Road diets. Right-sizing. Complete Streets. Integrated Streets.

These are few of the words being bandied about Spokane City Hall as of late when it comes to road building. What it all boils down to is this: As the city rebuilds many of its roads over the next decade, it will take many things into consideration, such as how heavy traffic is, what pipes and utilities are below ground that need updating and if other transportation facilities should be added (bike lanes, separated sidewalks, more lanes for traffic).

ANYWAY, here's a letter to the editor in today's newspaper critical of the approach. The reason? Because we're not Portland. 

Beware, Spokane citizens! I grew up in Portland in the late 1960s, 1970s and 1980s.

First, Portland took the major four-lane streets leading into and out of downtown and turned them into two-lane streets. Then, the city adjusted the traffic lights so it was almost a daily gridlock (something Spokane has already done). Then Tri-Met, Portland’s light-rail and bus company, started cramming the light-rail system down everybody’s throat. And, of course, this came with double and triple property tax increases.

This is one of the reasons that Vancouver, Wash., and Washington state will not allow Tri-Met to put its light-rail system across the Columbia River, or even agree to build a new highway bridge. (It should be an eight-lane tunnel under the river.)

So, beware Spokane citizens. This narrowing down of Monroe and Market streets from four lanes to two lanes is just the beginning of banning or restricting cars in the downtown area, making our commute all that much longer and, of course, putting more pollution in the air while we sit gridlocked at the misadjusted traffic lights.

Ken Dix

Nine Mile Falls