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Public speakers urge urgent action after two pedestrian deaths; council hears Safe Streets resolution
Summary
After two pedestrian fatalities in a week, advocates urged the council to require rapid adaptive traffic controls; city council and staff discussed seven adaptive projects in the Safe Streets fund but no final vote on the proposed rapid-action resolution appears in the meeting record.
Public comment at the March 3 Spokane City Council meeting turned to street safety after two pedestrian fatalities in the city within days of each other, prompting advocates to press the council to require faster, temporary traffic controls while permanent fixes are studied.
Eric Lowe told the council the recent deaths — including a 72-year-old woman struck crossing a multilaned road near Spokane Falls Community College — showed the city was moving “much too slowly” on implementing the Safe Streets for All work. Lowe said adaptive projects were intended to be quick and inexpensive, and warned that at the current rate “we should reach Vision Zero in approximately never.”
Several speakers directly appealed to the council to use the city’s Safe Streets funds to install rapid-response measures and accelerate engineering work. Sarah Rose recounted witnessing a woman fatally struck near Spokane Falls Community College and called on the council to “push the departments who should be working on solutions to do the work and implement safer designs as quickly as possible.”
Council members responded with a mix of urgency and process concerns. Council member McClitsky thanked advocates and encouraged continued testimony; others described recent procedural changes intended to prioritize data and to enable “adaptive” pilot projects that can be tested before more expensive permanent construction. Council member Spoerl said the adaptive projects were meant to pilot lower-cost tests rather than install multi-million-dollar permanent infrastructure immediately.
Councilors noted several specific projects in the package: upgrades near Regal Elementary to include a Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacon (RRFB) at Lacey and Wellesley; sidewalks on Marietta Avenue; and an additional crossing near Haven Market. Several council members said funding limits and statutory restrictions (including which census tracts qualify for certain programs) restrict the number of projects the city can undertake without additional revenue or state legislative changes.
Resolution 2025-5, described as approving 2026 applications and 2025 adaptive projects from the Spokane Safe Streets for All fund not to exceed $2,875,000, was introduced during the meeting and generated extensive public comment and council discussion. The transcript records discussion and requests to “prepare to vote” but does not include a recorded final roll-call vote on the resolution in the provided excerpt.
Ending: Council members and advocates agreed on the need for faster action; a number of adaptive pilot projects were discussed for near-term work, and speakers urged continued pressure on departments and the Legislature to increase funding and authority for rapid safety measures.
