Spokane’s new bikeway "baby plow." S pokane’s first real-deal protected bike lane — stretching from Monroe to Division streets on Riverside Avenue — is nearly finished. There’s still some work to do in the spring, but for now cyclists can ride downtown without worrying about getting squished. By putting a bike lane between the sidewalk and the parking lane, it’s safer — though watch out for passenger side doors opening. But when a big dump of snow hits, how does one plow such a bikeway ? With a "baby plow," says Marlene Feist, the city’s director of public works. (Basically, it’s a compact dozer with a plow attachment recently purchased by the city). Still, some bike lanes likely won’t get plowed if the snow is too deep. "When the snow gets super deep, it’s hard to get curb to curb without killing the pedestrian [space]," says Feist. "Our goal is to find that balance." (DANIEL WALTERS) CLEANER TRANSPORTATION
Starting Jan. 1, Washington will begin reducing emissions from transportation fuels like gasoline under its new Clean Fuel Standard, which was finalized this week. By 2034, the fuel standard is expected to cut emissions by 20 percent, the equivalent of taking 900,000 cars off the road , according to the state Department of Ecology. Lawmakers passed legislation requiring the new standard in 2021, and the rules were finalized on Monday. The fuel standard creates a credit system that encourages market adoption of fuels with lower carbon intensity. Fuel suppliers can reach […]
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