We need your help to ensure City Council acts on the Plan Commission’s advice and adopts the ordinance! All it takes is showing up, signing in in support, and sticking around to see what happens on Monday December 19th at 6pm at City Hall.

Really want to testify? Lots of info can be found herewww.futurewise.org/spokane/completestreets

Can you do more? Here are four things you can do to help us pass this common sense approach to transportation projects by the end of this year.

1) Sign the Complete Streets Petition and pass it on to friends! Click here to sign.

2) Write a personal letter or call your councilperson. Thank them for bringing this to a vote, let them know what neighborhood you are from, and why you care. Stay positive, this is a great step forward for Spokane! Their number is 625-6255 or their emails are firstinitiallast name@spokanecity.org

3) Tell Mayor Elect Condon’s transition team you want to see complete streets in Spokane! Ask them to support following the Comprehensive Plan by addressing all the users of the street when a major street project is done instead of taking a piecemeal approach to building and maintaining our streets. The team has a form for your feedback herehttp://condontransition.wufoo.com/forms/community-feedback/.
4) Did we mention spreading the word about the petition? Please do that right now! Complete Streets Spokane petition.

There are three key reasons why Spokane needs complete streets:

• Safety: We have a high per capita rate of pedestrian and cyclist deaths averaging 20 bicycle or pedestrian related injury accidents per month — that’s 120 people seriously injured every year!
• Accessibility: Many of our bus stops do not have sidewalks, and many of the bus stops that are serviced by sidewalks do not have the curb ramps required by the Americans with Disabilities act to make them feasible for wheelchairs — forcing the disabled to rely on paratransit, which is inconvenient for them and expensive for taxpayers.
• Economics: Relying on cars is making people who can barely afford to drive poorer.  And the people who can’t afford cars at all face serious challenges getting to medical appointments, job interviews, groceries, etc.  In these hard economic times we should not allow transportation costs to be a barrier for job seekers. We could all save a LOT of money and have healthier lifestyles if we were able to get by efficiently without a car or even replace shorter trips with more affordable modes. Addressing these issues at the same time we do major repair projects saves tax payers money and increases our transportation choices.

For more information on Complete Streets Spokane go to:www.futurewise.org/spokane/completestreets. We have a series of topical fact sheets you can print and share.

It is because of your hard work and support that we have come this far. Now let’s make sure we finish the job!

Thanks for all that you do,

Kitty

P.S.

Join our facebook group athttp://www.facebook.com/groups/143275032410557/

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It’s finally happening! On Wed. December 14th the City of Spokane Plan Commission will hold a public hearing on the Complete Streets Ordinance. And if all goes well City Council will hold a hearing on Monday December 19th!

Complete streets is about making our city and its businesses and services accessible to all citizens whether they own a car or not. Which is critically important to our economic vitality and preserving a sustainable future for our community.

Click here for more info and to find out how you can be involved.

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Tons of Washingtonians are heading to Olympia to learn about the issues, meet with legislators and network with other advocates. Two hearings are scheduled for tomorrow on biking-related bills. Here’s the breakdown from Bike to Work Spokane, including what’s being talked about tomorrow in Olympia and more.

January 28: Transportation Advocacy Day in Olympia, House Transportation Committee Hearings on Bike Bills
This Thursday, Jan. 28 at 3:30pm, the House Transportation Committee will hold hearings on two bills that relate to biking, both of which are actively supported by the Cascade Bicycle Club, Bicycle Alliance of Washington, Transportation Choices and other groups working on active transportation issues.

HB 2911: Creating Complete Streets Grant Program
HB 3001: Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety Education in Traffic Schools

A list of House Transportation Committee members: http://bit.ly/WaHTransp. Local legislators Alex Wood (3rd District), John Driscoll (6th District), and Matt Shea (4th District) serve on the committee.

If you’d like to submit comments, contact your state representatives: http://bit.ly/WaReps

The bills are being heard on Transportation Advocacy Day, when people from around the state descend on the capitol to meet legislatures and lobby for transportation policy that addresses the needs of all users, not just some.

Vulnerable User Bill in Legislature
Introduced in the 2009 session by the Cascade Bicycle Club but not passed into law, the Vulnerable Roadway User Bill would make it easier for prosecutors to hold drivers more accountable in collisions where they kill or seriously injure cyclists and pedestrians. The bill is supported by the Bicycle Alliance of Washington and other organizations.

It has been introduced in the House as HB 2774, and in the Senate as SB 5838.

Spokane County Street Connectivity Issue Open for More Comments
Spokane County Commissioners held a hearing Tuesday, Jan. 26, concerning a policy on connectivity.

Connectivity provides for walkability and bikability within a neighborhood and for adjacent neighborhoods. It also makes providing services to these neighborhoods such as police, transit and fire much easier and cheaper.

Commissioners Todd Mielke and Mark Richard voted to hold the topic open for further comment. You can submit an email through this link provided by Futurewise. The wording they developed for the form will give you an idea of the importance of the issue for cyclists and neighbors.

You can rewrite it to be in your own words, or just send an email yourself to commissioners Todd Mielke (tmielke@spokanecounty.org), Mark Richards (mrichards@spokanecounty.org), and Bonnie Mager (bmager@spokanecounty.org).

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There’s been lots of buzz about “complete streets” in Spokane recently. Now it’s time to get involved! Please read this invitation to the upcoming Complete Streets Spokane planning meeting from the executive director of the Bicycle Alliance of Washington.

“If you have been reading the Spokesman Review and Out There Monthly, you know that there has been an alarming string of pedestrian deaths around Spokane and the Inland Northwest. Join representatives from Futurewise, the Bicycle Alliance of Washington, and other public interest groups in changing this trend!

January 13 – 5:30 PM
Central YMCA
930 N Monroe

When streets are designed for motor vehicles, they deny people the opportunity to choose more active ways to get around, like biking and walking. Even when sidewalks exist, large intersections and speeding traffic can discourage these active modes by making biking and walking unpleasant or unsafe.

Read Jon Snyder’s December editorial, Time for Complete Streets, in OutThere Monthly. The Bicycle Alliance of Washington has long been a proponent of Complete Streets policies at the state and local levels, and it continues to be part of our 2010 legislative agenda.

For more information contact Kitty Klitzke or at 509-838-1965 at Futurewise for more information.”

Dave Janis
Acting Executive Director
www.bicyclealliance.org
206-224-9252 x302

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