Great news! Last night the City of Spokane Plan Commission voted unanimously to recommend adoption of the complete streets ordinance to City Council. City Council will hold a final vote on Monday December 19th at 6pm at City Hall in Council Chambers! 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.
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/
