Councilman hopes to take South Hill crosswalk a step further | News

For those hoping for a crosswalk at 29th and Manito Blvd., members of Spokane City Council discussed the prospect at Monday’s council briefing, but it’s going to take longer than you might like.

Councilman Jon Snyder says the area is a “greenlight” connection to downtown and agrees getting across 29th is a challenge. With pedestrian traffic expected to increase from Jefferson, Snyder and councilman Mike Allen are trying to figure out how to push something forward.

During the current construction project on along 29th, Snyder says it would be the best opportunity to put some wiring in the ground for a blinking pedestrian light which takes the crosswalk prospect a step further.

“We’re looking to do this in other parts of the city too. We’re needing a more powerful tool for cars and people to get around arterials,” Snyder said.

The light would be similar to what’s located at Hamilton and Desmet near Gonzaga University.

The two neighborhoods, Comstock and Manito/Cannon, submitted the traffic calming project as part of their application for photo red funds earlier this year, but the city won’t have a finalized list of approved 2012 projects until after September 1.

Snyder said the next step for making this project happen would be discussing it at the next Public Works meeting.