Jeff Humphrey, Media Manager, 509.625.6308
Friday, May 10, 2024 at 3:21 p.m.
The City of Spokane is making it safer and more convenient for you to ride your bike in lieu of hopping in the car.
Kelly Thomas works at Spokane City Hall and regularly commutes to work on her bike.
“And I ride my bike as often as I can. As soon as the ice is gone, I’m on this bike. I take the bus in between. I love that I don’t have to look for parking,” detailed Thomas.
Members of Spokane’s Planning and Economic Development Department are also looking for ways to remove obstacles for cyclists.
“Last summer we installed a bike ramp, on the stairs, coming up from the Maple Street Bridge to make it safer and easier and more convenient for people to bike around Spokane,” explained Planner Colin Quinn-Hurst.
The City also recently created specially designed bike lanes along Riverside Avenue.
“So now, with this new layout, people are protected from traffic by parked cars, so you feel safer, you’re more separated from moving traffic. And, it slows traffic down so it’s safer for everyone,” Quinn-Hurst emphasized.
Cyclists say employers could encourage more of their employees to ride to work by installing secure storage areas at their respective job sites.
“Here at City Hall we have 16 bike racks for our employees to safely store their bike. And having those facilities at your end of trip, or place of work, or place you’re going to recreate, is hugely important just to ensure that people use their bikes as often as possible,” stressed Planner Tyler Kimbrell.
And now, the advent of battery powered bikes opens new opportunities for cyclist challenged by Spokane’s hilly terrain.
“It’s really convenient to get home. I live up on a hill, so I’ve got a battery pack on this bike, so it takes some of the sting out of it,” Thomas said thankfully.
This year, Bike to Work Week runs from Monday, May 13th through May 17th.
