Aug. 7 deadline for comments on downtown plan: Talk about bikes!

This Thursday, Aug. 7, is the final open house on the downtown master plan update, and also the deadline for public comments on the draft plan. See http://www.downtownspokane.net/downtownspokane/sub.aspx?id=2516 for links to the plan chapters. The plan does acknowledge bikes and cycling, but with more emphasis on a pedestrian-friendly downtown than on bike-specific circulation issues. It talks about an increase in transit use due to rising fuel prices, but doesn't acknowledge the parallel impact on bike commuting and the need to plan for that. Etcetera, etcetera. As one example, the bridge over the railroad tracks from East Sprague into the Riverpoint Campus (near and dear to my heart, since it would cut the Sprague & Division intersection out of my personal commute), is generally labeled the "pedestrian bridge" on maps. It's a pedestrian AND BIKE bridge and should be so labeled to reinforce the expected presence of cyclists, and the need for planning that incorporates bike access as well as pedestrian crosswalks on both ends of the bridge. Seemingly small, but significant--think about the cultural impact of changing language to be inclusive of women, or people of color, and translate that to using language that includes cyclists in the planning at the same level of importance as motorists and pedestrians. Now is the time to express your support of good, inclusive planning for bikes in downtown. Comments can be sent to FastForwardDowntown@spokanecity.org. --barb