Resident urges traffic calming and restrictions on vape shops near Spokane high schools

A Spokane-area resident asked the county on July 15 to install traffic-calming measures near several nearby elementary schools and to adopt restrictions on vape shops’ proximity to high schools. Dwayne, who identified a house on the five-mile bluff area, said vehicles regularly pass his house at “45, 50 miles an hour” and that there is a nearby bus stop for students. “Can we get something to slow them down?” he asked, suggesting speed cushions or pads used elsewhere. Dwayne also urged the county to consider an ordinance restricting vape businesses from operating within one to two miles of high schools, saying several vape stores are within a few blocks of local high schools. He referenced a recent California law limiting certain flavored products and suggested similar measures locally to reduce youth access. No formal county ordinance or staff response was adopted at the meeting; the speaker’s comments were entered into the record for potential follow up. Why it matters: traffic-calming measures affect public safety for students at bus stops and near schools; zoning or licensing limits on tobacco/vape retailers would be a regulatory change requiring legal review and possible state statutory interaction. The speaker did not identify a specific enforcement mechanism or draft ordinance language for commissioners to consider; county staff did not present an immediate plan for follow up during the meeting.