Transportation Choices Coalition (TCC), a statewide advocacy and lobbying nonprofit, was in Spokane last week for the Washington Traffic Safety Summit and hosted a Walk & Talk event that featured local and regional speakers to discuss the current and future states of Division Street.
74 attendees from across the state walked together along the south end of the corridor to observe for themselves the difficulties present today for those walking, cycling and taking transit.
Division Street is a state-owned highway, but it runs through the city, serving dual and sometimes conflicting roles as both a long-distance route and a local-access route.
That combination is deadly: 47% of pedestrian and cyclist fatalities occur on roads managed by the state, many of which are state highways running through towns and cities.
According to the Spokane Regional Transportation Council’s Division Connects study, “bicycle and pedestrian related crashes accounted for just 5% of total crashes, but 64% of severe and fatal crashes involved nonmotorized users.”
TCC’s Executive Director Kirk Hovenkotter counts Division Street among the Washington streets most in need of rehab.
“Division is a dangerous, state-owned street that doesn't work well for anyone on it, whether you are driving, walking, or rolling,” he said in a statement to RANGE. “That's especially true for the bus riders who make it the busiest transit street in the city. It lacks accessible sidewalks. There are football field sized distances between crosswalks. There's sparse shade, and no place for seniors to wait if they can't cross the street in time. Wide lanes encourage drivers to speed, crashes are frequent, and there are few appealing alternatives to being stuck in your car. There is no safe bike lane, and no bus lane to get the 25 around traffic.”
