(The Center Square) – While Spokane is known for its parks and trails, people can only go so far due to the busy – at times dangerous – streets, which the Planning Department intends to fix with a $6 million road diet.
Planning Director Spencer Gardner proposed the “27 by 2027” Resolution during the city council’s Monday committee meeting. If approved, the project would connect slower, low-volume streets to major pathways around the city with a 27-mile “urban mobility network” by 2027.
The project would utilize temporary, “low-cost” traffic calming measures, called adaptive design strategies, to slow traffic in hopes of avoiding additional congestion. Gardner acknowledged this can get expensive and complicated and said that the city is looking at what’s financially viable.
“The core of what we’re proposing would really focus on existing infrastructure,” he said.
Spokane has plenty of low-volume streets where only a few hundred cars pass daily. Gardner said these are perfect routes that don’t require any extra infrastructure; the challenge is connecting them with another safe route when a busy arterial crossing stands in the way.
Adaptive design strategies can mitigate that barrier by acting as a catalyst between those low-volume streets and major intersections. The temporary nature of the obstacles also allows for quick installation to test their effectiveness before implementing a permanent solution.
According to Gardner’s presentation, most of the project focuses on creating protected bike lanes or reducing lanes where cars are going over 25 miles per hour; however, he didn’t elaborate on how the city intends to do this without increasing congestion at intersections.
The adaptive design strategies that the project hopes to implement include painted bike lanes, curb extensions, crossing beacons, concrete planters, barriers and other traffic diversions.
“We’re really talking about prioritizing and coalescing around a vision for the community that provides a connected and comfortable network throughout the entire city,” he said.
Councilmember Michael Cathcart emphasized the importance of a data-driven approach to ensure the project increases usage. Given what it could cost, he wants a measurable outcome, showing how much the project reduced traffic and increased bicycle commutes.
According to the proposed resolution, only 4% of Spokane’s traffic collisions involved a person walking, but those accidents account for 40% of the city’s fatal crashes. The risk of a pedestrian dying also doubles when a car is traveling at 30 mph as opposed to 20 mph.
Gardner thinks the adaptive designs can mitigate some of this risk and create a more inviting atmosphere for Spokanites, but it will cost around $6 million. He noted that the funding could come from grants, external partnerships and existing revenue streams, among other options.
“The funding question is certainly important, and it’s one that we have put some thought into,” Gardner said, “but we don’t have any specific proposals.”
The Spokane City Council will vote over whether to approve the proposed “27 by 2027” project at a later date.
