Getting There: Spokane to narrow lanes on northern stretch of Maple-Ash

The northern third of Spokane’s Maple-Ash couplet will get a makeover this construction season in an effort to lower speed along the busy – and relatively dangerous – corridor.

The most prominent option being considered is to narrow the lanes from 15-20 feet to 11 feet wide, creating additional space that would be filled with curbside parking. No lanes would be eliminated.

Research shows narrow lanes reduce speeding and accidents – a 2023 Johns Hopkins study actually suggests narrowing lanes all the way to 9 feet on streets with speeds of 30 mph or higher to have the highest impact on reducing collisions – and city officials are eyeing the potential benefits of thinning the extra wide lanes on the north-south arterial.

The Spokane City Council on March 9 approved $150,000 for a speed study on the Maple-Ash couplet between Garland Avenue to the south and Francis Avenue to the north, part of Council members Kitty Klitzke’s and Zack Zappone’s efforts to implement traffic calming projects in their district. The study and eventual project will be paid for through the city’s Safe Streets for All Fund, itself funded by camera-enforced speeding and red-light tickets.

“This long, straight stretch sees a significant amount of speeding, is on a bus route, has schools within it and generates many complaints,” wrote Kirstin Davis, Spokane Public Works spokeswoman.

The stretch also contains some of the city’s most dangerous intersections, particularly where the couplet crosses Wellesley Avenue. If the city decides to move forward with narrowing the lanes, streetside parking would be added on both sides of Ash Street and, if there is enough funding, along Maple Street, Davis noted.

This stretch of the couplet is generally between 30 and 40 feet wide. Reducing the size of the lanes to 11 feet leaves anywhere from 8 to 18 feet to turn into parking.

The city is not considering adding bike lanes to this stretch. The city’s standards call for a protected bike lane if one were added to the couplet, an expensive project that doesn’t have available funding, Davis said. In addition, the city’s Bicycle Advisory Board has focused instead on adding bike lanes to other parallel streets.