered the most definitive snapshot of traffic troubles in the nation’s cities, but it reminds people that Spokane possesses several transportation advantages compared with other cities.

As the region grows, Spokane needs to better utilize those advantages. According to transportation experts, Spokane’s advantages include:

“Work-live-play neighborhoods. The closer you live to your job, the less time you spend commuting there. People who buy homes in Kendall Yards will be an easy stroll away from downtown Spokane. In Spokane Valley, leaders are working on a city center plan that would better unite neighborhoods and businesses. Liberty Lake led the way years ago in building housing next to software company complexes.

Grace Crunican, director of Seattle’s Department of Transportation, attended college in Spokane and visits often. Sidewalks are key when refurbishing inner-city neighborhoods or building new developments, she said. “Plan for walking. Put sidewalks in and make sure people use them.”

“Alternative roadways: Spokane is geographically lucky. Seattle is surrounded by water, making alternate surface roads hard to find and almost impossible to build. Interstate 90 through downtown Spokane was under construction for two summers in a row, and commuters were surprised how well traffic flowed during construction. Drivers found alternate east-west routes. The North Spokane Corridor project, under construction but always struggling for funding, is essential to relieving the city’s north-south congestion.

“Mass transit. Spokane’s bus system is clean and affordable but still underutilized.

“Plan, plan, plan: Most of the cities that find themselves stuck in traffic troubles failed to plan early and well for their economic booms.

Last week, transportation experts and government leaders convened at the Inland Northwest Regional Transportation Summit to explore ways the region’s transportation system will help the region become a player in the global economy. Smooth and speedy travel for people and goods is an essential piece of that global strategy.

Spokane is showing up on more and more best-places-to-live lists. So stalling near the bottom of the national traffic congestion list is a good thing.

And the city’s future might well depend on it.