Washington’s ‘Target Zero’ aims to reduce road deaths
Washington’s Department of Transportation has an ambitious goal: no traffic-related fatalities in a given year. This week, it released a new plan designed to get there.
Barb Chamberlain, who directs the agency’s Active Transportation Division, said the Target Zero plan takes a big picture “systems” approach.
“You really don’t get safety by telling people to look both ways before they cross the street. You get to safety if the street has good places to cross and drivers can see with enough time to stop,” Chamberlain told SPR News. “That’s not the responsibility of the person trying to cross the street. That’s a bigger responsibility across all the agencies involved and the decision makers and the policy makers who assign funding and all of that.”
The new plan includes several strategies: safer streets, lower speed limits in some areas and a lower legal blood alcohol level for drivers.
Agency officials said the number of people killed in accidents on Washington’s roads increased from 538 in 2019 to 810 last year. That came after several years with little change in the number of traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries.
TSA expecting big crowds at Spokane Int’l Airport this week
If you are flying into or out of Spokane International Airport this Thanksgiving holiday, you’ll have plenty of company.
Transportation Security Administration officials estimate security lines will screen 47,000 passengers in the seven-day period between Tuesday and Sunday.
TSA spokeswoman Lorie Dankers told SPR News the general rule of thumb is to try to arrive two hours before your flight. But it may take even longer if you’re arriving during peak boarding times.
“From 4:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m., we have literally hundreds of people coming every few minutes to the security checkpoint,” Dankers said. “The next time it’s busy is 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. We also have a rush from two to five p.m.”
Dankers recommended frequent fliers sign up for TSA’s pre-check program, in which people volunteer some information, such as fingerprints, which qualifies them as a low-risk traveler. Pre-check would shorten the wait in screening lines.
WA Senate GOP leader criticizes Inslee juvenile detention center plan
John Braun, the Washington Senate’s minority leader, thinks Gov. Jay Inslee should have taken earlier action to address problems at two juvenile rehabilitation centers. The Republican from Centralia also said Wednesday that there are too few details in the governor’s proposal to lease an unused building near a western Washington prison to help relieve overcrowding.
Gov. Inslee announced this week that the building in Aberdeen could hold up to 48 residents of the overcrowded Green Hill School, a center for those convicted of juvenile offenses.
In a statement released by the Senate Republican Caucus, Braun said Inslee’s plan is “encouraging” but feels like a last-minute effort before the governor leaves office in January. He also pointed out that it’s not yet clear how much the new facility will cost. The state faces a budget shortfall in the new year.
Braun agreed with Inslee that the Aberdeen building alone will not solve problems at Green Hill or its sister campus in Snoqualmie, Echo Glen.
“Overcrowding relief alone will not rebuild integrity or improve outcomes for the young people in these facilities,” Braun said.
Braun also asserted the governor didn’t work with Republican lawmakers from the districts around the Aberdeen facility before announcing his proposal.
Spokane retailers promote local holiday shopping
While Black Friday sales have been underway for weeks, Spokane businesses hope holiday shoppers won’t forget their local merchants.
“The holiday season is incredibly vital to retailers, restaurants, hospitality business here in downtown,” said Elizabeth Hooker of the Downtown Spokane Partnership.
The group is encouraging shoppers to patronize local retailers the day after Black Friday.
“These are individuals who’ve invested their livelihood in our community and an event like Small Business Saturday is an opportunity for us to showcase these really great entrepreneurs,” Hooker told SPR News.
Small Business Saturday began nationally in 2010 as a way to compete with online sellers.
Merchants in many other Inland Northwest communities will also be participating in Small Business Saturday, November 30.
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Reporting was contributed by Doug Nadvornick, Steve Jackson, Brandon Hollingsworth and Tom Lee.