Spokane plans to clear bike lanes with new and ‘transformative’ snow plow

Spokane may soon have the city’s first purpose-built sweeper and plow to remove snow and debris from protected bike lanes, which are too narrow for most of the city’s equipment to navigate.

On Monday, the Spokane City Council will consider dedicating $550,000 from the city’s Traffic Calming Fund, which is typically used to pay for physical infrastructure such as speed bumps or stop signs that can mitigate the risks of vehicle traffic, to pay for the equipment. The agreement is expected to pass.

Councilman Zack Zappone, who is cosponsoring the funding agreement with Councilman Michael Cathcart, believes the equipment is a first step to maintaining the bike lanes the city already has and opens the door to building more.

“This has been a concern from (the Streets Department), that we can’t put in more bike lanes because we don’t have a way to maintain them,” Zappone said. “But now that we have the equipment, now we can expand. It is going to really be transformative for biking in our community.”

The funding agreement also includes setting aside up to an additional $400,000 annually for the labor costs associated with maintaining the bike lanes, as well as other infrastructure purchased with the Traffic Calming Fund. City officials have previously stated that there was not sufficient funding or personnel set aside to keep up with the projects paid for through that fund.

The equipment likely won’t arrive in time for this year’s snow season, noted Marlene Feist, director of Spokane’s Public Works Division. While the city has a small snow plow that could be used on the bike lanes, it is too small to complete the work in a single pass, making it inefficient, Feist added. The equipment on order will be the city’s first built specifically to maintain Spokane’s protected bike lanes.

“We are trying to get more people to use those bike lanes, but if they’re not clear and safe, they may become a hazard unto themselves,” said Council President Betsy Wilkerson, who is in support of the funding agreement. “If we’re investing in pedestrian and bicycle safety, I think this is absolutely needed.”