Another Nudge Forward

Yep. That's the city council. That's what 2 seconds after a yes vote looks like. The council voted to fund a bike/ped coordinator position. This is not a permanent, benefited position. I think it's about $30k/year for the next 3 years towards the position. It's the first step towards a permanent position.

This is a pretty historic occasion to me. It's weird how this kind of stuff comes to pass. The BAB has continually been pestering the city about this position for the last couple years I've been there, and I'm pretty sure former BABs have done the same.

Some credit is due to gas prices and a slight shift in thinking by some of the old timers on the council. Verner's administration also helped. But the bulk of the pushing and the paper shuffling and the negotiating and work here is Richard Rush. Thank you sir.

The weird part to me is that in the end it's just a quick vote on a quiet Monday night in the summer in a nearly empty city council chambers. Without getting too sappy: in that moment, Spokane has joined a host of other progressive cities in recognizing that good bicylce and pedestrian infrastructure requires dedicated and knowledgeable planning and resources.


Here's Maddie and Liza. About 45 minutes after the vote. I wonder how the city will look when Maddie's kid learns how to ride a bike?