Spokane City Council Passes TBD for Street Repair and Sidewalks

The Spokesman Review reports that the City of Spokane's council, by a 4 to 3 vote, reversed their earlier decision and enacted a transportation benefit district (TBD) last night to fit their crumbling streets and build more sidewalks. 

This is great news for pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders and drivers in Spokane, because pot hole ridden streets are not good for anyone!  Also 10% of the new revenues, which are coming are being raised from a $20 per year vehicle license fee, will go towards building out Spokane's incomplete sidewalk network.

Councilmember Jon Synder has a full recap on his website about the meeting which gets into the interesting weeds of the political and policy debate on the issue.

If you are an advocate for transportation choices in Spokane make sure to contact your Councilmembers Rush, Shogan, Snyder and Waldref and thank them for voting yes to make Spokane streets safer!

Google Transit Trip Planning Expanding Like Wildfire

The fact is, here at TCC we love Google transit.  Whether it is for work or pleasure, at home or while traveling Google transit is an incredibly useful.  Compared to agency trip planners and route schedules, it is so incredibly easy to use because it is map based.  Better yet, it is great tool to compare the time difference and cost saving between transit and driving.  When I travel to NYC or other cities is makes navigating a foreign transit system seamless and easy to use.  Tools like one bus away and Google transit are crucial for transit ridership growth in the future. 

The bad news not every transit agency in Washington allows Google transit to access their scheduling data.  The good news is many do and that number is rapidly expanding.  Metro and Island Transit already are compatible with Google transit.  Earlier this month both Spokane Transit and Intercity announced that they are now using Google transit trip planning, and word on the street is Pierce Transit and Community Transit are close to being on Google as well.

All of this is great news for attracting new transit riders across Washington State and making transit easier to use for existing riders.

If your transit agency isn't yet up on Google transit shoot them an e-mail and encourage them to get on board!

Another driver in Spokane Smacks a Pedestrian with No Citation

The Spokane Regional Transportation Center Blog reports that another pedestrian was taken out by a car in the heart of Spokane today while the pedestrian was crossing at a legal intersection.  No citation has been issued to the driver.

We need a vulnerable users law in Washington, which died in the State Senate last year.

Here is more from the SRTC Blog:

There's been another case of a car in the right lane stopping to let a pedestrian cross the road, then a car in the next lane hitting the walker. That's what happened yesterday when a Gonzaga University student tried to cross busy Mission Avenue at Astor Street.

The woman allegedly was knocked out of her shoes and landed nearly 70 feet away from where she was hit. She suffered serious injuries and was taken to a local hospital, but her condition isn't clear today.

The driver of the minivan that hit her has not been cited at this point. 

Spokane: Central City Mobility Open House - October 26th, 2010

If you are passionate about the future of transit and live in Spokane this would be a great event to attend.

Thank you for your interest in the Central City Transit Alternatives Analysis project. Please join us for our next public open house where you can learn about the short-listed alternative routes and transit modes and once again offer your comments. We hope you’ll stop by and bring a friend too!

Central City Mobility Open House - Tuesday, October 26, 2010

South Campus Facility

(412 E. Spokane Falls Blvd., next to the WSU Bookie)

3:30 to 7:00pm – Drop by anytime – Remarks from Mayor Verner at 3:30pm

Recognizing the interrelationships between three important projects affecting downtown and its surrounding areas, the University District, Spokane Transit Authority, and the City of Spokane have partnered to hold this “Central City Mobility Open House.” In one venue you’ll be able to comment on our project, as well as learn about other “mobility” focused projects planned for the Central City area, including the Central City Transit Alternatives Analysis, the East Sprague Redevelopment Study and the University District Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge.

Need to get up to speed? View past Sounding Board meeting notes and documents and input from the first public open house held in June at http://www.connectspokane.org/.

To date, your input has helped us identify travel patterns, needs, and opportunities; develop a long list of activity areas, alternatives, and modes; and screen this long list against a set of key questions. Now it’s time to share the results of the screening process and take a look at the shorter list of alternatives and modes.

Spokesman Review: Spokane Transit Authority to study downtown trolley's and streetcars

The Spokesman Review reports today that Spokane Transit Authority (STA) is utilizing 360,000$ of federal and state grant funds to study trolley's and streetcars in their downtown. It sounds like a lot of exciting action in the transit world in Spokane surely we'll keep our eyes peeled as things develop.

From today's article:

Talk of developing a trolley or streetcar system in downtown Spokane is being re-energized this month.

Spokane Transit Authority and city officials are teaming up to study alternatives for downtown mass transit.

The public is invited to join a “sounding board” to advise local officials on the best transit alternatives and routes.

Electric trolley buses with overhead wiring are a possibility. Streetcars on rails will be considered, too, along with conventional buses.

The idea is to get the Spokane area in line for federal grants that may become available for transit.

“Federal funding is going to be spent somewhere,” said Susan Meyer, chief executive officer for STA, and a good place may be Spokane.

Guided by local officials and citizens, the Downtown Transit Alternatives Analysis will employ a consultant. STA is using $360,000 in federal and state grant funds to pay for the analysis, which should take about 15 months.

The idea of trolley service in Spokane dates back at least 15 years, when STA bought replica trolleys to shuttle through downtown to the Spokane Arena. Those trolleys are being replaced with new hybrid diesel-electric buses next Monday.

Meyer said that downtown-area businesses and institutions have pointed to the need for greater transit connections in the University District including Gonzaga, hospital facilities, county government buildings, the convention center and inner-city neighborhoods.

The study area is bounded by Mission Avenue to the north, Perry Street to the east, 14th Avenue to the south and Latah Creek to the west.

Mayor Mary Verner is joining Meyer in co-chairing the effort.

In a press release, Verner said “to be a vibrant city we must promote multiple modes of transportation.”

One arm of the study will include a stakeholders group, which will include representatives from Avista, the Downtown Spokane Partnership, Washington State University, the Public Facilities District and Spokane Regional Transportation Council.

Residents interested in serving on the sounding board are asked to apply at spokanetransit.com or by calling (509) 343-1653 to request application materials.

Results of the study are to be incorporated into STA’s long-range plan for a high-performance rapid transit network across the metro area.

A similar alternatives analysis is expected in about a year for the south Spokane Valley corridor with an eye toward finding a less costly alternative to light rail.

Along with other alternatives, Meyer wants the agency to study the possibility of electric rapid transit on separated traffic alignment, which can be accomplished for about 15 percent of the cost of light rail. That Spokane Valley corridor study would update work previously done for a light rail project.

On another note Seattle Transit blog picked up our legislative preview from our last newsletter, read it here.