This Hello Kitty Bike Is Calling My Name

Here is blogger Holly's response to this thread yesterday: You're acting like a little kid who sees a pretty pink bike she wants and is dreaming of Christmas Day. My advice is... Get a bike on Craigslist that is actually not a POS then paint it pink and have Hello Kitty decals added to it. If you spent that much on a used bike you'd have yourself a super sweet ride.

Besides that, you're used to riding Giant Cooter (our Commute Trip Reduction bike), so this bike will not even begin to ride that nicely. Bottom Line... Friends don't let friends buy bikes from Target (or any other variety store for that matter, including Costco.) :)

Okay, she's got a point there; I'm like a crow with shiny objects. Sigh...

The back wheel on the Huffy is bent and since it's a 15-year-old bike and a Huffy it's not really worth paying to have it replaced. However, I do need something to ride, so I was thinking I should start looking around for a bike. And I was going to ask for opinions on what to get on this blog. That is, until I saw that beauty above.

That's right folks, that's a 1 speed women's cruiser Hello Kitty bike. Only $369 at Target. It's got alloy rims, a padded spring set, front and rear fenders, comes 85% assembled (how the &^%$# do they determine 85%???), and the best part; it's hideously pink and has Hello Kitty all over it.

Being government employees, we don't get Christmas bonuses, but if someone wanted to drop a hint to the boss about how I need a new ride to get to meetings it wouldn't hurt my feelings at all. I'll see if I can return the favor at some point.

Transportation Funding Task Force Meets This Week

Governor Butch Otter’s transportation funding task force will hold its third meeting this week. At this Wednesday's meeting in Boise, a national consultant and former Utah transportation director will make a presentation about transportation funding across the country.

The task force is in the midst of an 18-month study of options for adequately funding transportation in Idaho. It’s scheduled to report back to the governor by December of 2010.

You can see the full meeting agenda and other info by clicking here.

IPH Public Meetings Start Tomorrow

With everything else going on, I've somewhat neglected the latest project we're partnering on, the Inland Pacific Hub (IPH) Transportation Study. The IPH is a project to establish the Inland Pacific Region as a multi-modal global gateway in order to increase international commerce.

Your ideas and strategies are needed to reach that goal, so we (all the agencies involved in this study including the Washington State Department of Transportation, the Idaho Transportation Department, KMPO, and Spokane Regional Transportation Council) are hosting three public meetings this week to introduce area business leaders and the public to the IPH. The forums will gather input on transportation infrastructure necessary to drive economic growth. The meetings are at these dates and locations:

Tuesday Dec. 1, 2009, 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL) Event Center
1825 Schweitzer Drive, Pullman, WA

Wednesday Dec. 2, 2009, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Sandpoint Community Hall
204 S. First Ave., Sandpoint, ID

Thursday Dec. 3, 2009, 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.
CenterPlace
2426 N. Discovery Place, Spokane Valley, WA

For more information on the IPH study click here. Or you can read an article about the study in the Bonner County Daily Bee by clicking here.

This Just In From ITD

Work will be suspended on all Idaho Transportation Department highway construction projects statewide for the Thanksgiving holiday, except in special circumstances.

There may be work on the Friday after Thanksgiving, but that is expected to be only minimal when compared to typical project work.

Some of those very rare conditions in which work may continue on a holiday are:

- If crews are not working on the roadway open to the public,
- If the road is already closed and all traffic is using a designated detour,
- In an emergency situation where the roadway has been damaged and requires repair,
- On roads with very low traffic volumes, or
- On accelerated projects with compressed work schedules in order to reduce long-term impacts to the public.

Don't Forget To Review The Regional Non-Motorized Plan

This is a reminder that if you have comments regarding the draft Regional Non-Motorized Transportation Plan KMPO recently developed, you need to submit them by the close of business next Tuesday or forever hold your peace. Or at least until we do an update anyway.

The goal of the plan is to create a non-motorized transportation system to increase walking and bicycling for transportation, as well as address the needs of area pedestrians and bicyclists.

It can be viewed by clicking here or by calling 1-800-698-1927 for a hardcopy. Comments can be submitted by clicking here, but they're due Dec. 1 so get going.

Gas & Weather Expected To Stay Stable Through Weekend

So what gives? I've been buying gas for $2.49 a gallon in Coeur d'Alene for at least a couple days now, but when I needed to buy it in Spokane the other day it was $2.82 a gallon! I know Washington has a gas tax that Idaho doesn't, but it's not big enough to make a 33-cent a gallon difference!

Besides the difference between states, AAA says gas prices will stay stable throughout the holiday weekend. The weather is supposed to be pretty mild too, which means more people will be taking to the roads. Here's the story from the Coeur d'Alene Press.

It's A Blogging Holiday

Just some advance notice to let you know there's probably going to be a lapse in blogging for at least a few days. Being government workers, we have Thursday and Friday off as holidays. Because I'm on a 'flex' schedule though, I also get Wednesday off. Whoo hoo, five days off in a row! I may get a wild hair and blog from home but it depends on how I feel. That picture of Mr. Potato Head usually sums up how I feel after a holiday spent with the extended family, so I'd hate to commit to anything right now. Talk amongst yourselves in my absence.

Lewiston Police Take Hard Stance On DUIs

This story is in Lewiston but I still feel it's relevant as this could be the trend. Lewiston Police say they're ramping up their stance against drunk driving from now on and may even forcibly take blood samples in some suspected drunk driving cases! Here's the story.

I know blood will only be taken forcibly in extreme cases, and I'm just as against drunken driving as anyone else, but the whole taking blood by force thing kind of creeps me out. My understanding is that people who refuse a breath test automatically have their license suspended. I would think that's punishment enough. I worry that this could be abused and eventually the guy who had one beer after work and drives home with a blood alcohol level below .08 will be harrassed and have his blood 'stolen.' Am I paranoid? Probably, but I like my blood. Am I overreacting? What do you think?

Walker Killed By Truck Was Pedestrian Advocate

I've been following this story since last Thursday when it happened but hadn't blogged about it until now because it's not in Kootenai County. Considering the circumstance though, I think it's applicable to this blog.

It turns out that a Sandpoint man who died after being hit by a pickup was an advocate for pedestrian safety. Here's more from the Spokesman-Review.

I've Heard Of Naming Hurricanes- But Snowstorms??

I was in Coeur d'Alene yesterday running some errands and actually saw a snowplow! I figured it had to be heading to an outlying area since the roads in town were just wet. Turns out, it could have been the City trying to be proactive though.

On the City of Coeur d'Alene Today blog, CDA Street Superintendent Tim Martin explains what they're doing to get ready for future snowfall. And by the way, did you know those crazy folks in CDA actually name their snowstorms? Neither did I. Here's the story from the man himself.

ITD Explains Ness' Salary Increase

Wondering why Idaho’s new transportation director is being paid $22,000 a year more than fired Director Pam Lowe? According to ITD, it's because the department negotiated a salary that’s designed to be a substantial increase from Brian Ness’ current salary in Michigan.

Ness will be paid $165,000 a year. Here's why ITD felt they had to give him such an increase.

Plan Accordingly- Holiday Closures Are Coming

A reminder to get your government business done early this week, as all government offices are closed Thursday and Friday for the Thanksgiving holiday.

That includes KMPO, Coeur d'Alene City Hall, Post Falls City Hall, the Idaho Transportation Department, etc., etc. Everything opens again Monday morning, Nov. 30, at 8 a.m.

In the meantime, the four days off gives me time to deal with the flock of 30 turkeys that have taken up residence in my neighborhood. This is the view out my front window every morning, only usually there's a lot more of them. Don't they know they're supposed to be laying low this time of year?

35 Worst Cities For Pedestrians

Transportation for America has just released a new study on which U.S. cities are most dangerous for pedestrians, and God forbid if you have to walk anywhere in Florida! The top five worst cities for walking are in the sunshine state.

The good news though is that I didn't see any Washington or Idaho cities on the list.

Here's the top 35 worst cities for walking.

ITD Winter Driving Tips

The Idaho Transportation Department asks you not to get too crazy near their snowplows. When driving near snowplows keep a few safety tips in mind:

- Remain two car lengths behind plows for every 10 mph you drive. Sand being spread by trucks can damage your vehicle.

- Do not pass a snowplow unless it is absolutely necessary. If you must pass, do so only when you can clearly see the road ahead. Do not pass on the side where the plow is spraying snow. If you do, the snow's force can knock your car out of control.

- Do not cut back immediately in front of a snowplow truck. The plow blades are often covered with snow and can be difficult to see.

- Do not brake suddenly if you are traveling in front of a snowplow. The heavy vehicle cannot stop as quickly as an automobile.

- Do not abandon your car unless it is absolutely necessary. However, if you must, leave it as far off the road as possible. Abandoned cars can interfere with the road clearing process and can be extremely hazardous to snow removal equipment and the operators if they are hidden or buried by snow.

- Be aware of potential icy areas such as shady spots, bridges, and overpasses. Since they are exposed on their undersides, bridges and overpasses are deprived of ground warmth and freeze more rapidly than the roadways leading to them.

ITD Upgrades 511 System

With winter here, the Idaho Transportation Department is enhancements its 511 Traveler Services system to help you safely navigate changing highway and weather conditions. Among the changes:

- A simplified route-reporting process that enables callers and Web site users to select a portion of a highway for information retrieval. In the past, telephone callers had to listen to a report for the entire length of a specific highway even when they only wanted to check a short segment.

- Event locations will be reference by their distance to cities and towns, rather than mileposts or lesser-known geographic points, in order to make it easier for telephone users to locate road closures and other events

-The 511.idaho.gov website now includes Google Map technology that provides terrain or satellite imagery and a number of other graphics-based features.

- And for those of you with 'handheld devices' like fancy schmancy cell phones, ITD this year introduced a new Mobile Web option that provides road reports and camera images. To access the reports, enter 511.idaho.gov in the Web address of your mobile browser.

BNSF Depot Gets Approval

The Burlington Northern Santa Fe refueling depot in Huetter received a nod of approval from the Kootenai County commissioners yesterday. Commissioners voted unanimously that the depot is in compliance with the conditions the officials set when they passed a conditional use permit for the facility in 2004. Here's the story.

ITD Director Salary Released

According to the Idaho Transportation Department, theire new state transportation director, Brian Ness, will be paid $165,000 a year. That’s $22,000 more a year than the salary of the previous director, Pam Lowe, who made $143,000.

What Would It Take To Make Our Area Into A Hub For Global Commerce?

That’s the question posed by a local transportation study we're partnering with several other agencies on. The Inland Pacific Hub (IPH) Transportation Study is a project to establish the Inland Northwest region as a multi-modal hub in order to increase international commerce.

The IPH is a very large-scope project, both conceputally and geographically. It covers ten counties in Washington (Adams, Asotin, Columbia, Ferry, Garfield, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens and Whitman) and nine in Idaho (Benewah, Bonner, Boundary, Clearwater, Kootenai, Latah, Lewis, Nez Perce and Shoshone).

Because the study area is so big, we have created a new website to reach all the people in those areas that are interested or may want to be involved. So, while it may sound far-fetched for Eastern Washington/North Idaho to be the ideal inland port, the area is actually perfectly situated and has many economic development opportunities already in place. Check out the Inland Pacific Hub website to see why.

ITD To Use Lasers To Avoid Car-Animal Accidents

When I heard that the Idaho Transportation Department is going to use lasers to try to keep animals from being hit by drivers on a stretch of US 95 near Moscow, the first thing I thought of was the sharks with lasers mounted on their heads from Austin Powers. Cool, they're going to equip game with lasers so they can shoot back at cars approaching them too fast! Uh, not quite. Turns out it's a system where lights flash when deer, elk, moose or other animals pass through laser beams focused along shoulders of the highway.

The system is supposed to give travelers an extra chance to avoid a collision. While it's not as cool as large animals that shoot laser beams, it's still pretty cool. I want some in my neighborhood.

ITD Names New Director

Idaho has named a new transportation director, this time an administrator from Michigan’s Department of Transportation who holds both an engineering degree and a master’s degree in public administration. Here's the story from the Spokesman-Review.